You can have a fulfilling retirement in any community, but if you want to retire in style, consider luxury senior living. As the Baby Boomer generation gets older, luxury senior living is getting more common. New senior housing communities offer amenities that can make your daily life feel like a vacation. And you’ll find these luxury senior communities with a search online.
Luxury senior living can be expensive, so it’s important to research your options carefully before choosing a community. There are a wide variety of choices available, and you can find the most affordable housing options if you start searching now – before it’s too late.
What Is Luxury Assisted Living?
Assisted living is an ideal environment for seniors who are healthy enough to live independently but need some extra assistance. Traditional assisted living facilities usually offer the following services:
- Daily meals
- Assistance with shopping
- Assistance with daily activities like bathing and dressing
- Medication administration and other health services
- Housekeeping
- Transportation arrangements
Luxury assisted living centers provide extra services and amenities as well. For instance, most luxury facilities offer regular entertainment, activities, and educational opportunities. They may have exercise classes, live music performances, and occasional outings to plays, museums, or sporting events.
Luxury assisted living communities usually have communal areas both indoors and outdoors. Many have ponds, gardens, and walking paths for residents and their families to enjoy. Inside, you can often find fitness centers, computer labs, and beauty salons.
The cost of luxury assisted living varies depending on the location and the services offered. The average cost of assisted living is about $4,000 per month, but luxury assisted living can cost over $5,500 per month. Some examples of luxurious assisted living communities include Aljoya in Mercer Island, Washington; Brightview South River in Edgewater, Maryland; and Atria Baypoint Village in Hudson, Florida.
What Are Luxury Nursing Homes?
Luxury nursing homes are meant for seniors who need 24-hour professional care. In a nursing home, seniors have round-the-clock personal and skilled nursing care, including assistance with activities of daily living, medication management, and some medical treatments.
Luxury nursing homes usually offer private rooms that are comfortably furnished to look like a typical bedroom. They provide well-balanced meals and regular entertainment. Seniors can enjoy exercise programs, games, movie nights, music, and other activities. Communal areas like lounges and dining rooms are well-furnished and decorated to feel welcoming and comfortable.
Because nursing homes provide skilled nursing care, they usually cost more than assisted living facilities. The price varies widely between different facilities, but according to a 2015 survey from Genworth, the average yearly cost of a private room in a nursing home ranges from $60,000 to more than $130,000 depending on the state.
U.S. News & World Report evaluated more than 15,000 nursing homes and found that the following states had the highest-rated and highest-performing nursing homes:
- Wisconsin
- Hawaii
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Wyoming
What Is a Luxury Retirement Community?
Luxury retirement communities are designed for seniors who are able to live completely independently. These communities offer several amenities and communal spaces, so you have plenty of opportunities to socialize with your peers. Retirement communities often provide several housing choices, including apartments, condos, townhouses, and single-family houses. Some of the most common luxury amenities include the following:
- Salon and spa
- Swimming pool
- Fitness center
- Golf course
- Parks and gardens
- Library
- Housekeeping services
- Fine dining
In a retirement community, you can live in your own private home while enjoying all of the community’s amenities. Costs depend on the type of amenities offered and the size of the home. Luxury retirement communities can charge up to $6,000 or more per month for rent, but this gives you access to all of their services and amenities. Some retirement communities charge entrance fees, which can be $100,000 or more.
You can find luxury retirement communities in every state. Some of the most famous and highly-rated retirement communities include Rio Verde Community and Country Club in Arizona, The Villages in Florida, The Clare in Chicago, and The Samarkand in California.
How to Tell Which Type of Living Is for You
The best type of senior living for you depends on your lifestyle, your activity level, and your overall health. If you live independently and can manage your personal care needs without help, a retirement community may be ideal. If you need some help with tasks like cooking or dressing or have mobility issues, assisted living is probably your best option. If you have more advanced health or mobility problems and need regular care, you should consider a luxury nursing home.
Once you decide which type of senior living is best, you’ll get to choose a community. All senior living centers offer different amenities and services, so you may have to visit several before making a decision. The community is one of the most important aspects of senior living, so you should talk to the residents and see if you like them before you move in.
A luxury senior living community is one of the best places to enjoy your retirement. You’ll be able to interact regularly with other seniors and participate in a variety of different activities. Luxury nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and retirement communities all offer so many amenities that you’ll never get bored. What’s most important is that you search carefully for the community that best suits your lifestyle.