What exactly are active retirement communities? Well, they are basic senior retirement communities for folks over fifty (50) who are looking for social interaction and an active lifestyle.
This is for people who are looking beyond just keeping busy and desire meaningful activities and high quality of life. These are people who are very independent and very seldom bored.
Active Retirement Communities — Staying Engaged in Life
Traditional thoughts of retirement of just lazing around and not doing much other than watching the tube, spending some time with the grandkids, and taking an occasional trip, do not fit the scope of what active retirement communities are all about. Sitting around and watching the days expire on the calendar are replaced with a much more healthy outlook on life and aging in general.
Back in 1960, Del Webb was one of the first companies to open an active retirement community serving seniors. Active retirement is all about the types of activities that people choose to take part in beyond shopping, cleaning, yard work, and TV.
Not every moment needs to be filled with more active and healthy type activities. It is more of an empowered state of mind with a different perspective toward retirement. It’s more about quality rather than quantity.
For people recently retired there will be a few weeks or months just relax and recharge a bit after letting go of a full-time career. This is a great time to reflect on what really adds joy to your life. Spend some time figuring out what activities are meaningful to you as well as enhancing all the areas of your life.
This can include making a list of things you really want to do and achieve. Travel, new hobbies, more family time, and even a new career may be part of your list.
Enjoying the Active Retirement Lifestyle
As I mentioned above our mindset has much to do with how we approach our retirement years. Just by doing a little research, we discover we have more retirement and semi-retirement options than we may have previously realized.
Active retirement communities are just one of those options that provide many avenues to stay active and enjoy life. These communities are scattered about throughout the world. Here is an article that outlines some of the recommended active retirement communities in the United States.
Here are a few ideas to maximize your enjoyment of an active retirement lifestyle:
- Maintain a “can do” mindset
- Be open to new opportunities
- Stay socially active
- Pursue hobbies you enjoy
- Help out others through some volunteer work
- Exercise a bit to stimulate both body and mind
- Be spontaneous and enjoy the moment
- Learn some new skills
- Spend quality time with family and friends
- Set up a flexible schedule emphasizing your priorities
All of this does require being a bit proactive. When working in a full-time career our schedule provided for many ways to stay active socially, mentally, and physically. With the additional time freedom that comes with retirement, we now are able to ignite our creative juices and utilize that time that best fits our desires and goals.
Goals are an essential part of our lives no matter our current age. Growing and expanding ourselves is a lifetime process. In some ways, it is even more essential as we progress through the different stages of our lives as we have much knowledge and experience to share with others.
There is much life extension research about all the wonderful discoveries in the different areas of science that prompts me to believe that “100 is the new 60”. Regardless of how long we live, we owe it to ourselves and others to stay fully engaged in life making a positive difference.
Finding Your True Sense of Community
Although active retirement communities can provide a physical place to hang out and enjoy our retirement years, there is much more to a community than activities, facilities, and amenities. Since we are all unique individuals, each of us has our own preference when it comes to the type of folks with whom we desire to hang out with.
This goes beyond mere socializing and spending time together. This is more of an “intuitive sense” that we have “found our tribe”. This is a type of “belonging” that is more of a feeling that members have for each other as well as with the community as a whole.
Members’ needs are met through the commitment that the members share with each other. This commitment is the glue that provides this true sense of community.
This is a shared emotional connection that is not all that easy to find in life but is available once we are clear that is what we truly desire. With a bit of research and intuitive guidance, we will be led to the right group at the right time and in the right way.
Obviously, this goes beyond merely finding a nice place to live and socialize. Interacting with people with whom we have a heart connection provides opportunities to more easily fulfill our goals with a sense of safety and security.
This sense of community can be obtained through more organized communities or by just moving to an area that we know and feel is right for us. Small towns, as well as neighborhoods within larger cities, can provide this type of feeling and presence.
Active Retirement Communities — An Interesting Option
Active retirement communities provide a more organized way to get a sense of community and stay active in life. This is not for everyone, as some folks much prefer a more independent living arrangement while picking and choosing their interactions and activities within the larger community.
But for those who would enjoy the more organized lifestyle, active retirement communities may be the way to go. Finding the right surroundings will provide us with the support to reinforce our desire to stay active and engaged in life. There is also a naturally occurring retirement community where it occurs naturally to meet the needs of seniors.
There is an ideal environment for our preferred retirement lifestyle. It is important to be clear on what we most desire at each stage of our lives. In retirement, we have more time to contemplate and design a plan to live the ideal lifestyle.
Being part of a community may be just what will fulfill those desires to live a fully engaged and active life. This is an option well worth considering.
All the very Best,
Joseph William
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Hi Joseph
Great article about Active Retirement Communities – this is something I have not heard of previously. I am inching closer and closer to 60 now and an Active Retirement Community would suit me down to the ground! One of my goals is to learn how to do stand-up paddleboarding – an Active Retirement Community may provide the right environment for me to achieve this goal and many others (I am also keen on scuba diving ?♀️ always fancied the idea of becoming a mermaid ?)
Thank you for sharing.
Blessings
Louise
Thank you so much Louise for your comments on my article. Active retirement communities offer many options to stay active. Just by doing a bit of research, you can find the ideal community that fits your needs. All the very best.
Even though I am not going to retire any time soon, I am starting to think and plan about what I want to do when I retire. This article helped me understand how important active retirement communities are and what they are all about. There is one thing I want for sure and that is to stay active and engaged. I know how crucial that is to stay healthy! Thank you for sharing this information!
You’re most welcome. Living with passion and being fully engaged in life is something to be experienced throughout life regardless of age. It is a mindset that promotes health and peace of mind. Thanks for your comments. All the Best.
One great article, although some of us don’t have the means to accomplish everything you mentioned there are some great ideas, for retirees but instead of gardening I’m taking care of my wife which had a bad stroke but the article was a good read
Thanks so much, Bill for your comments and thoughts. Whatever we can do is enough and caring for our loved ones is a great honor and responsibility.All the very Best to you and your family and I look forward to your wife’s recovery. Joseph
Staying active is so key. I’m on short-term disability at the moment and wound up sitting on the chair too much. This hasn’t been good! I used to work at retirement facilities and there’s a huge difference between those who get the community to stay active and those who don’t. Your article is definitely worth the read for anybody who is looking into retirement communities. It’s never too soon to look! Sometimes the best ones to get into have a waiting list. Where I am, this is the case. Even at 51, looking into communities that I may not be ready to enter today might be something I’d consider 4-5 years from now. I’d much rather be on the waiting list now where I have options to play with rather than not bother and when the time comes I’m out of luck.
Thanks for your comments and thoughts Millie. I agree. It is good to get on the waiting list of a retirement community that may be a good fit. You then have options down the line. All the Best to you.