After 11 years as a teacher, Lori Pierson decided she was done being surrounded by the under-18 crowd. At age 53, she moved from Texas to a home in an age-restricted community in Colorado.
While Pierson loved the community, operated by the company Del Webb, she was less than thrilled with the weather. She says she had only a few requirements when she decided to move south a few years later: “I specifically wanted to live in a Del Webb community, and I specifically wanted to live in an age-restricted community.” Now 58, Pierson lives in Sun City Festival in Arizona and has no regrets about her decision.
There is little data about how many older Americans live in age-restricted communities, but Pierson is far from alone. For seniors weighing their housing options, there is a lot to like about these communities, which may be limited to those older than age 50 or 55. However, you may not have to live among seniors to get amenities such as organized activities and onsite recreation facilities, things that are staples in age-restricted developments.
Rebranding Retirement Communities
In the past, age-restricted communities may have been known as retirement communities or senior communities. However, some developments are working to rebrand themselves to more accurately represent their residents.
“We used to call them senior living communities or continuum of care communities,” says Lynn O’Connor, president and CEO of Ingleside which operates three age-restricted communities in the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland. “Now we’re called life care.”
Del Webb uses the term “active adult community” for its properties while Ingleside describes itself as “engaged living.” The change reflects the fact that some residents may be neither a senior nor retired, as is the case with Pierson. It also eliminates some of the connotation of the community as a sleepy place where people might play shuffleboard all day.
That image is something Pierson has run up against. “Some of my out-of-state friends think I’m living in an old-folks home,” she says.
On the contrary, she says her home is more like a resort with golf, a pool, recreation center and restaurant. Residents can join clubs, take classes and play sports. And as far as Pierson is concerned, line dancing is the highlight of all the activities offered. “I never dreamed I would be line dancing,” she says.
All-Age Communities Offer Amenities Too
Although some seniors may move to age-restricted communities for the amenities, those developments don’t have a corner on the market. For older Americans who want to live in a resort-like setting, an all-ages community may just as easily meet their needs.
Tammy Barry, director of sales and marketing for Heritage Harbor Ottawa in Ottawa, Illinois, says her community offers many of the same features as age-restricted developments. Perks include lawn maintenance, a pool, an onsite restaurant, gathering spaces and a community bus that provides rides.
“I consider us a stroller to walker community,” she says, adding that current residents range from their 30s to age 94. “I think having an age variety has brought a lot of energy to the community.”
One benefit of selecting an all-ages development may be the opportunity for adult children to live near their parents. Barry notes the houses in her community are positioned close to one another, an arrangement that could work well for older parents who could use help from their children but don’t want to move in with them.
Offering Services and Care Not Found Elsewhere
While age-restricted and all-ages communities may share many of the same amenities, those designed for older Americans may include health care services, which aren’t always offered elsewhere. Life care communities, like Ingleside, often offer seniors the chance to move from an independent living setting to assisted living to specialized services such as memory care as they age.
“Many of the residents who move here are planners,” O’Connor says, “and they want to make decisions on their own while they are healthy.”
As a nonprofit, Ingleside makes a commitment to residents that they will be able to stay on the property and receive care for life, even if their financial situation changes. The organization’s Westminster Ingleside Foundation makes that possible, and O’Connor says the arrangement offers seniors an added level of security about their well-being.
Deciding Where to Move
For seniors weighing their choices, both all-ages and age-restricted communities can be attractive.
Seniors might appreciate the opportunity to mingle with a younger crowd in an all-ages community, and some people might find that keeps them feeling young. While they may not have the same continuum of care found elsewhere, homes in all-ages communities can be adjusted to fit the needs of older Americans. For instance, Barry notes some houses at Heritage Harbor Ottawa have been outfitted with elevators.
However, you don’t necessarily have to live in an all-ages community to enjoy the company of the younger generation. “It’s not like you’re only surrounded by old people,” Pierson says of age-restricted communities. “You see younger people, but they’re only visiting.”
O’Connor, who is quick to call all-ages communities “fabulous,” says the key is for each person to determine what’s important to him or her. For some, access to family or a particular location may be paramount. Others may want to move once and not have to worry about it again. Still, others may be focused on finding a place to live among friends.
“People need to ask, ‘How do I want my lifestyle to be at the end of my life, and how do I want my lifestyle to be now?” O’Connor says.
Your answer will help guide where you go next.
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