Creating a vital and engaging world within a retirement community is challenging. Baby-boomers entering these communities expect to maintain a high quality of life as they age. Here are five key reasons potential residents won’t join your retirement community.
No Sense of Connection
Retirees come in many ages, levels of mobility and ability, but one thing they all need is a sense of community. People want to live in a place where they can connect with others and experience friendship. A lack of communal dining, restrictive visitation hours, and lack of accessibility to the facility can all contribute to a feeling of isolation.
Every Day Inconveniences
A lack of attention to detail can look like a lack of concern for a potential resident. Comfort and convenience in every aspect of life should be evident in the design of the resident’s rooms.
For instance, aging hands sometimes struggle with the simplest tasks, such as opening a door. Installing easy-to-use ADA complaint door handles like the SOSS UltraLatch shows care for those with mobility challenges.
Lack of Activities
A good retirement community will feature a large variety of internal activities, such as games and social events. Activities and interacting with others keep people engaged and helps keep them happy. A lack of these is a sign that healthy mental aging is not a priority in a retirement community.
Not having a gym is another red flag. Because maintaining mobility is such a critical factor in healthy aging, the lack of gym facilities can turn away potential residents.
Hidden Costs
Most retirees are living on a fixed budget. With cost being a concern, not revealing all the costs and fees of living in your retirement community can reflect badly on its reputation.
Do not cover up the daily fees and let the residents discover the additional costs on their monthly bills. Hidden costs only help create mistrust between management and the residents.
Inadequate Support and Assistance
Although residents may not require extra support and assistance when they first move into a retirement community, many prefer to have access to these benefits in case they need them as they grow older. Lack of services such as shuttles to doctor appointments or enhanced emergency responses for sicknesses and accidents can make residents question an extended stay in your community.
Today’s retirees are a new type of senior citizen. Many are smart, savvy, and discerning, wanting the best and the most their money can buy. They want a good life and an enjoyable one. Paying attention to what they need and providing for those needs before they ask is the secret to a successful retirement community.