What I Love About Retirement Communities

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Recently, @JudyEv wrote that she and her husband are looking at retirement communities in Australia, where they live. I am curious to read what she finds out, because I wonder if they are pretty much like retirement communities here in the U.S. In the U.S., there are generally two kinds of retirement community. One is called a CCRC or Continuing Care Retirement Community. They can be very expensive because you have to buy into most of them and, in addition, you pay a large monthly fee. However, that fee includes your place to live, your meals, maid service and any nursing care or memory care facilities you need in the future. The second type is the over-55 Active Adult Community. In those, you buy or rent a home or condo. They do not provide meals, maid service or medical care. You live independently and pay for any services you may want. As people age, they often hire caregivers, housekeepers and other service providers they need. I live in an over-55 Active Adult Community. One advantage is that the condos here are less expensive than similar condos in the surrounding area. Southern California is very expensive, but the condos in our community cost less than similar homes outside the community. Another advantage is there are many, many facilities in our community which are designed to keep senior citizens active. Our community has 12,000 condos and 18,000 residents. It has six general clubhouses, a performing arts clubhouse, a golf clubhouse, a library, a community center and a city hall. There are two golf courses, five swimming pools, several tennis courts, three paddeball courts, three gyms with young personal trainers to assist us, a lovely park, and stables with horses the residents can use for lessons or trail rides. (I enjoy the stables regularly; my husband prefers golf.) My husband has a number of serious health problems and we appreciate the fact that many of the activities are open to people with limited strength or endurance. People are tolerant of each other, as well. There are over 200 clubs which residents can join. Every day there are dozens of classes you can take, including art and exercise classes. You can also take computer technology, photography, history, government, language, music and other types of classes. There are dinners you can pay to attend, as well as parties, plays, concerts, and special events. There are two "drop-in lounges" where residents can stop by for coffee or tea. Our community is four miles from Laguna Beach and, within a ten mile radius, we are surrounded by restaurants, shops, hospitals, movie theaters, museums, skilled nursing facilities and everything else we could possibly need to maintain a good quality of life as we age. No one could possibly do everything available here, but the variety of activities prevents anyone, no matter what their age, from sitting home and doing nothing. One of my friends calls my community "summer camp for adults." My retirement community is not unusual. There are communities like mine all over the United States. Some of the better known ones in the U.S. are The Villages in Florida, Laguna Woods Village in California, Sun City Texas, and clusters of other retirement communities in places like Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Green Valley, Arizona and Palm Springs, California. Now you know a little about the retirement community where I live. I am looking forward to learning more about the ones which Judy and her husband visit in Australia. I know that @JamesHxstatic moved to an Active Adult Community in Oregon with his wife Anne a couple of years ago. He enjoys playing pool with the other men in his community. Do you live in a retirement community, or plan to move to one in the future? I can't wait to hear what others think about them. (The photo above is the view of one of the golf courses from the restaurant at the golf clubhouse.)