Author: Kirsten Veldman

When you’re looking for a retirement home, the first question that comes to mind is, how do I choose a retirement home? I created this list with 15 tips after talking to several residents of the retirement community where my parents-in-law live. They all considered these 15 ideas as the most important to choose a retirement home. Let’s learn more! 

1) Share Ideas With Your Spouse and Family

When you want to move to a retirement home, you must share your ideas with your spouse and family. Make sure you get on the same page with your spouse first. You don’t want to be surprised when your spouse has a different idea of spending the retirement years. 

Sharing these ideas with your spouse and your close family helps you learn what you find important in this stage of your life. You can create a list of the important specifications a retirement home should have. With this list of specifications, it’s getting easier to look for a retirement home that fits your needs. 

It’s not only important to share your ideas with your spouse. You also want to share your ideas with close family members. When you’re choosing a retirement home, you want to make sure that your family is involved. Ask yourself questions like; 

• Are they able to visit you easily in the retirement home? 
• How do they feel about the fact you are moving somewhere else? 
• Can your grandchildren stay for sleepovers? And so on. 

So, choosing a retirement home is a process where you want to involve the people closely related to you. 

2) Pick The Right Location

Location is everything. You need to live in a place where you feel at home. Picking the right location when choosing a retirement home is essential for your happiness in retirement. When you live in a place where you don’t like it, you probably want to move somewhere else sooner or later. 

Picking the right location for your retirement home is something personal. Maybe you’ve always dreamed of moving abroad in retirement and live in a sunny place. Or you just want to stay as close as possible to your family or the area you live in for many years. It just all depends on the wishes of you and your spouse. 

So, before anything else, first, discuss where you want to spend your retirement. Decide on a location before choosing a retirement home. 

3) Consider Future Healthcare Needs

When you get older, the chances that you need some sort of healthcare at some point increase. So when you’re choosing a retirement home, you must consider your (future) healthcare needs simply because you don’t want to end up in a retirement home that doesn’t fit your needs. 

Discussing your future healthcare needs is probably a discussion you don’t like. You need to talk about things that could potentially go wrong when you get in a situation where you need some sort of healthcare. However, considering your future healthcare needs is essential to create a happy lifestyle in retirement. Considering your future healthcare needs doesn’t have to be difficult. You can easily make a list of things you find important when it comes to healthcare. 

Instead of only focusing on your needs, you can also create a list of healthcare organizations that need to be close by or a part of the retirement home. 

Ask yourself questions like; 

• Is there a hospital close by the retirement home?
• Does the retirement home offer healthcare at home?
• Is there a doctor’s office connected to the retirement home?

Maybe you also have some specific healthcare needs that you want to consider when choosing a retirement home. Make sure to write these down as well.

4) Create A Wish List Of Amenities & Services

Amenities and services are important for a retirement home. You want to know what’s included when choosing a retirement home. When my parents-in-law were starting looking for a retirement home, they created two separate lists of amenities and services: a must-have list and a wish list. The must-have list contained all the things that were essential for them. The wish list included things they considered “nice to have.” When you’re choosing a retirement home, you can do something similar. It will make the process of choosing a retirement home easier. 

Let me share some examples of these lists;

Must-Have List Ideas for Amenities & Services In A Retirement Home

• Community Center With Activities
• Grocery Shopping Service
• Laundry Service
• Maintenance Included

Wish List List Ideas For Amenities & Services In A Retirement Home

• Sports & Fitness Center
• Swimming Pool
• Transportation Service
• Food Delivery Service 
• Restaurant In Community Center
• Internet Connection Included

5) Make Single-Level Living A Priority

Many regular homes consist of multi-levels, which is nice when you’re living with a family, and you need a lot of space. However, when you get older, you often need less living space, and for many people, it’s getting harder to walk stairs every day when they’re aging. Some will argue that walking stairs every day is a good exercise for staying fit. However, you can do many other things to stay fit when it comes to healthy aging. Single-level living is just more convenient when you get older. 

6) Look For Easy Accessibility

Single-level living is easily accessible, but there’s much more you can think of when looking for easy accessibility. It’s not to say that every retirement home has to be wheelchair accessible. But you want to consider that everything needs to be easily accessible, even when you’re not walking that easy when you get older. 

Consider this, when choosing a retirement home, you’re probably choosing a home where you’ll live until the end of your life. You want to live as conveniently as possible. 

7) Plan For Multi-Generation Living Space

A whole different approach when looking for a retirement home is planning for multi-generation living. 

Multi-generation living is standard in many Asian and African countries. Families often live together in the same houses. It’s getting more and more popular in recent years in countries like the US as well. Probably because for younger families it’s getting more difficult to buy a new home. 

When we’re not traveling, we also live with my parents. Their house is big enough for the five of us to live together. 

Consider multi-generation living when you don’t want to move to a new retirement home. Often you can keep living at your home with the help of your children or grandchildren. 

8) Buy Or Rent Less Than You Can Afford

It doesn’t matter if you buy or rent a new retirement home. The most important thing is that you spend less than you essentially can afford. This way, you save money you can spend on other things you want to do in retirement. Retirement is all about doing the things you love to do most. You don’t want to choose a retirement home that is so expensive you need to spend your complete budget on it. 

9) Consider Maintenance

When you choose a retirement home, you want to consider home maintenance, especially when renting a retirement home. My parents-in-law are renting a home in a retirement community, and many maintenance is included in their rent. 

It’s very convenient. When their dishwasher or shower needs to be fixed, they only need to schedule an appointment with the maintenance service. 

