Antidepressants Blog

Living in a retirement community is not for everyone. You may like diversity and chafe under the sameness of seeing only people your own age. You may feel isolated from your roots if you move to a community far away. You may find the cost Prohibitive. Many communities are for people of financial means. Many are also outside urban areas. Would you miss the stimulation only a city can provide? And there are other Problems basic to living in this type of housing.

You lose some freedom of action. By living in a retirement community, you frequently give up some latitude in determining your life. You may have to pay for services you do not Use. You must abide by the set of rules the community lays own. You may have a good deal of say in how restrictive these rules are, or you may not. Sometimes the most unpleasant restriction is the most elemental one: no younger people allowed. What would happen in a family crisis if your daughter and the baby needed to move in?

You lose some anonymity. Particularly in a small community where meals and communal activities are offered, it may be hard to keep to yourself. As in any place where everyone knows everyone else, there may be social pressures to get involved. If you are a private person, you may find the push to be friendly and join group activities constraining. You might prefer living in a more impersonal place, where you are not vulnerable to Mrs. Jones’s invitations whenever you walk out your door.

Your future may not be that anxiety free. If you have moved far from your family and medical care is not provided at the community, what would you do if your health deteriorated and you needed your family near? Would you have to move back to your home state? If you are in a rural community, what would happen if you could no longer drive? Some people find that the whole character of life changes when they are isolated by a minor disability that prevents driving. Even regular bus service and a city minutes away do not prevent the sensation of being cut off.

Because health problems can unravel this way of living that people choose for its stability, evaluate any potential retirement community with regard to both your present and your future needs. Shop for your ideal now and imagine the worst. Would I have to move if I could no longer live independently? Ideally, there should be a hospital or nursing home nearby. The layout of the community should make getting around easier (e.g., there should be ramps and no steep steps).

*111/159/5*

GENERAL HEALTH

As the popularity of retirement communities shows, they have some distinct advantages over traditional housing.

They offer a relatively worry-free life. Being planned with older people’s needs in mind, retirement community living tends to be more convenient, easier, more anxiety free. Often essential services are nearby or on the grounds – food store, pharmacy and bank. If not, good transportation is available. Communities tend to have excellent security systems, minimizing the fear of crime. Residents are also more protected in case of a medical emergency, even if their community does not offer health care. Many complexes have an emergency call service. Some pay for their own ambulances to ensure residents immediate attention in a medical crisis.

They help prevent loneliness. Retirement communities can substitute for the social function a job or school had earlier in life. They are places where making friends is easier. Even if a person is not interested in the activities or the courses, the pool, clubhouse, and dining room (if your contract includes meals) are easy meeting places. And since everyone is a relative newcomer, residents tend to be more open to new friendships.

This makes a retirement community a good place to consider if you are moving to a new area “cold.” If the warmth of Florida is enticing but you hesitate about migrating because you don’t have friends there and meeting new people at your age seems too hard, a retirement community may offer a warm social climate to complement the weather in starting a new life. Or if you are moving across the country to be near your children, by buying in a local retirement community you might not have to feel so fearful about burdening your son or daughter with the job of providing all your social life.

They promote a healthful life-style. Retirement communities tend to be health oriented, making them good choices if being (or becoming) physically fit is a priority in your life. Health clubs, lectures on preventive medicine, exercise classes, and outdoor activities are staples of many communities. Retirement-community dwellers tend to be physically aware and committed.

When I was visiting my friend at Green Acres, Hooked out the window at 7:00 A.M. and saw hundreds of people walking briskly around. In addition to exercise machines, classes, tennis, and the pool, the residents had organized this morning walk! I thought of the trouble I have just leaving my Chicago apartment at that hour – cold, fear of getting mugged – and how foolish I would feel if I jogged or exposed myself to the Yuppies in that exercise class at the Y (getting there is a half-hour ride on the bus). Hove the city, but it set me thinking. If I move here, I might live longer; at home the whole thrust is toward dying. It’s such an effort to do anything!

*110/159/5*

GENERAL HEALTH