Blog

Resources

Resources

Blog

Our Insights, Opinions and Observations on Timely Topics in the Senior Living Space

May 9, 2022
seniors walking outside on a sunny afternoon

Six Best Independent Living Services and Amenities to Know About

If you’ve begun looking into your Independent Living  senior living options — or started visiting and comparing Independent Living communities — you’ve probably become familiar with this comparison: They’re like cruise ships that never leave port. While you might think that’s hyperbole, there’s actually a great deal of truth to the comparison. Like cruise ships, Independent Living communities have amenities and services very similar to what you might find on a high-quality cruise ship.  Multiple fine dining venues and menu options, a salon and spa, a calendar of entertainment options, fitness centers […]
April 25, 2022
happy senior women hugging outside a senior living community

Why Single Seniors Thrive in Retirement Communities

It’s a fact: Human beings are hard-wired for social relationships.  A 2013 book written by a UCLA neuroscientist found social connection is as important to humans as food and shelter. In essence, connecting with others socially is our brain’s lifelong passion. This helps explain why single seniors who stay engaged socially as they age are happier and healthier overall than their more socially isolated single counterparts.  This isn’t a phenomenon limited to single older adults, of course. People at every age simply want to be connected to other people — and […]
April 11, 2022
seniors going over senior living finances

Financial Benefits of Life Care in Senior Living

If you’ve started to do any research into Life Plan communities, you’ve probably come across many terms: Life Care. Continuum of care. Levels of care. Benefits of Life Care. That’s a lot of care. Is “care” what this is all about? Well, not exactly, but you’d be forgiven if you think that. After all, one big benefit of choosing a Life Plan Community with Life Care is the guaranteed care. But let’s back up for a minute and take a look at the bigger picture. Because care isn’t the sole […]
March 31, 2022
seniors sitting on the couch inside their senior apartment

How to Make a One-Bedroom Senior Apartment Work For You

For many older adults considering a move to independent living at a retirement community, the one thing that often gives them pause is living space. They simply can’t see themselves moving into a one-bedroom senior apartment.  They’ve lived most of their adult lives in larger homes — how could they manage with so much less space? Those seniors may be surprised to discover how easy it is, once they consider how much space they’re not even using in their current homes. They may live in multibedroom, multibathroom, two-car garage homes […]
March 22, 2022
Senior woman walking with help from nurse.

How Assisted Living Can Help Reduce ER Visits For Older Adults

It’s a reality of aging that older adults’ bodies constantly change — and that goes beyond gray hair and wrinkles. For example, older bodies lose muscle mass, bones become less dense, the brain’s neurons don’t fire as quickly and eyesight gets worse.  Unchecked, these physiological changes can lead to larger problems like injuries and chronic health conditions, which in turn may result in frequent trips to the emergency room. But this doesn’t have to be just another reality of aging.  For many seniors, living in Assisted Living can actually help prevent […]
March 15, 2022
Seniors playing cards in senior living community

The Benefits of Moving to a Life Plan Community

It’s true: There are older adults who won’t consider moving to a Life Plan Community. Instead, they prefer to “age in place” in their homes, thinking a Life Plan Community can’t possibly provide them with all the comforts their current home can. However, this is also true: Those older adults should absolutely reconsider moving to a Life Plan Community. That’s because what they don’t realize is that aging in place doesn’t offer them nearly as many benefits. The truth is, choosing a Life Plan Community can provide seniors with far […]
March 15, 2022
Senior couple dancing in apartment

Finding the Right Senior Apartment Size

Every stage of life has its unique living space needs.  As a kid, you shared a room with a sibling.  As a young adult, you had a private bedroom in a shared apartment. Once you’re married with kids, you need a house with rooms for cribs and sectional furniture and family-size dining tables, basements for toys, yards for swing sets, and driveways for basketball hoops (and eventually, teenagers’ cars). Now that you’re older and the kids have grown up and moved out, how much space do you really need? Maybe […]
February 22, 2022
senior couple enjoying coffee while reading the newspaper

Choosing Between Assisted Living and Memory Care

Although in some ways similar, Assisted Living and Memory Care  aren’t  entirely the same. There’s a difference between needing help with the activities of daily living (ADL) — bathing, dressing, managing medicines — and needing Memory care. Assisted Living  is the level of care intended to help otherwise capable seniors with these ADLs. Memory Care is a form of Assisted Living that provides intensive, specialized care for people living with memory loss, age-related dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. If you’re trying to determine which level of care might be right for […]
February 15, 2022
senior couple hugging and smiling on a sunny day

Is Independent Living Right for You?

Maybe you’ve toyed with the idea of Independent Living in a senior living community. Perhaps you’ve wondered whether it’s affordable or might actually lower the level of independence you have now. You’re not alone. People have different ideas about Independent Living, but they’re not always grounded in fact. Until you take a hard look at your current living expenses, what maintaining a home demands of you physically and emotionally, and what living there may be like in the coming years, you won’t know whether Independent Living is right for you […]
 

Receive the latest news delivered to your inbox.

Subscribe to the Friendship Village newsletter.