10) Learn About Community Activities Program

Many retirement homes are part of a retirement community. Retirement communities are known for the fact that they offer much more activities than regular living communities. So, when you choose a retirement home, make sure you learn about the community program. 

It’s important to stay active in retirement because staying active is considered healthy aging. You can learn more about this in my article, How Can I Stay Active in Retirement? | 30 Activities To Do Everyday. 

The activity programs in retirement communities help you to stay fit, meet other retirees, and do things you like. Often you can choose a variety of activities from hiking, crafts, sports, cooking, etcetera. 

11) Meet and Talk To Other Residents

Get to know your future neighbors and community members before choosing a retirement home. You can ask them how they feel about living in the retirement community. When you get to know the other residents, you understand life in the community and retirement homes. It helps you to make a better choice. 

12) Learn About Community Services

We already mentioned maintenance as an important factor in retirement homes, especially when you’re renting a home. You want the basic maintenance to be included. However, many retirement homes offer different services as part of the community program. You want to know the different services that are available before you choose a retirement home. 

Maybe there are some specific things on your must-have list. These need to be included in the services of the community. Services that are common in a retirement community are; 

• Laundry Service
• Sports
• Food Delivery/ Restaurant Service
• Grocery Shopping

13) Get To Know The Area

If you plan to move to a different area, make sure to get to know this area first. You want to know what things are nearby. Is there a shopping center, a hospital, a park or maybe the beach. Learn more about the area you’re probably going to spend many years in retirement. It’s essential that you feel at home. 

14) Get To Know The Pets Policy

Do you have a dog or a cat? Many retirement homes have a strict policy for pets, so make sure to ask for this policy when choosing a retirement home. You want to be able to bring your beloved dog, cat, or other pet, right?!  

15) Transportation Service

When you don’t own a car or always travel by public transport, you want to learn more about the transportation services. Some retirement communities and homes offer transportation services for their residents. Learn about what this means. 

Also, check out which public transport is available if you like to travel on your own using public transport. 

When you’re retired you have a lot of time on your hands that you don’t want to spend alone. It’s nice seeing family and friends, but that is often during the weekends. You want to hang out with people that are in the same boat and that are also available at other times during the week. So you might wonder, how do I find a retired friend? Well, I’m here to help you out. In this article I share 10 ways on how and where you can find a retired friend, so continue reading.

1) Sign Up For Classes

A good place to start to find a retired friend is in the classroom. Many retirees like to learn new things in retirement and apply for all sorts of classes. Often it’s a way to explore new hobbies or because of a desire they’ve always had and they now have the time to follow through.

What is it that you like to do and you want to upgrade your skills on? Or have you ever completed the sentence: I’ve always wanted to learn… Well, this is a great time to pursue it. When you apply for an interesting class you kill three birds with one stone. You have something fun to do, you learn something new which is great for keeping your brain healthy, and you create the opportunity to meet your new retired friend. When you make a new friend in class, you already have the advantage that you share the same interest.

From exercise classes, creative classes, technology classes, language classes to educational classes. There is a lot that you can do in retirement. Just Google “(type) class near me” and you probably find a list of possibilities. Give them a call or email the organization and ask what the average age is and apply if you’ve found your match.

Did you know that you even can go back to college? You have special college programs for retirees in America that are sometimes even free of charge. Contact a couple of colleges in your state and see what programs they offer for older adults.

MasterClass

Now that we’re on the topic of classes, I want to share something with you. Learning new things is always fun but staying active in retirement, both physically and mentally, is very important for healthy aging. If you want to enjoy your retirement as long and as healthy as possible, keep learning new things is key. And on that note, I’ve got the best tip for you: MasterClass.

It is an online streaming platform that allows anyone to learn from the world’s best in their field. You can learn cooking from Gordon Ramsay or upgrade your cooking skills with teachers such as Aaron Franklin, Thomas Keller, and many more renowned chefs. Follow a writing class from Judy Blume, a gardening class from Ron Finley, an acting class from Samuel L. Jackson, and many more brilliant people in Science, Music, Sports, Business, etc. Over 100+ different classes are accessible with only One Membership. A small investment to create the retirement of a lifetime. And a perfect way to impress your family with your newly learned skills and knowledge.

2) Join A Club

Another way to find a retired friend is to join a local club with retired members. This can be a book, cooking, church club, gardening, knitting, or another senior club with your interest in your area. Or get fit in retirement by joining a gym club, walking club, or swimming club. Often these clubs have senior groups you can join. Just Google “( your interest) club nearby” and see what pops up.

You can also search for nearby senior clubs on Facebook or use the online service Meetup. This website can show what kind of clubs are available in your area that shares the same interest as you. Or maybe your next-door (retired) neighbor knows a club that might be interesting for you to join.

3) Start Dating For A Companion

When you’re single, you can consider starting dating to find a companion in retirement. Often seniors are not actively seeking a new love but are looking for a companion first, which can maybe turn out into love later on.

If you’re interested in this, you can use Eharmony to help you out. It’s the #1 most trusted dating app and the world’s leading senior dating website, so you’re in good hands. They let you take a compatibility quiz to identify your values, habits, and interests to find the best partner for you out of their high-quality dating pool of real people who are all genuinely looking to find love or companionship. Every 14 minutes, someone finds love on their platform, according to their user data. You can test it out with a FREE TRIAL.

4) Go Volunteer

One of the most popular activities amongst retirees is volunteering. It gives your retired life new meaning and a purpose and it’s a great way to meet other people and potentially find a retired friend. And helping other people makes you feel good. So there are only benefits when it comes to volunteering in retirement, and making a difference with someone that shares the same interest and values is a great foundation for a friendship. You can check out: National Community Service or Senior Corps to find volunteer jobs for seniors.

