Community Counts

As you consider living arrangements for the future, your own definition of community should help guide your decisions. For many of us, our work life creates a community — but retirement or job loss can change that quickly! Still, the need for community continues long after job duties fade.

If you’re a senior looking to make a change in your living arrangements, consider the following to help you decide what type of place may be your best fit:

• How do I define my community? By specific people, by groups of people and/or by related activities we may share?
• How much of my current community will still be available if I move elsewhere?
• What do I value most about my current community – its familiarity or the chance for new experiences, new people and/or new ideas?
• How much effort am I willing to expend, if necessary, on creating a new community?

Often, accessibility is key to our individual communities. Even when we have many options for creating a sense of community, we still have to physically get somewhere in order to take advantage of them. If we have limited transportation options or can no longer drive, we need to find other options available to us – a taxi, a neighbor willing to drive us, or a friend who enjoys the same activities and is able to drive.

Unfortunately, many seniors live in places, particularly in suburban areas, where loss of mobility or the ability to drive cuts them off from activities, destinations and other people — thus, from having community. This is where a senior-based design, such as the one used to create CHI Living Communities, becomes an important consideration when planning your future living arrangements.

It’s never too early to begin exploring options for aging. Contact the CHI Living Communities campus located nearest you to get information – such as its campus size, amenities, costs and its nearness to places of interest to you. Our trusted advisors will not pressure you to make a decision nor give you a “hard sell.”

Instead, they will work with you and family members to ensure you find a place that is just right for you and help you find a community that will make you feel right at home.