What’s Your Type: An Overview of the Different Kinds of Senior Living Communities

October 12, 2021
| Vitality Living

When it comes to healthy aging, quite honestly, there’s a lot to do. You’re supposed to make sure to keep your body active and your brain engaged all while maintaining your social connections as well. Sure, the benefits to your overall well-being are worth the effort, but retirement is supposed to be a time with less responsibility on your plate, right? Well, it turns out that in senior living you can have your cake and eat it too, so to speak. Here’s how programs like our Vivid Life make keeping active, engaged, and connected easy and fun!

Benefits of Healthy Aging

Good things happen when you focus on healthy aging. In addition to feeling better overall, which in and of itself is a win, other benefits of keeping active, engaged, and connected include:

Improved ability to do everyday things
Reduced impact of illness and chronic disease
Enhanced mobility, flexibility, and balance
Improved sleep
Increased energy level
Reduced feelings of depression and stress
Increased feelings of happiness and self-confidence
Reduced risk of cognitive decline
Increased mental adaptability and cognitive reserve
Improved memory recall and problem-solving skills
Improved concentration and attention to detail

How Senior Living Can Help

At home, particularly when living alone, it can be hard to stay as active, engaged, and connected as you’d like. From lack of opportunity to lack of motivation to lack of transportation to mobility challenges, and more, it’s tough, we get it! That’s why we created the Vivid Life program in our senior living communities. It’s composed of three parts: Vibrant Body, Vibrant Brain, and Vibrant Connections. Here’s what each entails:

Vibrant Body – We offer amenities such as a state-of-the-art fitness center, a pool, walking trails, gardening opportunities, and even a dog park to help you stay active. A sample of activities includes:

Walking club – Daily walks at different outdoor locations using pedometers to measure steps.
Yoga – At least once per week for gentle yoga, and once per week for mindful breathing.
Fitness classes – At least two times per week using a variety of hand weights, resistance bands, and circuit-type exercises.
Tai Chi – At least once per week with a live instructor.
Non-traditional exercise – Dancing, gardening, etc. at least two times per week.
Physical games and sports – Golf, putting, bowling, croquet, bocce, and ping pong available daily with organized events one to two times per week.

Vibrant Brain – We offer monthly calendars filled with classes, events, creative arts, and enrichment opportunities to help keep you engaged. A sample of activities includes:

Visiting lecture series – Twice per month with topics such as cultural, historical, local interest, career-oriented, etc.
Creative art series – At least one per week with a theme that runs 3-6 weeks, such as poetry writing, storytelling, painting, digital photography, etc.
Learning series – At least three times per month with an emphasis on learning something new such as foreign language, sign language, technology, hobbies, etc.
Games – At least one time per week and may include poker, bridge, Scrabble, etc.
Mindfulness – A meditation class once per week and gratitude discussion group twice monthly.
Church service – At least once a week through visits by local churches.
Stress reduction – At least once per month class that offers deep breathing exercises, nature walks, music appreciation, spa-type treatments, etc.

Vibrant Connections – We offer resident-led clubs, social events, outings and volunteer opportunities for any interest to help you stay connected. A sample of activities includes:

Outings – At least twice per month and may include going to concerts, art shows, museum visits, theatre productions, etc.
Intergenerational programming – At least once per month and focuses on building relationships between young adults/children and residents.
New resident welcome party – At least once per month to formally introduce all new residents, and includes ice breakers, social games, etc. to encourage connection.
Philanthropic program – At least once per month provide residents the opportunity to give back to the community, such as volunteering for a local food bank or pet shelter.
Resident-led clubs – May include game clubs, professional clubs, common interests, etc. that meet at least monthly.

What’s more, it’s all right outside your door (or transportation is provided offsite) and all in a supportive environment with home maintenance, housekeeping, and restaurant-style dining freeing your time to make it even easier to stay active, engaged, and connected.

Learn more about Vitality Living’s Vivid Life programs. Or find a Vitality Living community near you today to schedule a tour.

If you’ve been researching senior living, by now you’ve realized there are a number of options from which to choose – perhaps more than you ever imagined! The options can admittedly seem overwhelming at first, but that’s certainly not the intention. Rather, it’s to give you or your loved one the benefits that only a more personalized experience can. But with the different kinds of senior living communities, how do you know which type is right for you or your loved one? Let’s find out.

Choosing the right senior living community

Understanding Your Senior Living Community Needs

Before diving into what your options are, it’s helpful to zero in on what you need and want first. We believe this makes it much easier to prioritize and stay focused in your search, as each type of senior living community is designed to provide a different lifestyle experience in terms of daily life and care. These questions can help.