5) Reunite With Old Friends

Sometimes you don’t need to find new friends you just need to find back your old friends. Getting in contact with high school, college, and camp friends is an easy way to make a retired friend. You already share a history, you can reminisce on the good old times, you have a lot to talk about to catch up on life, and you probably have the same age, so the other person is retired as well. And usually, the friendship isn’t lost, only busy life got in the way, and you lost touch. Therefore retirement is a great time to reunite with old friends and see if you can rekindle the friendship.

You can try to search for old friends on Facebook, contact your former high school, or college, or contact a mutual friend. But the best way to find an old high school or college friend is to use the platform classmates. They have the largest directory of high school and class lists online.

6) Deepen Your Relationship With Your Spouse

Your retired friend could be the one living with you, your spouse. Instead of looking for friends outside, you can also look for a retired friend at home by deepening the relationship with your spouse.

There are all sorts of ways to rekindle the love with your spouse. Schedule a weekly date night, create a bucket list together where you tick off a new item every month, or plan a romantic holiday together. Look for shared interests and sprinkle a little bit of adventure in the mix and have a lot of fun together. Then you don’t need to look for other friends.

7) Visit Your Local (Senior) Community Center

A community center or senior center is often a social hub for retirees. It’s a great place to meet other seniors and potentially make a retired friend. Often these centers have an activity program that you can sign up for or organize events that you can attend. You can find these centers in retirement communities, your church, or when you google “senior community center near me”.

8) Become A Coach or Mentor

When you want to feel part of society, it’s a good idea to spend time with younger generations. It keeps you young at heart and updated about what’s trending. And becoming a coach or a mentor is a way to connect and socialize with people of younger ages.

You can consider becoming a sports coach of a local sports team or your grandchildren’s sports team. You can become a mentor or advisor for colleagues within the same job field and share your knowledge and expertise while earning a few extra bucks. Or you can play a more active mentoring role within your community and help out younger generations with your wisdom and life experience.

9) Attend Local Social Events

Another way to find a retired friend is to attend local social events. This can be a neighborhood BBQ, a music/ art or food festival, a weekly farmers market, a game of a local sports team. And then spot people or a person from the same age and see if you can have a conversation. Attending is one thing but walking up to a total stranger to have a conversation is what people fear most. But hey, that is what you gotta do when you want to make friends.

Often the other person is just as frightened as you are to approach a stranger, so someone needs to take the first step. And that first step is the hardest one. After that, it becomes easier every time.

10) Find Retiree’s Favorite Place To Hang Out In Town

Try to figure out what place in town is the place to be for retirees. This can be a pub, restaurant or any other place that retirees like to meet up. Also, it can be a specific day or time that retirees come together at that place. When you’ve figured this out by asking around, you’ve got the one-dollar ticket to finding your retired friend. The only thing you have

Why Socializing In Retirement Is Important

Being social in retirement is the most important thing to keep yourself healthy and happy because loneliness threatens your physical health and overall mental well-being, according to many scientific studies.

Did you know that loneliness is just as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes a day in terms of health care outcomes and healthcare costs?

And when you feel lonely. Know that you’re not the only one. About 40 percent of adult Americans feel lonely, according to the Harvard Business Review. And that was even before Covid.

Let’s take a look at what having strong social connections can do for you:

• it makes your immune system stronger
• it increases your chance of living longer by 50%
• it helps you to recover from diseases quicker
• and lowers the level of anxiety, stress, and depression.

Knowing that having a friend can increase your health and happiness, it’s probably a lot easier to approach that stranger in the park and have a conversation. It may even save your life.

Recommended Articles

If you liked this article, then the articles below might be interesting for you to read as well:

• Retired And Unmotivated? 10-Step Guide To Get Your Motivation Back!
• What Are The Benefits Of Gardening After Retirement?
• How Do I Meet Senior Singles?

Are you looking for a fun outdoor game to mix up your next outdoor gathering with seniors? Well, no need to look further. Here are the 15 best outdoor games for senior citizens that are not only fun but also easy and great for overall physical and mental health.

Just a heads up, this post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Purchases you make through these links may earn us a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

1) Cornhole

The most popular game of them all: cornhole. Great for any social gathering from tailgating, the beach, your backyard, or outside a senior center. It’s simple and can be played by anyone.

The game of cornhole can be played one-on-one or in teams of two. Each team or player takes their turn to throw their four bean bags on the opponent board. You earn one point with a bag on the board and each bag that ends up in the hole is worth three points. The winner is the one who earns 21 points first.

The cornhole set from GoSports is reviewed as the overall best cornhole set on Amazon. And gets 4.5 out of 5 stars from more than 5,000 reviewers.

2) Bocce Ball

Bocce ball is an easy game to play. It originates in Italy and is played around a lot of European countries as well as the United States. It’s a typical game for seniors. It’s best to play on a flat level surface such as dirt, grass, sand or gravel or on a bocce ball court.

You have two or four teams of one, two, three, or four players, depending on your Bocce Ball set. To begin the game, one person throws out the pallino (small ball) towards the other side of the playing surface. Each team tries to throw their balls as closest to the pallino. If all balls are thrown then the team with the ball closest to the pallino wins.

The Bocce Ball set from GoSports gets the best reviews on Amazon. Five out of five stars from nearly 3,000 reviewers.

