By Bob Marshall The following story is part of a joint project between myLifeSite and Senior Correspondent where we ask people to report on their senior living decision process. I had lost a spouse and my first instinct was to stay close to everything familiar — friends, neighborhood routines and community ties. Over several months, … Read more

Retirement communities are evolving to attract more Baby Boomers by offering a wide array of services and activities designed to enhance daily life. Ron Bonvie, a developer of 55-and-over communities, describes the appeal succinctly: “Our [communities’] biggest attribute is a way of life…Many people have said to me, ‘It’s like being on a cruise ship … Read more

The holidays are a time for families to come together, celebrate, and look ahead to the year to come. It’s also an ideal opportunity to start a thoughtful conversation with your parents about their future living arrangements and care needs. One of the most important — and often most complex — decisions your parents will … Read more

There are many kinds of over-55 communities, and the variety can be confusing. In particular, the differences between a senior apartment, independent living with services, and independent living plus can be subtle. Below is a clear, organized look at how these types of 55+ communities differ and what to consider when evaluating options. The over … Read more

The following article is a guest post submitted by Karen Weeks. After retirement, Karen felt restless and struggled to find purpose. She took a computer course, learned to build her own website, ElderWellness.net, and now enjoys learning new skills regularly. She believes nothing should be off limits for seniors. If you assume age prevents learning, … Read more

How do you approach major decisions or life changes? Are you a planner who maps everything out in advance? A procrastinator who puts things off until the last minute? Or a crasher who dives into changes abruptly, without much planning? Colleen Ryan Mallon, vice president of marketing and advancement at Frasier Meadows, a continuing care … Read more

There is a lot of terminology in the senior living field, and it can be confusing for people researching their options. While the industry has begun replacing the term “continuing care retirement community” with “life plan community,” this change has added another label to an already complex vocabulary. Because “life plan” sounds similar to “lifecare,” … Read more

Change often takes time, sometimes a great deal of it. Yet major events can shift priorities and accelerate transformation. The COVID-19 pandemic was one such turning point for the senior living sector, and it has helped highlight and hasten several design trends shaping how communities are planned and built. Below are key design developments influencing … Read more

A few weeks ago we published a post discussing whether it makes sense to withdraw funds from an individual retirement account (IRA) to cover the entry fee at a continuing care retirement community (CCRC), also called a life plan community. That article showed that taking money from an IRA to pay a large entry fee … Read more

A continuing care retirement community (also known as a life plan community or CCRC) is a distinct type of 55+ community that combines independent living residences with a full continuum of on-site care services should residents ever need them. If you’re considering a CCRC, it helps to know which qualities separate the best life plan … Read more