Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 21, 1995 TAG: 9505200005
SECTION: SENIOR STYLE PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH COX
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The irony, said real estate agent Cyndi Fletcher of Waldrop Realty, is that giving up your home and moving to a retirement community doesn't have to limit your lifestyle, it can expand it. It provides a social atmosphere where those who have been relatively isolated can meet people.
Unlike retirement options of years ago, retirement communities of the '90s offer many different levels of living, from assisted living to dependent care. Some require an up-front investment, others, such as Elm Park Estates in Roanoke, are rented.
"The biggest fear is that seniors are no longer going to live the lives they're accustomed to, once they move,'' said Fletcher, adding that many retirement options come with small patios or gardens, and even accept small pets. Brandon Oaks in Roanoke has cottages.
At Brandon Oaks, three levels of living are offered: independent living in apartments and cottages; personal care, or assisted living in 23 private rooms; and a licensed nursing facility, which Brandon Oaks calls a health center.
According to Debra Flora, director of marketing for Brandon Oaks, the facility requires an entrance fee and monthly maintenance fees, but the advantage is that once you're in, no matter what state your health is in, you can be taken care of without having to relocate.
Fletcher said the most revealing sign that it's time to sell your home and find a living option is when you can no longer care for your home or yourself.
"It just becomes such a burden. The house is overwhelming, and they physically can no longer handle the cleaning and maintenance,'' she said.
In making the decision to move, Fletcher said a family can be a big help, especially with research and packing. "They do have to scale down on their possessions, but that's part of the reason why they wanted to move to a smaller facility,'' she said. And most of the retirement options do not come furnished, so the occupants are naturally surrounded by familiar items. To research options, Fletcher advised starting with the Yellow Pages in the telephone directory. Often, families are involved, and a realtor also can help.
Fletcher said when a person puts off moving for too long, sometimes their home has suffered. Sometimes, she said, realtors advise the owners to move first so the home can be painted and updated. "That helps them, because it's overwhelming for people,'' she said.
Another sign moving is a necessity is when safety and caring for oneself becomes an issue. Sometimes a person turns a downstairs room, such as the living room or dining room, into a bedroom because they can no longer negotiate the stairs. Seniors are left vulnerable to caregivers, and vulnerable to physical violence if living alone.
Retirement communities can offer an answer to these concerns without taking away a person's independence. "They don't realize that they'll have more independence here,'' said Ruth Chesmore, who manages Elm Park Estates along with her husband. This Roanoke facility was opened 31/2 years ago by Holiday Retirement Corporation of Salem, Ore..
Chesmore said this particular facility, which rents studios, one and two-bedroom apartments, provides cleaning and maintenance services for the apartments. Sheets and towels also are provided, and except for the telephone, all utilities are included in the rent. Residents are transported to doctors' appointments on Tuesdays and Thursdays; on Mondays and Wednesdays, they go to banks and do shopping; on Wednesday evenings, they go to Kmart and Wal-Mart, and on Fridays, they take field trips.
Occupants must be able to do their own laundry, take their own medications, get to meals by themselves and take care of their basic needs. She said independent health services can be contracted.
The advantage of this kind of community, said Chesmore, is that no long-term investment is required. A 30-day notice is all that's needed to get out of a lease. Chesmore agreed with Fletcher, saying most of the people who are considering retirement community living fear selling their home because they're afraid they'll lose what's familiar to them, and well as giving up their independence.
On the contrary, she said. With elevators and transportation provided, people rely less on friends, neighbors and family members when they move into a retirement community. She said the greatest mistake is putting off selling your home. If you do that, moving can be almost overwhelming.
Residents, she said, still feel there's a stigma attached to any kind of retirement community. It goes back to being useless when they're not working. "They feel this is the last step before they die,'' she said.
Although integration into a new community may take some residents a while, Elm Park Estates provides social activities that seem to be the norm in retirement communities all over. They have a bridge club, a library, checkers, line dancing, exercise, and the Knit Wits, a knitting, crocheting and needlepoint club. The average age, she said, is 80.
by CNB