3) Horseshoe

Another great outdoor game suitable for seniors is Horseshoe. A game not invented by cowboys but by Romans and originates even back to the 1st century. It’s a great game when you’re looking for something nostalgic and odd.

You only need to have a couple of horseshoes and piece of grass or sand where you can put two stakes into the ground opposite from each other (40 feet apart). Each team of two persons or one player tosses the horseshoes from one stake pit to the opposite stake to get a horsehoe landing around the stake which is called a ‘ringer’. A ringer is worth 3 points and if there isn’t a ringer the closest the player with the closest horseshoe earns 1 point. The player who earns 15 or 21 points first wins the game.

The Steel Horseshoe Set from Triumph gets the best reviews on Amazon. The set includes 4 steel horseshoes and two stakes.

4) Spikeball

Are you looking for a more active game for physically fit seniors that like to be competitive in sports? Then Spikeball is a great game for your next senior get-together. Especially if you have some volleyballers in your group of seniors. It can be played indoors and outdoors. From the park, beach to your backyard. And here is how you play it:

The best Spikeball kit is from Spikeball Store with over 10,000 5-star reviews.

5) Giant Jenga

A great game that needs a lot of patience is Jenga and Giant Jenga is perfect to play outdoors. Great for any senior citizen and especially when they are more physically limited.

You start the game by building the tower with the 54 giant blocks. Then every player tries to remove a block from the tower with one hand without it crashing down. And then placing the block on the top level of the tower. When 10 seconds have passed the next player does the same. When the tower falls, the last player who touched it loses the game.

The best reviewed Giant Jenga game set is Wooden Toppling Tower from GoSports. You can choose between different colors of wood and comes with a carrying case for easy portability.

6) Ladder Toss

Another fun tossing game for seniors is ladder toss an is simple to set up. You space the ladders 15 feet apart. Each player gets 3 bolas that they need to toss around the opposite ladder. The top rung of the ladder is worth 3 points, the middle two points and the bottom run is worth 1 point. The player that first gets to 21 points wins the game. Here is a clear video instruction of the game ladder toss.

The best reviewed Ladder Toss Set is from GoSports with over 4,000 reviews and 4.5 ratings out of 5. The set contains 2 targets with score trackers, 6 rubber bolos, and a carrying case & rules.

7) Kan Jam Throwing Game

Is it a Japanese dish? No Kan Jam is the No. 1 Outdoor party game in the USA. It’s a competitive game that is similar to other games in this article horseshoe, cornhole, etc. But slightly different and a bit more physical.

You work together with your teammate to hit as many throwing discs in the Kan Jam goals that are 50 feet apart. You can either score a point by throwing a disc directly in the goal or your teammate deflecting the flying disc into the goal. Then the next team takes their turn and does the same. The team with 21 points first wins the game.

When you want to play this game with seniors, it’s best to get The original Kan Jam Disc Toss Game that gets over 7,000 amazing reviews on Amazon. The set includes 2 goals and one flying disc.

8) Outdoor Lawn Bowling

Nothing beats a game of bowling. It’s classic and always fun to go bowling. And this beautiful hardwood bowling set is perfect to play outdoors with your senior friends. It comes with 10 bowling pins, 2 bowling balls, and 1 black carry bag. And works best on flat, hard surfaces such as short-cut lawns, dirt, concrete, sand, or carpet.

9) Giant Dice Games

Do you have a favorite dice game that you like to play? You can now play outside with these Giant Dices.

Along with your senior dice friends, you can play games such as Farkle, Bunco, Yahtzee, Hearts, etc outside and catch some fresh air and sunlight.

This 6-piece 3.5″ Giant Wooden Dice Set is the best-reviewed set on Amazon and is made from sustainably sourced pinewood from New Zealand.

10) Mölkky Game

Are you looking for a new game outdoor game that you’ve probably haven’t played before? Give the game Mölkky a try with your senior friends. It’s the No. 1 outdoor game in Europe.

Mölkky game is a Finnish throwing game that is also known as Finska and similar to the game Kubb. It’s a centuries-old game that was played in the Karelia region in Finland and Russia. It can be played on almost any surface and is perfect for all ages. Especially seniors with a good throwing arm. In the video below you can see how to play Mölkky.

In the old days, the winners of the game would get to ride the back of the losing team. Now that is something you can skip or even try out if you’re up for a good laugh. If you’re up for a game of Mölkky, check out this original Mölkky set that contains 1 throwing pin, 12 number Skittles in a carry case.

11) Giant 4 Connect In A Row

Being mentally active in retirement is important to keep the brain healthy. Games such as 4 connect in a row help seniors to stay mentally fit and helps to prevent mental diseases, improves cognitive functioning, memory and relieve stress.

This Giant Wooden 4 Connect In A Row is a perfect game to play outdoors. It will entertain seniors and their families for hours.

12) Croquet

As you can probably guess by the name Croquet is that it’s a game originally from France. The word croquet means hockey stick and was first played by French peasants in the thirteenth century. It’s a great outdoor game to play on a beautiful day in the park, during a picnic or a french themed get-together with other senior citizens.

You can play croquet with two, four or six players. You set out a course with hoops that each player needs to hit their ball through in the right order and also in each direction. The player who hits the end post wins the game.

The best reviewed Croquet Set is from GoSports and includes 6 color mallets, 6 balls, 9 wickets, 2 end posts and rules of the game, and a handy carrying bag.

13) Badminton

The game of badminton is what a lot of seniors in Europe like to play during camping. It’s a fun game if you want to do something more physical and have a bit of action. It’s similar to tennis but not as intensive because of the lightweight rackets and shuttle. And you can play it almost anywhere from your backyard, to the beach and the park.

