by ANDREW PARKER
Log home villages as rustic as Grizzly Adams and cosmopolitan high-rises with posh leather couches are popping up all over the country, though there’s a qualifier: you must be 55 years or older to live there. A surge in senior living construction, dating back to the mid-2000s, has introduced a variety of styles and themes. If shiny new things garner attention, plenty of distracting novelties pop up in most cities. But if we brush away the glitter, what’s exposed at the core of the community?
First, let’s look back even further. A major shift in senior housing started to occur much earlier, benefiting senior living and the hundreds of thousands of members now living in retirement communities. By introducing offerings outside of care services, retirement communities were able to entice a much larger pool of the senior population. With the inclusion of independent living, which includes single-family homes, apartments, and condo-style living spaces, seniors were afforded an interesting new option of a resort-type lifestyle.
To make the retirement communities more appealing than living at home, they needed to offer something special, something that took care of a want. This is where unique services and amenities succeed. They’re implemented into the lifestyle that removes stressors and gives back valuable time better spent elsewhere. For instance, cooking can be a wonderful experience, but it can also be a burden. Home maintenance has probably never been referred to as a wonderful experience, and is most certainly a burden. Removing these daily chores is part of the retirement community lifestyle.
In addition to removing bothersome chores such as cooking, cleaning, and maintenance, newly reclaimed time should be filled with something better. Whether socializing with new friends, exploring a new hobby, or doubling down on an old one, it beats the other stuff.
Programs have come and gone, been tweaked, and refined, though the purpose of their existence remains to make people happy. Good food, good people, good fun. Socialization, wellness, and dining activities are centered around retirement that infuses excitement into each day.
Social activities such as group outings to museums, hiking, and sporting events, combined with wellness-focused programming such as aquatic aerobics, archery, cardio classes, and more, form a robust calendar to keep any resident active.
Homestead Hills, a local favorite for the Winston-Salem senior audience, remains true to its mission to deliver outstanding services in an environment that promotes Members living longer, healthier, happier lives. One of the best ways to remain independent is to maintain one’s health – both body and mind. By offering an amazing choice of amenities, excellent services, and a focus on independence, Members are compelled to engage in life.
With so many options in the senior living arena, make sure not to succumb to the newest and flashiest for opulence’s sake, but to the community that offers you what you want. It can be a bear of a decision, not to be taken lightly. As the saying goes, it’s not what’s on the outside; it’s what’s on the inside that counts.
The Lifestyle Advisors at Homestead Hills are ready to answer questions about their lifestyle and help you find a community that is right for you. Call (336) 770-2024 to start the conversation.
