June 30, 2022
Congratulations! You’ve made the decision to move into independent living and are making an investment in your current and future needs. Now comes the fun part: choosing the perfect community that fits your life.
“You’re probably already aware that no two independent living communities are the same,” says Pamela Klapproth, CEO of Kendal on Hudson, a not-for-profit Life Plan Community serving older adults in the Quaker tradition in Sleepy Hollow, NY. “So, how do you compare communities in order to find the one that’s perfect for you? Today’s older adults are demanding more and more from their retirement lifestyles, and communities like Kendal on Hudson are rising to the challenge.”
Pamela says that there are many factors to consider when choosing the perfect community, including your present and future needs, your interests and preferences and a variety of other things. “At Kendal on Hudson, our residents are looking for high-quality options that enable them to live the lifestyle they want and deserve,” she says. “We consistently strive to enhance the quality of life and independence of our residents by providing high-quality services and lifestyle options driven by our residents themselves, allowing each person to realize his or her full potential.”
As you’re seeking out options for your perfect independent living lifestyle, here are some tips to help you narrow your focus and increase your chance of success.
Tip 1: Think about both your present and future needs.
Obviously, when you’re looking for senior living solutions, you want a lifestyle that meets your independent needs now, but you also will want a community that will be able to continue to allow you to live your best life, no matter how your health needs shift in the future. What that looks like is completely different for each person. As you’re beginning your search, sit down and think about your goals and needs. What do you want your retirement to look like right now? What about five to ten years from now? Understanding your goal and needs will allow you to more easily compare options as you move forward.
Tip 2: Look at location.
Where you live will very often affect how you live, now and in the future. While many of us have had a dream of retiring to a sunny beach and relaxing by the pool, the reality of such a lifestyle may not be feasible for a variety of reasons. Think about what’s really important to you in a location. Do you want to go somewhere warm where there is a large community of other seniors? Would you rather move to an independent living community that’s closer to family or friends? Would you prefer to remain in or near a city or area that is “home” to you, where you’re comfortable and already have a strong sense of community? Would you like to move to a destination location with lots to do? There are no wrong answers, but only you can determine where “home” is for you.
Tip 3: Make a list of your must-haves and wants.
Must-haves are, of course, the things that an independent living community absolutely, simply must have in order to be considered. This can range from health care needs to specific amenities and services that you know you need to make you a happy camper. Wants, on the other hand, are the icing on the cake—the services and amenities that would be nice to have in a perfect world but aren’t dealbreakers. Let your imagination run wild, and go ahead and put down everything you can think of. Having a long list can help you narrow down choices if you find yourself trying to break a tie between this community or that.
Tip 4: Start searching.
Now that you’ve done the hard work of thinking about exactly what you want and need from an independent living community, it’s time to start your search in earnest. The first place most people go is, of course, the internet. With a few clicks, you can find a wealth of information and choices (so many that you may feel a little overwhelmed). While a community’s website is a great source of information, that’s just the beginning. Be sure to look at things like Google reviews or reports from senior living-specific sites. If you have friends or family members who live in a community or have knowledge of one, ask their honest opinion. It’s possible that you have someone in your life who’s already gone through this process and can help you with some “insider knowledge.” Firsthand accounts are especially valuable when it comes to gathering information. You can also ask other trusted advisors such as medical professionals, colleagues and clergy members.
Tip 5: Narrow your list.
Take your list of communities that you’ve discovered and start looking at their services, amenities and other perks compared to your list of wants and needs that you’ve put together. Hopefully all the work you have done will make it easy to see relatively quickly whether or not a community might be a fit. Don’t worry if you can’t tell automatically if a community fits all of your list items. However, you do want to take your time and narrow down your list to a handful of communities that you’d like to gather more information about. Less than five communities is ideal—preferably, you’ll have only two or three communities that meet your criteria.
Tip 6: Take a tour.
The next step is to actually visit the shortlist of communities you’ve identified as potentially perfect matches. Schedule tours of each community and put together a list of questions you’d like to have answered. If you still need to narrow your list, you might want to do “virtual” tours and conversations with different staff members before you actually visit in person. When you actually do visit the campus in person, bring a list of different questions and criteria you’d like to gain more information about. There are many, many different checklists available online that can help you standardize your questions so you can more easily compare options to one another. Be sure to take notes (you’ll want them for later), and don’t hesitate to schedule another tour at another time. In fact, we often suggest that individuals tour a community at least twice in order to get a good feel for it.
Tip 7: Compare, contrast … and choose!
In a perfect world, you would walk onto the campus of an independent living community and just “know” that it’s the right one for you … but if it’s not the case for you, never fear. Take your list of questions and checklists and go through each of them, comparing and contrasting the options. Use your list of goals, wants and needs to help narrow things down even further. By the end, you will hopefully have a clear vision of what community is perfect for your needs.
There are many other tips and tricks you can use to help find the perfect community for you, but by following these seven, you’re most likely to land on a location that will allow you to live your best retirement lifestyle in the best possible way.
Together, Transforming the Experience of Aging.®
Founded on Quaker principles and guided by our values and practices, Kendal on Hudson provides a vibrant, active and social senior lifestyle on our 25-acre campus next to the historic Hudson River. As the only Lifecare community in Westchester County, we offer five levels of service for our residents: Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Support, Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation.
Kendal on Hudson is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization led by a volunteer Board of Directors. Kendal on Hudson is an affiliate of The Kendal Corporation, a system of communities and services for older people based in Kennett Square, PA. We support diversity, inclusiveness, and independence and support the values and practices of Kendal by remaining focused on healthy aging. Located in Sleepy Hollow, New York, just 35 miles from New York City, we offer a vibrant lifestyle, cultural programs, continued learning and health care for life.
For more information, please call 866-KENDALNY.