It requires two players and you can play just for fun and see how many times you can hit the shuttle without touching the ground or you can set up a badminton court with a net and keep score.

This Badminton Set is an easy setup and makes it possible to play badminton almost anywhere you go. It’s the No. 1 bestseller on Amazon.

14) Lawn Darts

Another fun game for seniors is Lawn Darts. You can even play when it’s dark because it’s a glow-in-the-dark lawn darts game. And it’s very easy to set up. Find an open area, place the two rings on the ground as starting throwing darts.

15) BULZiBUCKET

Are you looking for a fun outdoor game in the pool? Then the Bulzibucket Game is a great choice. It’s an outdoor toss game similar to cornhole but easier to carry around since it’s lightweight. It’s made from plastic so you don’t have to carry around heavy cornhole boards. And you can play it on land and in the water. Which makes it the perfect outdoor pool party game. A great game for seniors and for the entire family.

When you consider moving to a retirement community, you probably ask yourself the question: What should I look for in a retirement community? I share 15 factors that are important to look for in a retirement community. For this article, I interviewed my parents-in-law and their neighbors, who are living in a retirement community. I asked them what made them decide to choose for a retirement community. Ready to learn more? Let’s start! 

1) Location of Retirement Community 

When you first start looking for a retirement community, the location is the most important factor to take into consideration. What you look for in a location depends on your wishes. Some retirees decide to choose to move to a completely different place. Sometimes even another country! However, most retirees want to stay close to the location they consider to be home and their family members. 

According to my parents-in-law, when looking at the location for your retirement community, the most important thing is that you can feel at home. When they moved to their retirement community, they only needed to move a few blocks further away. They also had the opportunity to live somewhere else or go to a different city. Still, they wanted to stay close to the area where they already lived for over 30 years because they liked it there and they consider that village their home. 

Another important factor is that the place where the retirement home is located needs to be easy to reach. That was especially important for a few neighbors of my parents-in-law. They told us that some of their friends and family members live in cities further away. So if they want to come to visit, it’s essential that they quickly reach the retirement community by car or public transport.  

Weather & Climate

Some retirees think of weather as the most important factor to choose the location of their retirement community. They say that they only want to be in a place where the sun is shining most of the year during their retirement. So, if being in a warm climate is important for you as a retiree, you should consider the weather and location as the most important factor you should look for in a retirement community. 

2) Requirement For Residents 

My parents-in-law mentioned the requirements for residents as an imported factor. They specifically looked for a retirement community where it was only allowed to live when you’re retired and reached a specific age. In their community, the age limit is 55. This means that families with young children aren’t allowed to live in the building. Students and adults who are busy with their careers aren’t allowed to live in that building. 

Age limits are something you see very often in retirement communities. The most significant advantage for retirees is that they will live among people of the same age. 

3) Social Engagement With People Of The Same Age

Living with people of the same age is an essential factor for all the retirees I talked to in the retirement community. They all mention that social engagement with their peers contributes to their happiness in retirement. 

I can understand why this is such an important factor. Often, when we’re aging, our social circle decreases. We have less contact with old colleagues, friends, and family members. It’s also easier to connect with people of the same age. According to this article from Harvard Health Publishing, social engagement is an important factor that’s related to healthy aging.

4) House Rules

Each retirement community has its own set of rules. When looking for a retirement community, it’s important to see if you live with these rules. Suppose you have a dog or a cat, and the retirement community doesn’t allow pets. That could be a reason for you to look for a different retirement community where pets are allowed.

Make sure that you read the house rules of the retirement community before you sign up. It prevents surprises. You know what to expect and what you’re allowed to do when living in the retirement community. 

5) Interior Design & Facilities

My parents-in-law mentioned interior design & facilities as important factors that you should look for in a retirement community. 

Example of things you should look for are; 

• Doorsteps
• Wheelchair accessible
• Same level apartment (no stairs)

Even when you’re still fit and healthy, you need to consider aging. Maybe there will be a time when you need some help with things. Your apartment in the retirement community must be designed for accessibility needs.

6) Maintenance 

The apartments and houses in retirement communities are, most of the time, fully equipped. This means that there’s a complete kitchen with a fridge, dishwasher, and cooking area—a bathroom with shower facilities and other standards amenities. It’s essential to learn if maintenance for these products is included. If not, you might want to save some additional money for when you need to replace some essential products. 

However, when everything is standard included, often maintenance for the amenities is included as well. You may pay a monthly fee for this, which usually is a part of the service costs. 

My parents-in-law say this maintenance service is ideal. The retirement community where they live has a maintenance service that works efficiently. They only need to contact the service desk if they want something to be replaced or fixed. 

7) Medical Care

It’s important to know if the retirement community offers some sort of medical care. Maybe it’s not the most fun thing to look into. However, when we’re aging, we often need more medical help than when we’re younger. So, for your convenience and safety, it is essential to know what to expect. 

Examples are general practitioners, physiotherapists, long-term care, etcetera. 

You also need to learn if there’s a hospital nearby the retirement community when you need emergency care or other medical care. 

My parents-in-law’s retirement community is a large community where many professions of medical and healthcare are combined. Their community offers general practitioners, physiotherapists, mental care, but also long-term care if needed. They also offer sports facilities for seniors so they can stay fit. 

Knowing that all the (medical) care is located within the community is especially helpful when you’re getting older, so everything is close to your home. 

8) Family Focused & Visits

Retirement communities are focused on seniors, but it is important to look for a family-focused retirement community. What I mean by that is that it is allowed to have friends & family over, that your family have the possibility to stay the night when needed. 

