All aboard! You’ve planned, you’ve paid your dues and now you’re standing on the dock, getting ready to sail away into an amazing retirement lifestyle. You’re eager and ready to celebrate life and live your older adult years on your own terms, without having to sacrifice the things you love.
Guess what? The Estates at Carpenters hears you and we’re ready to show you an experience as you’ve never imagined. We have a vibrant lifestyle, an unmatched social calendar, and everything an older adult could want or need to live a healthy, happy, and independent lifestyle. But don’t take our word for it. Here’s what one of our very residents, Dean and Tacy Sarbaugh, have to say about life at The Estates:
“We chose The Estates because its great financial stability has allowed the community to thrive for 34 years. We are especially pleased with the Life Plan Program. Since we enjoyed years of camping and traveling, we are very impressed with the variety and quality of the daily activities at The Estates. It’s like a cruise ship on land!”
Dean and Tacy, we’re thrilled that you chose us for this journey. And we like the idea of being a cruise ship on land – only better. To that end, we’d like to share with you our top tips for how to sail smoothly into an uncompromised retirement lifestyle that you’ll absolutely love.
1. Decide where you want your journey to take you.
Any great adventure starts with knowing your destination, and sailing into retirement is no different. Take some time to think about the various locales you’d like to spend your years enjoying. Would you like to remain in the same town you currently live? Move somewhere more exciting? Be closer to family? There’s no right or wrong answer; it all depends on the lifestyle you’re looking to live and what you already love to do.
2. Find your ship.
Once you’ve decided on a location, it’s time to narrow down your options. Just like there are lots of cruise lines, there are seemingly countless retirement communities throughout the country. However, no two communities are created equal, which means you need to consider each with a thoughtful eye and have your checklist in hand. What sort of lifestyle is available in each community? What about health care? Activities and social events? What sort of floor plans are available? You’ll want to do plenty of research about both your wants and needs and make sure that you narrow down your search to two or three options that you can compare apples-to-apples.
Perhaps the biggest decision you’ll want to make is what type of community you’re looking for. At The Estates, for example, we’re a Life Plan Community, meaning that we have all levels of health care available on our campus. Our residents have peace of mind, knowing that top-quality care is always available at a place they’ve come to call home.
Then it’s time to get busy. Contact each community and set up a tour so you can see first-hand what life is like there. Ask plenty of questions, and go back to the community several times before you make a decision. Remember, you don’t need to rush – this is a big decision, and you want to make sure that you’re making the right choice for yourself. Once you’ve found the place of your dreams, voila – you’re on your way to adventure.
3. Get packing.
The private living space in a senior living community is often smaller than what you’re currently living in. To get ready for your move, you’ll need to go through your house and sort everything into keep, donate or trash piles. This is a great time to hand off family heirlooms to children and grandchildren so you can see them enjoying them sooner. Be sure to give yourself enough time as you’re going through everything. If you’re like most of our residents, you’ve been living in your home for 20 years, 30 years, or even longer. It takes time to sort through those memories – and that’s okay.
As you’re going through your personal belongings, keep in mind the floor plan of your new living space and figure out what items should go with you. You’ll probably want to keep a chunk of your favorite pieces, but this is also an opportunity for you to sell all the furniture you don’t love and buy new things for your new chapter in life!
4. Hire a travel agent.
That is, hire a professional to help you through the process. It’s probably been quite a while since you’ve had to move, and moving into retirement living is a slightly different process than simply buying a new home. There are moving companies out there that are specifically targeted to helping adults of retirement age downsize, pack and move into a community. Many communities (like The Estates) have one on staff as well. Remember, our goal is to help you have smooth sailing, and a professional can help make it happen as easy as one, two, three.
We’re always thrilled when retirees want to launch their retirement journey with us at The Estates. You’ll find so much to love here, from the maintenance-free lifestyle to our amazing dining options, from our abundant amenities to unmatched social calendar … we know that you’ve had to make compromises throughout your life, and we’re determined that you shouldn’t have to “settle” in your retirement. Life revolves around YOU at The Estates … and we’re ready to get sailing.
About The Estates at Carpenters
The Estates at Carpenters is a Life Plan Community offering worry-free independent living, assisted living, and high-quality skilled nursing care and rehabilitation. For over 34 years, The Estates has provided older adults in the area with an active, engaging lifestyle filled with abundant choices and the amenities and services that make life easier. A lifestyle designed to keep older adults healthy and well today – and tomorrow.
For more information on The Estates or to RSVP to an upcoming event, contact Jeanie at 863-279-4503 or visit our website.