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Transitioning to a retirement community isn’t something that happens overnight. Making a decision to move to a life-planning community is something that takes a series of carefully planned steps.
In order to help ease your transition, here are seven steps to take before moving into a retirement community.
1. Accept change
As you sit in your home, you are filled with wonderful memories, including the day you first walked in. Perhaps your children ran around in empty rooms, staking claim on which one was theirs. Over the years, you spent countless hours as a family around the dinner table, having talks in the front room and playing games in the backyard.
During those years, your home served you and your family well, but now the rooms are empty, dinnertime is quiet — life is different. And that’s OK.
Life changes, and it’s OK to change with it, even if that means leaving the home you raised your family in for one that suits your current lifestyle.
2. Communicate with family
While making the decision to move is ultimately yours, it is important to keep your family informed during your decision-making process.
Doing so, will make family members feel like they are involved in the process and prevent any hurt feelings that often come with abrupt decisions. Sure, you may have those who object, but in time they will come to respect your decision.
3. Assess your financial situation
If you haven’t already connected with a financial advisor, now would be a good time to do so. Knowing the ins and outs of your personal finances will help you know what type of community you can comfortably live in and, overall, plan for your future there.
4. Downsize and go through your belongings
Going through your belongings might be the most overwhelming step in the process and one that you should start early. And due to the downsizing nature of moving to a retirement community, it is also a necessary step to take.
Take this time to gather your family together to sort out items that they would like.
5. Visit communities
Just as you shopped around for your family home years ago, you should do the same with retirement communities. Schedule visits with multiple communities that are of interest to you. Take tours, ask questions, get to know staff members and current residents; find out what amenities are offered and if they fall in line with your goals for the future. You may even find one that offers long-term health care needs, which is a wonderful thing to have.
The more you know, the better you will feel about your decision to move.
6. Have a plan
After you have chosen the retirement community that fits your needs, now is the time to begin the transition into your new home. This process includes choosing a floor plan and or apartment that you like, and one that aligns with your financial and life planning needs. This may also be the time to find a real estate agent and other housing professionals who will help with the sale of your current home.
7. Move in and enjoy your new life
Once you have taken all the above steps, now is the time to move in and enjoy your new life. Sure, moving will take some adjusting, but if you have taken care of your finances including the sale of your home, downsizing of your belongings, and if you've done your research, this should be a day to look forward to.
Soon, you will see the benefits of living in a community that has been created just for you in your current stage of life.