An important factor for my parents-in-law to choose for a retirement community is the fact that they live with people of the same age. But they love the fact that their grandchildren can stay for sleepovers. This way, they have the best of both worlds. 

Things to look for if you want to know if a retirement community is family-focused are, for example, the presence of a guestroom—also, the community rules for tenants. You want to know what these rules say about having your grandchildren stay the night. 

9) Community Center Activities For Social Engagement

Social engagement and staying socially active are essential when it comes to healthy aging. When older adults have broader social interactions, they are more active. According to this article on Harvard Health Publishing, having a strong social life is related to many health benefits, especially when getting older. 

So, you should look for the presence of a community or activity center within the retirement community. A place where everyone can come together to enjoy themselves, play games, maybe having lunch and dinner together, etcetera. 

The retirement community where my parents-in-law live has a very broad activity center. Many different activities are organized throughout the week, and as a tenant, you only need to sign up for an activity. Some of the activities are arranged outside the community, like visiting a museum. 

It’s also possible for seniors who are living outside the community to join these activities. So their community centers focus also on the elderly who live close. An exciting extra, which helps seniors to be even more socially active! 

10) Community Center Activities For Health & Wellness

One of the best things you can do when it comes to healthy aging is to stay active. According to the CDC, regular physical activity is an important factor for healthy aging. When we think of physical activities, we often refer to sports activities. 

Sports are essential to stay active. Aerobic intensity workouts and muscle training are the exercises the CDC recommends for seniors when they talk about physical activity. However, these exercises can also be done in different activities. So, when you look for a retirement community, you should look into their activity program and what they offer when it comes to health and wellness. 

You want to know if there’s a fitness area where you can follow different sports programs for muscle training and yoga, meditation, etcetera. 

Also, many retirement communities have a community garden, where you can start gardening with other community retirees. Did you know gardening is the perfect activity for the body and mind? When gardening, you easily reach the minimum standards for physical activity, but it’s also related to being healthy for your brain. You can read more in my article What Are The Benefits Of Gardening After Retirement?. 

Other fun activities you should look for are the possibility for group activities like walking, playing boules, playing tennis, etcetera. Later I’ll tell you more about those activities in part 12, Services & Amenities. 

11) Housing Utilities

It’s important that you learn more about the housing utilities in the retirement community. You often pay an all-inclusive price where you pay for all the extra’s, such as electricity, gas, telephone, internet, water, etcetera. 

Knowing the price of the housing utilities is important to avoid unnecessary surprises. 

12) Services & Amenities

We already discussed a few things about services and amenities that are important when you look for a retirement community. There are still a few things we didn’t mention yet. 

Make sure to get a complete list of all the services and amenities that are available in the retirement community. This way, you can easier compare different communities before making a choice. 

When it comes to services and amenities, you should look for things like maintenance, medical and health care, groceries, laundry, transport, and food. Often maintenance, medical, and health care are standard included in retirement communities. But services like grocery shopping, laundry, etcetera are extra services. 

My parents-in-law live in a retirement community where they can use services like laundry and grocery service, but they need to pay a little extra for this when they want to use it. For them, it is ideal because they don’t want to use this now. They’re still very active and independent. In fact, they often do groceries for their neighbors as well! But, when they like the idea of having this possibility when in need. 

13) Parking & Transportation

If you own a car and love to get out once in a while for a drive, it’s important to know where you can park your car. Some retirement communities have a private driveway. When you’re living in a skyscraper, you often need to park your car in a parking garage, where you’ll get your own parking spot. It’s even possible that there isn’t a specific parking spot available, and you need to use public parking to park your car. 

It’s important to look for the possibilities of parking, so you know what to expect. 

Transportation

When you’re not driving a car yourself, but you want to get out to other places, you should look for transportation services and nearby public transport in the retirement community. 

Transportation services are often private or group taxi services specifically for members of the retirement community. And public transport speaks for itself. However, you want to know which forms of public transport are closely located in your retirement community so that you can easily plan your trips. 

14) Living Costs

Money is always an important factor. You want to know what you need to pay for your living costs. It’s just as simple as that. 

When you look for a retirement community, you can ask for a quote so that you can easily see how much you’ll pay monthly when renting a place. If you buy a place in a retirement community, you can do the same thing, of course. However, often you pay an amount to buy the house in the community, but you still need to pay a monthly fee for services and amenities. Either way, make sure you know how much it will cost you and decide for yourself if you can pay this and think it is worth the money. 

When you’re not sure what to do, talk to a professional financial advisor. You can easily find an advisor by using JustAnswer, a platform that connects you to professionals within minutes. 

15) 24-hour Emergency Call Service

Emergency call service is especially important when you get older. It’s good to know when there’s someone available for non-life-threatening situations you need help with. Many retirement communities offer such services, but you need to pay extra for them. The service is often used by elderly people who don’t want to live in an assisted home but often need some assistance with everyday things in and around the house. 

The grandmother of my husband lived in a retirement community for many years. She always had an alarm button as a necklace that she could use when needed help, such as when fallen on the floor or when she couldn’t get out of bed or something. The alarm was connected to the assisted living center next to her retirement community. When she pushed the button, a nurse was there in minutes to help her out. 

This easy emergency service helped her to live independently in her retirement home until she passed away at the age of 91. 

