| Maybe you have decided it's time to join an active | | | | record for crime in the vicinity. |
| retirement community, or you are helping someone | | | | 3. Facilities: At the top end, you'll be expecting a golf |
| else with the decision. There are communities all | | | | course, swimming pool, health club, medical center, |
| across the USA, so there is plenty of choice even if | | | | restaurants, and many other facilities. Where you are |
| you are not a sun seeker! Here are some | | | | considering smaller communities, they may not have |
| suggestions on what you should take into account, | | | | all these within the community, so you'll need to |
| when you make your decision. | | | | check what's available in the locality. Although you are |
| 1. Climate: From a health and well-being point of view, | | | | presently seeking an active community, you should |
| a warm climate is usually a good thing, because as | | | | take into consideration what provision there is if in |
| you get older, you become less resilient to cold damp | | | | say 10 or 15 years time, you move from an 'active' |
| weather. | | | | state, and instead become more concerned with any |
| At one time, the majority of communities were in | | | | attached care facilities or accommodation. It's quite a |
| Florida or other warm climates, but the choice is | | | | benefit if, having found a great community, you can |
| much wider now, as many states and cities have | | | | still stay nearby if and when this arises. |
| realised the economic benefits that retirees bring to | | | | 4. Costs: You'll clearly be looking at the standard |
| the region. By the way, you won't necessarily save | | | | charges made by the community itself, but also look |
| money in a warm climate, as you'll be paying for | | | | carefully at other costs, like state and local taxes, |
| aircon in Florida, rather than heating in Washington! | | | | and the cost of local healthcare, and in particular |
| 2. Location: You should consider the convenience for | | | | check on the costs of community 'extras' like use of |
| relatives of travel to you, or your travel to them, for | | | | golf courses or other facilities, where they aren't |
| visits. Many retirees say they are 'time rich' so don't | | | | included in the overall charges. |
| think they need worry about travel time, but it could | | | | 5. Type of community: This is tricky. When you make |
| be a big factor for your relatives. So unless you | | | | the move to a new community, it is hard to see in |
| choose to live near your relatives, choose a location | | | | advance what sort of other residents there are, how |
| with convenient transport links. These transport links | | | | friendly, how willing to participate in events. Some |
| are important too if you want to go on regular | | | | people prefer large communities, with lots of facilities |
| vacations. Another location issue is security. Some | | | | and ad-hoc groups, but others prefer a small-town or |
| communities are well away from centers of | | | | village atmosphere, where everyone gets to know |
| population, and have their own security staff, and | | | | one another. The best advice is to take advantage |
| thus provide a high level of security. In other cases, | | | | of a short stay in the community, to get a better |
| nearer to population centers, you need to check the | | | | feel for this. |