Senior Living

Today’s upscale senior communities offer “resort style living” which is hospitality- oriented and resembles a 4-star hotel or cruise ship rather than a hospital or retirement home. Senior Living RETIRE WITHOUT CHANGING YOUR LIFESTYLE FLORIDA CENTRAL COAST | VOL. 1

Amenities Some of the more luxurious communities at the deluxe level even feature lively bars with chandeliers and overstuffed pillows. More standard amenities include:

Activities: Education and Entertainment, Fashion shows, Lectures from retired professors and various social and cultural events which are all examples of regularly planned activities for residents at higher-end facilities. In urban settings, planned outings to the city for museums, art galleries or theater visits are frequent occurrences as well.

Grounds-keeping: Luxury communities are beautifully designed on the outside as well, from gardens to ponds to putting greens and walkways. Many include well-appointed courtyards for residents to socialize, relax, or enjoy a meal.

Concierge Service: Offering ‘Concierge Service’ is what makes a Senior Living community a Luxury one. Similar to a hotel concierge, a resident can use the Concierge to arrange hotel flights or tickets to events, a service that makes these luxury communities clearly more desirable to prospective residents and their families.

4 Modern Therapies: Assisted living communities offer personal care to their residents, and the best communities often offer top notch therapy on top of standard care. In addition to specialized pet and physical therapy, upscale communities often also provide top notch occupational therapy, and music therapy, and always from trained and certified professionals.

Residences: The kitchen is the focal point of any home and it’s no different when looking at the residence at an Assisted Living community. A standard assisted living apartment has a kitchenette, traditionally including a mini-fridge, a microwave, and a small amount of cabinet and counter space. The luxury assisted living residences feature full kitchens and appliances plus top of the line finishes, like granite counter tops for instance.

Dining: An upscale senior living community will most likely retain a registered dietitian on staff and employ experienced chefs who serve gourmet meals. Choice and variety are crucial for the success of a kitchen at a luxurious community and most have more than two restaurants within the community, each with their own menus.

Personal Fitness Trainers and Recreational Facilities: Recreation rooms are always available to use at the residents’ convenience, with computer labs, fitness rooms and cinemas.

Fitness programs supervised by physical therapists and personal trainers are also kept on staff by any upscale community. High-end assisted living communities also provide full service spa treatments, beauty salons for the women and barbershops for the men. Additionally, no luxury assisted living community would be complete without a heated pool and spa, which are always popular with residents.

Pet Friendly: Studies have shown that pet ownership has been shown to be beneficial to seniors, and more and more luxury communities are open to

6 allowing residents to have their pets on site. There can sometimes be limitations regarding the size and number of pets. They frequently provide pet care such as dog walking, nail clipping, grooming and litter-box changes as well as formal, certified pet therapy.

Spacious Apartments: One can expect about 20% more square footage at a Luxury community (approx 600 sf versus 500 sf at a standard community). A Two bedroom apartment at an upscale community can be more than 1200 square feet.

Clearly, senior living is not what it was years ago. And for the retiree with means, it can be a lively, active, and rewarding lifestyle full of growth and fun!