Fast Track To Happiness In Retirement

When you’re preparing for your retirement, you’re preparing for a transition in life where many things are going to be different. Many retirees struggle with this transition at first. After doing so much research about retirement lifestyles, I found that there’s a fast-track to happiness in retirement. It’s all about preparing for retirement in the right way. I combined my knowledge and research in my ebook Five Steps To Happiness In Retirement which is available here. 

When you’re soon going to retire, you are probably wondering how do you successfully transition to retirement. Retirement is a major life-changing event. The process of transition to retirement starts several years before your actual retirement date. In this article, I’ll share ten essential tips from my retired father-in-law, so you can successfully transition to retirement. Ready to learn more? Let’s start! 

1) Prepare For Transition To Retirement Early

When you want to ensure yourself a successful transition to retirement, it is important to start early. It is important to start thinking about the transition process to retirement around five years before your planned retirement date. 

Starting five years ahead allows you to plan and prepare for the upcoming lifestyle change retirement is. You can make financial changes if necessary. And most importantly, you can get used to the idea of being retired at your own pace. Giving yourself enough time for this transition helps you to make this process effortlessly. 

Many people think that preparing for retirement is all about preparing financially for your retirement. Of course, having a financial retirement plan is one of the key factors for a successful retirement. However, there are many more factors related to transitioning into retirement.  

2) Create A Lifestyle Plan For Retirement

If you want to ensure yourself a smooth transition process to retirement, it is important to create a lifestyle plan for retirement. Having a plan about the things you want to do as a retiree helps you successfully transition to retirement.

I’m not saying that you need to plan everything in detail but think about activities you want to do as a retiree. Many retirees feel a loss of identity in the first months or years of their retirement. It’s something almost every retiree has to deal with. However, if you know what you want to do in retirement, how you want your retired lifestyle to be, it’s easier to deal with this period. 

If you find it challenging to create this lifestyle plan for retirement, one of the best people that can help you make the most out of your life is Tony Robbins. With his high-rated programs, he can help you get more clarity about what you want most out of life. And help you get there with life-long strategies for success. Curious about he can do for you? Visit his website here.

3) Prepare For A Lifestyle Change

As I mentioned at the start of this article, retirement is a major life-changing event. Preparing for your retirement is essential to transition to retirement successfully. This also means preparing for the lifestyle change. Many people don’t realize that there is changing a lot in your lifestyle once you are retired. 

Let’s clarify this statement with a real-life example. My father-in-law was a police officer for more than 40 years in The Netherlands. His working schedule consisted out of sometimes working during the day and sometimes during nighttime. Working day and nightshifts are standard at the police force. This also meant that during his career, he created a lifestyle around his work schedule. Sometimes, he was at home during the daytime, and sometimes he needed to work. He is happily married to my mother-in-law for over 40 years as well. Still, his police work resulted in a lifestyle where they both created an independent lifestyle. They are so used to do things on their own that once my father-in-law got close to his retirement, he started to think of new activities he could do. Of course, they love to do things together, but they both need their time alone because they have had this for over 40 years.

Luckily they understood the importance of preparing for this lifestyle change and talked about it. A few days a week, they are doing things together and babysit their grandchildren once a week. But their schedule also consists out of doing things, individual. My father-in-law is volunteering as a tour guide in the city of The Hague in The Netherlands and busy with several sports activities to stay fit. He prepared for these activities a few years in advance of his retirement, which resulted in a successful transition to his retirement. 

4) Get Your Finances In Order

Many people say that you should start somewhere in your thirties with preparing for your retirement. And while this might be a good time to review a few factors for retirement, most people start preparing for retirement around five years ahead of their retirement date. 

However, starting to invest for retirement early is always a good idea. Ensure you get the most out of your 401(k) if your employer is offering one. If not, you might want to set up an Individual Retirement Account, also known as IRA. Sometimes it can be interesting to do both and look at other options to invest as well. The personal retirement calculator of Merrill Edge is a good way to start. Completing the calculator takes only a few minutes. The calculator gives you an action plan of the most important things you’ll need to do regarding your retirement savings. 

I always recommend talking to a professional financial advisor. Maybe your employer can help you with that. Many companies offer free financial advice, but you can also look for a financial advisor outside your company. 

It’s not only important to save for your retirement income. When you are talking about retirement, you also talk about aging. Most people retire between the age of 60 and 65. This is also a time to look at other important things like your estate planning, will, and trust. A great online service that helps with all of these important factors is Gentreo, known as the one-stop solution for all your estate planning needs. Use this link to learn what Gentreo can do for you.

When you’re living in the United States and pay social taxes, there are a few benefits you need to focus on when you are close to retirement;

Claim Your Benefits

Learn the rules about social security benefits. Most people in the United States are eligible for these benefits. Social Security benefits in the United States replace an amount of your pre-retirement income. How high your benefits will depend on several factors. The amount is based on your highest 35 years of earnings. It varies depending on how much you’ve earned and when you start to claim these benefits. You can learn more about the social security benefits on the official website of the SSA. 

Learn About Medicare

Medicare is a federal healthcare program in the United States for people who are 65 years and older and certain younger people with disabilities. When you’re retired, there’s a good chance you’re eligible for Medicare. 

Medicare offers different types of coverage, known as Parts Of Medicare. Part A covers only hospital insurance, Part B is medical insurance, and Part D is prescription drug coverage. A detailed description of the Medicare coverage is available on the Medicare website. Also, you can find information on how to get started with Medicare on the Medicare website. It is important to familiarize yourself with the rules, so you won’t have to stress about this when you suddenly need to use your health insurance. 

