Try Before You Buy: Guest Status at Retirement Communities Help Older Adults Test The Waters

Moving from one’s own home to a retirement community is one of life’s biggest decisions. Until recently, seniors living in Colorado rarely had the choice to move in on a short term basis and experience the lifestyle of a retirement community with no long term commitment. Today things are vastly different given that we are all living in a new economy, home sales are down, occupancy in retirement communities are also suffering from the economic recession and today’s senior adults have different expectations from seniors of past generations.

Retirement communities are listening to prospective residents, senior groups and professional researchers who are voicing a desire for the option of temporarily moving into a furnished guest suite in a retirement community be it Independent or Assisted Living and experiencing first hand for a specified period of time which generally is from 2 weeks to 2 months what the actual day-to-day experience of living in a senior adult retirement community is.

Those who choose this option are keeping all their choices open. These short term guests are not closing down their current place of residence, downsizing their possessions or committing to live a new lifestyle until after they have personally experienced all the services and amenities of a retirement community and then possess that added knowledge with which they can then make if desired a more permanent relocation.

It is one thing to be told of the 3 delicious meals served daily in the main dining room, housekeeping on a regular basis, emergency call system availability, transportation to medical appointments and an array of recreational functions which are open to residents of a retirement community but when a person actually experiences the socialization factor of living in close proximity with others of similar age, not needing to be concerned about interior or exterior maintenance or getting to and from medical appointments that for some, this temporary residency eases them into acceptance of this lifestyle. If the senior feels that they have fully investigated and now accepts this choice of a new lifestyle, the adjustment will generally be better and the health of the older adult has been observed to improve due to eating on a regular basis, having others easily accessible to socialize with and a new group of potential friends each sharing a similar experience in living in the same retirement community.

Other senior adults have taken the opportunity to become temporary guests and have found this type of residential setting too confining; being around “too many old people”; not desiring to run on a schedule for dining, transportation or housekeeping. For these people a temporary stay allows them to contrast how they have functioned in their own living environment before coming to the retirement community versus now having lived a retirement community lifestyle with its schedules. For those who feel that relocating to a retirement community is not for them at the present, the experience may help them and their families pinpoint potential supportive service needs which when addressed can act as supportive mechanisms in furthering the older adult to continue living on their own for as long as practical. In cases such as these the utilization of a Geriatric Care Manager to work with the older adult who does not choose to relocate into a retirement community provides a ready reservoir of knowledge in helping to pinpoint needs which the older adult has in continuing to remain living on their own. The Geriatric Care Manager will  then provide a list of potential service providers to meet the identified need(s) of the individual, assist if requested in coordinating services to be provided in the seniors home and then monitoring the on-going provision of services and recommending changes in supportive services as time goes on.

Jon Yarrington, Geriatric Care Manager with Platinum Senior Services has served the needs of the older adult in the Denver metro area for over 30 years and welcomes new clients. With knowledge of community resources and a dedication to the independence and well-being of his clients, Jon finds that for some seniors the relocation to a retirement community is the best choice while for others, there is “no place like home” and that is then Jon’s mission; to create an enhanced state of safety and security in one’s own home.