Behind The Growing Need For Senior Living Communities

More and more rapidly than ever before, people are reaching their elderly years (passing that threshold of their 65th birthday, if you were previously unsure of the distinction). After all, the Baby Boomer generation is aging rapidly, with already more than 50,000 people at the age of 100 or older living within the United States. In addition to this, more than 14 million people will have reached the age of 85 within the next 20 or so years, all by the time that we reach the year of 2040, now not so far off into the future at all.

The elderly years bring with them new joys, as any part of life does, but new needs as well. As a matter of fact, up to 70% of all elderly people will need some level of long term care in their later years. Of course, this care is not one size fits all and while some people will need to be placed in assisted living facilities, others will need only lesser forms of elderly care. For instance, socialization with like people can very much count as one of those needs, as the elderly years are all too frequently lonely for all too many people.

Moving to somewhere such as a senior living community can be beneficial for this. Many people might find themselves balking at the ideal of a senior housing facility, as up to 90% of all people are looking to stay in their homes for as long as they possibly can, simply until they can no longer care for themselves. However, this might not end up being the best choice, as maintaining a home is hard to do at any time – and especially into one’s elderly years, when risk factors for things like falls are higher than ever.

And moving to a senior living community is not giving up your independence. As a matter of fact, a senior living community might even be called an independent living community. Typically, the average senior living community will be in full support of the residents’ overall independence, only helping out when they need to. Residents live alone (or with their partners) in homes within the senior living community, but can come together as a community quite often. As no one under the age of 55 is typically allowed in your average senior living community, one can meet with like minded people with whom they have much in common. New friendships can be forged and even romance can blossom. After all, up to 12% of all people considered to be seniors have used a dating app or online dating system at least once, some even finding real connection there.

And many an independent housing community or senior living community will provide options for volunteer work as well, something that is certainly immensely desirable for the fact that it allows those who have retired to regain a sense of purpose. After all, most people spend a great deal of time in the working world. Suddenly switching to retired life can be quite difficult indeed. For this reason and many others, more than half of the elderly population in this country participates in some level of volunteer work, sometimes even on quite the regular basis. This volunteer work can be varied, so one can find the volunteering options that best suit their needs. For a great many people, volunteer work even provides the opportunity for making friends and deeper connections with other elderly people, of course, but will people of all ages and backgrounds all throughout one’s community, something that is very important indeed, to say the very least.

For many people, moving to senior living community is an incredibly positive experience. In fact, many end up enjoying it even far more than they ever thought they would. While an assisted care facility might become necessary later on in life and in the elderly years, the senior living community is the perfect place for seniors who are still active and independent and looking to get the most out of life, as much as they possibly can, as a matter of fact.