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 more advantages than staying in their homes can possibly offer.
Wondering how staying in your home versus living in a Life Plan Community might stack up? Let’s take a look at these two senior living options: your home against a Life Plan Community. May the best choice win!
Defining what a Life Plan Community is
Before we begin, let’s start with a quick definition of what a Life Plan Community is. It’s a type of senior living community where older adults can move into Independent Living and enjoy a lifestyle rich with services and amenities. As residents, they also have access to an on-site continuum of care if they need it, so they can stay in the community they’re already living at without making another move off-campus if they ever need assisted living, skilled nursing or memory care.
By choosing a Life Plan Community, residents have access to the entire continuum of care on the same campus where they’re currently living independently. So if they need any of those levels of care, they have the necessary assistance and professional staff support in their community.
The benefits of a Life Plan Community
Let’s look at some things you’ll find at a Life Plan Community. While you’re scrolling through this list, think about whether your current home offers you these same benefits.
Services: Many Life Plan Communities offer you maintenance-free living for your residence, inside and out, as well as upkeep of the community’s grounds. They also provide services like housekeeping, laundry, 24/7 security, scheduled transportation and a concierge. Your home? Well, that’s all you.
Amenities: At a Life Plan Community, you’ll typically enjoy multiple dining venues and flexible dining program, gourmet menus prepared by award-winning chefs, common areas like an indoor swimming pool, theater, library, salon and spa, gardens, chapel, gift shop and market, business center — and that’s just to name a few. Your home can’t offer this, unless you own a small city.
Wellness opportunities: Many high-quality Life Plan Communities are focused on keeping you happy and healthy in mind, body and soul. So they concentrate on multiple dimensions of wellness, which include physical, social, spiritual, intellectual, emotional and health services. At home, you’ll need a small gym and on-call fitness staff for all that.
Engagement, purpose and socialization: If you move to a Life Plan Community, you’ll quickly meet many interesting, engaged fellow residents who share your same interests. It’s easy to strike up conversation over dinner or during a friendly game of horseshoes. You might be a hobbyist of some sort; chances are good there’s a group or club for that. Maybe you’re an active swimmer or gardener, or you just enjoy taking your dog for regular morning walks. Bet you’ll see the same friendly faces, doing the same things you’re doing. Does your home — or even your neighborhood — offer you this many social opportunities?
Health services for future care: This one is important, because while you never know what the future may bring, you can certainly prepare for it. You can move into a Life Plan Community when you’re independent and healthy, knowing that if you ever need Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing or Memory Care, you have the continuum of care right on the same campus. So if you or your spouse needs additional care, neither of you will have to leave the community to get it. If you choose to stay in your current home instead of moving to a community, you can hire home health care providers, but often it’s cost-prohibitive to do so.
So how does your home compare to a Life Plan Community? Before you answer, consider one last benefit: peace of mind.
At a Life Plan Community, you know you have 24/7 security, an emergency assist system, organized transportation, maintenance, housekeeping, caring staff members, access to a continuum of care, cable TV, Wi-Fi and all utilities paid, and so much more. And all this is covered by your monthly fee.
When you compare a Life Plan Community against your home, there’s no comparison.
See how our Life Plan Community stacks up
If you’re looking for Life Plan Communities in the St. Louis, MO, area, we invite you to learn more about Friendship Village Sunset Hills and Friendship Village Chesterfield. Not only are they both Life Plan Communities, they both also offer Life Care — which is, quite simply, the best senior living contract you can possibly choose.
We can explain everything you need to know about Life Care, including why it’s considered the gold standard in care. Life Plan Communities and Friendship Village when you contact us. We’ll also tell you about our safe and engaging independent living lifestyle and our faith-based, not-for-profit senior living community.