	Yes	No
Are there any health issues or concerns?
Are chronic conditions starting to become harder to manage at home?
Are there cognitive challenges or concerns?
Are there concerns about falling or other safety issues in the home?
Are there any mobility challenges or concerns?
Would you or your loved one benefit from more social opportunities?
Do you or your loved one have enough opportunities to enjoy hobbies?
Would you or your loved one like to have more purpose in daily life?
Is it becoming harder to perform daily tasks (bathing, dressing, toileting) independently?
Is it becoming harder to maintain the house and/or yard?
Are there concerns about nutrition and/or is it becoming harder to prepare fresh meals each day?
Are you or your loved one concerned about medication errors?
Are you or your loved one concerned about driving?

Different Types of Senior Living Communities

With a better understanding of what specifically you or your loved one need and want in a senior living community, let’s discuss your options.

Active Adult Living

Active adult retirement living is a lifestyle for those who wish to spend their retirement time enjoying their favorite interests, hobbies, and passions while also exploring new opportunities. Active adult retirement communities are the home base for adventure. They are purpose-built for ease of living and offer a range of options to learn, grow and have fun, as well as just the right blend of privacy and community. Plus, they are age-defined, which means all residents must be 55 and older.

Services and amenities typically include:

A maintenance-free lifestyle filled with amenities such as housekeeping, maintenance, meals, life engagement, and transportation
Dining venues that may include a bistro, pub and restaurant, with a delicious, yet well-balanced diet with chef-created meals that use fresh, locally-grown ingredients
Concierge services, pool, library, dog park, and walking trails on beautiful grounds
Housing options from suites or villas to a number of bedrooms; may include an attached garage
A focus on wellbeing with state-of-the-art fitness centers, yoga and Tai Chi classes, and even onsite spa and salon experiences
An ever-changing monthly calendar filled with social activities, outings, classes, and clubs, as well as opportunities to serve, teach or share your experiences with others

Independent Living

These communities are focused on lifestyle. They are ideal for active seniors who are able to live independently and want to spend more time enjoying retirement without worrying about chores and home upkeep.

Services and amenities typically include:

Accommodations such as an apartment, townhome, or cottage
Dining venues that include a bistro, pub, and restaurant
Housekeeping and laundry service
Fitness center
Pool and spa
Dog park and walking trails
Concierge services
Transportation
Variety of social opportunities, activities, and clubs
Community spaces like a library, pub, and movie theater

Assisted Living

These communities feature many of the same amenities as in independent living. However, in assisted living, onsite care and assistance with daily living activities are provided. In our communities, you can expect just the right amount of personalized support to help residents remain as independent as possible.

Services and amenities typically include:

Comfortable, spacious apartments in a range of floor plans
Care staff onsite 24/7
Restaurant-style dining
Housekeeping and laundry service
Beauty/barbershop
Exercise programs
Transportation
Variety of social opportunities and activities

Memory Care

These communities are exclusively for those with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. We feature a neighborhood setting that offers 24-hour, specialized care and support based on each resident’s needs and abilities with a program that encourages independence, engagement, and success.

Services and amenities typically include:

Comfortable private or companion apartments
Low staff-to-resident ratio
Assistance with daily living activities
Secure environment and emergency call systems
Exercise programs and time in nature
Housekeeping and laundry service
Cognitive health programs and creative outlets
Social and enrichment activities

The Pros and Cons

Beyond what each type of senior living can offer, there are also pros and cons to consider. In independent living, the lifestyle is most definitely a pro as it’s maintenance-free and comes with a range of amenities, as well as social, fitness, and enrichment opportunities. However, a con would be that onsite medical care is typically not offered in these communities unless they also offer other levels of care on the same campus.

Assisted living offers the pro of personalized support with daily activities and onsite medical care; while still being able to offer a lifestyle filled with convenience, amenities, and opportunities to engage, as well as connect. On the other hand, typically, these communities do not offer intensive, round-the-clock care such as IV therapy, injections, catheter care, and wound treatment. Nor do they focus on specialized care such as memory care unless it’s within a separate unit.

The fact that memory care is just for those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia means that staff training includes a deeper understanding of dementia, and techniques for managing challenging behaviors, even effective communication strategies, which is definitely a pro. Plus, the environment is safer and more secure than other types of senior living in addition to being designed with calming colors and easy-to-navigate layouts for these residents. Of course, cons for a loved one with dementia would be the stress of an unfamiliar setting and/or adjusting to a group environment.

Check out our guide on Choosing the Right Senior Living Community for more information. Or, contact us today to schedule your virtual tour!

Senior Living

Vitality Living

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