What Age Should I Move into a Life Plan Community?
Have you ever walked into the middle of an interesting story or lively party and wondered what you missed? Even if someone tries to fill you in, it’s never the same as seeing it for yourself. As they say, “Timing is everything.”
If you’re considering moving to a Life Plan Community, like Freedom Village at Brandywine, you may be wondering, “What’s the best age to move into independent living?” Ultimately, deciding when to move to senior living is a personal choice and different for everyone but if you ask the people who already live in a community, you’ll likely hear them say, “I wish I would have moved here sooner.” To help you figure out when the time is right for you, let’s look at some of the advantages of making the move.
Benefits of Choosing a Life Plan Community
While you could choose to move to a 55+ community, instead of a Life Plan Community, there are long-term benefits of choosing senior living. First, the lifestyle you’ll find in independent living is specifically designed with a variety of services and amenities to help you get even more out of life. Second, you’ll have a smart plan in place for the future because Life Plan Communities offer a full continuum of on-site care, should you ever need it. However, beyond all the community features you can see, there are other advantages that can help with your health, wellness and peace of mind.
A community of friends
Independent living communities provide a lot of social opportunities for developing friendships. You can also find people with similar interests by joining a discussion group, taking an art class, woodworking or playing a competitive game of pool, darts, cards and more. Meaningful interactions can help improve your health in several ways, including:
- Managing your stress
- Adding meaning to your life
- Boosting your immune system
- Improving your memory
- Reducing your chances of developing dementia
Engaging lifestyle
You’ll find plenty to do right outside your door with group fitness and wellness classes, regular outings and daytrips, frequent on-campus shows, classes and concerts and walking paths. You can also pursue more solitary activates in our fully equipped fitness center, heated indoor pool, library, garden or woodshop.
Sense of security
Life Plan Communities feature 24/7 security and an on-duty nurse. Plus, they’re already designed to ensure your safety while updating your current home with the handrails, ramps and wider doorways, could cost you thousands of dollars.
Maintenance-free living
Even if your house is paid off, maintaining it can be expensive. Plus, you still have taxes, utilities, homeowners’ association (HOA) fees and more. At a Life Plan Community, your utilities may be included, and you no longer have to worry about property taxes, HOA fees and the cost of unexpected repairs. To help you compare costs to staying in your current home, consider these “how to budget for home repairs” rules:
The 1% rule: This rule suggests budgeting at least 1% of your home’s purchase price for annual maintenance expenses. For example, if you purchased a $500,000 home, you should budget a minimum of $5,000 for upkeep and repairs. However, older properties are likely to need more work, so you may want to set aside as much as 4%.
The square-footage rule: The square-footage rule recommends putting away $1 per square foot of your home for annual repairs. Of course, the cost of labor where you live and the appliances and finishes in your home could mean you need to put away even more.
There’s Never Been a Better Time, Than Right Now.
Ready to make the move to Freedom Village at Brandywine? Check out our floor plans and when you find something you want to see in person, use our Community Assistant chat feature or contact us here.