Suppose you’re looking for professional help when preparing for these social benefits in retirement. In that case, I recommend using the service of JustAnswer. You can find professionals effortlessly by easily asking your questions online. The service automatically connects you to the best professional to answer your questions. Learn more about JustAnswer here. 

5) Consider A Gradual Transition To Retirement

A step-by-step transition or gradual transition to retirement is the perfect way for you to get used to retired life. You can start working part-time first, for two or three days a week. It’s important to note that there can be financial effects on changing that work schedule, so make sure to talk this through with your employer before making any decisions. 

It’s something my father-in-law did to make his transition to retirement more effortlessly is a gradual transition. He created a transition plan where slowly worked less and less. He first stopped working his night shifts. Later he stopped working for one day in the week. And a few months before his actual retirement date, he took a sabbatical to get used to his new lifestyle as a retiree. 

6) Create A Social Network Outside Your Office

Our social life often exists around our working environment. Many people work for years in the same office, with the same colleagues, spending a lot of time together. Birthday parties, sports events, annual celebrations are all organized in and around the office. These social activities all change when you’re retiring. 

It may sound harsh and direct, but when you’re retiring, you’re not part of that group of coworkers anymore. There’s a good chance you’re even not invited to parties after your retirement. And perhaps there’s a good reason for that. You need to move on to a new chapter in your life. And your (former) colleagues also need to stay focused on the work they need to do. Teambuilding simply doesn’t work when there are former team members still involved. 

Of course, you can apply to the retirement club of your company, but it might also be a good idea to build some social relationships outside your work environment. I would recommend building up social contacts even when you are still working. Having multiple social relationships will enrich your life. According to this article on Harvard Health Publishing, it is related to healthy aging. They claim that elderly with broader social activities and contacts beyond the regular social circle are much more active. And staying active is one of the most important things you can do when it comes to healthy aging.

You’ll find the best tips in my article How Do I Socialize After Retirement? | 11 Essential Tips

7) Plan To Stay Active In Retirement

You’ll transition to retirement much more successfully if you plan to stay active. The CDC refers to staying active as one of the most important things one can do for healthy aging. Staying active in retirement means you’ll stay as fit as possible. And being fit means you’re more energetic, which in turn results in the fact that you’ll have more energy to enjoy the new things that come across your way in retirement. 

Staying active is means something different for everyone. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing to stay active. The most important thing is that you follow the CDC’s guidelines about physical activity. According to the CDC, older people without related health issues need a minimum of 150 minutes of aerobic intensity exercises and two times muscle training a week. They also mention that you’ll reach the best results when combining different activities and try to exercise more than the minimum requirements. 

When you’re transitioning into retirement, it might be difficult to find sport-related activities you like to do. However, staying active doesn’t always mean that you need to do sports activities. For example, gardening is a popular activity among older adults, which has many health benefits. When you’re actively gardening, you’ll reach CDC’s gardening guidelines effortlessly. Read more about the gardening benefits in my article, What Are The Benefits Of Gardening After Retirement?

8) Take Time To Transition Into Retirement

When you retire, you start a new chapter in your life. Successfully transitioning to retirement means that you take time to complete this process. You’re not in a hurry. You’ve worked for many years, and now is the time that you can enjoy your leisure. 

You must be aware of the several stages of retirement. It helps you to make the transition to retirement more successful. The stages of retirement are emotional stages every retiree passes during the transition to retirement. The emotions during these transition stages are similar, but everyone experiences them differently. I recommend reading my article What Are The Five Stages Of Retirement? for more information. 

For some people, it can take a few years before they reach the fifth stage of retirement. The stability stage is the stage where retirees fully accepted their retirement lifestyle and can enjoy their retirement to the fullest. 

Don’t limit yourself by saying, ‘I must complete these emotional stages of retirement before this date.’ By forcing this transition, you’ll probably be less successful. It’s better to go with the flow and focus on the present moments. Sometimes people complete the retirement stages without even noticing it. 

A great helpful tip that I got from my father-in-law is to structure your days. He always had a strict schedule when he needed to work or had time off. When he first transitioned into retirement, he felt a bit chaotic because his days didn’t have any structure. When he started to structure his days, he was able to enjoy them much more. Structuring your days can be as easy as waking up every day at the same time and create a schedule for activities that you’re doing every day. I share some structuring tips in my article, How To Structure Your Retirement Day.

9) Think About Healthcare Options

Thinking about healthcare options is probably not the most fun thing to do when you transition to retirement. However, it is important. We discussed Medicare earlier, a federal healthcare program for US citizens of 65 or older. 

But it is also important to learn about your other options. Maybe you need to change your healthcare plan because your employer coverage change after retirement. You also want to prepare for when you’re longer in retirement, and some health-related event happens. Think about what kind of care you want when you need it. It’s important to have some kind of plan because you never know what can happen. It helps you to transition into retirement more successfully and enjoy your retirement days much more. 

10) Discuss Your Retirement Plans With Your Spouse and Family

One of the most important things for a successful transition to retirement is to discuss your retirement plans with the people you love. Share your plans with your spouse first. 

You want to be on the same page with each other. It might be possible that you’re retiring, and your spouse still needs to work. Or that you both have different ideas on how to fill in your retirement days. Discuss these subjects and develop a plan for how you can both enjoy retirement in the best way possible. 

As I mentioned earlier, my parents-in-law were both used to having time for themselves because of my father-in-law’s work by the police force. When he retired, it was for both of them important that they kept their personal time. This was they’re able to enjoy their time together much more. 

It might feel uncomfortable to discuss your emotions and feelings. Still, in the end, it helps you and your spouse, and maybe others that are closely related, to successfully transition to retirement.