When Moving to a Senior Living Community Is the Right Choice
Moving Earlier Can Increase Your Longevity
It is natural not to want to leave your home: Home is a familiar, comforting place that is full of memories. For most people, making the decision to move to a retirement community is not easy—and many people want to avoid it entirely, whether or not they should.
Take this excerpt from BetterInvesting:
“Although in many cases a move to a retirement community in retirement is the right choice, recent studies indicate that 90% of people prefer to age in place. Whether or not this is the best decision for all involved, we’ve seen our clients and even our own families prefer not to move. And if they make this choice, then eventually most are going to need help.”
– Alexandra Armstrong, CFP®, CRPC® & Christopher Rivers, CFP®, CRPC®
But is putting off the move the right choice?
Making the move to Assisted Living earlier—instead of waiting until you experience either physical or cognitive challenges—can be one of the most beneficial decisions you can make for yourself. You may think that if it’s time to move to a retirement community, your life is coming to an end: That is just not true. We have found that moving to Assisted Living earlier can extend your longevity, without the need for nursing care, by nearly two years. Why?
If you continue to live at home without assistance, you will eventually be limiting your mobility, your opportunities for socialization, and your overall quality of life. Within a senior living community, you are with others on a daily basis, participating in activities, walking greater distances, adapting to and enjoying the lifestyle at McGregor—you are living every day to its fullest. That isn’t a cliche: Our campus is designed to help you realize your full potential and live your best life.
These benefits are backed up by others in aging services. Angela Stewart of Touchmark, a senior living company in Beaverton, Oregon, was interviewed by U.S. News & World Report about when to move to Assisted Living:
“Moving into assisted living earlier can offset higher costs associated with hospitalizations, one-to-one care or the decline that occurs when one doesn’t optimize their best health.”
She explained how Assisted Living can keep people more independent for longer: “For example, a toileting schedule preserves continence. Socializing prevents loneliness, which preserves your brain health. Routine exercise maintains balance and skill to ambulate.”
At McGregor, while we believe strongly in the benefits of making this move early on, we also understand the weight of making the decision to move from your home and continue the next phase of your life with us. We are here to help you navigate this process and provide you with any additional information and resources for you and your family.