If your senior loved one needs more support with the tasks of daily living, or if you’re a senior approaching retirement and thinking about downsizing, a move to a retirement community might not just make sense — it might be a lifestyle upgrade!

Let’s take a look at some of the myths that still circulate about retirement homes, and examine how Deupree House and communities like it shatter senior care stereotypes.

Myth #1: It’s less expensive to age in place.

OK, so you paid off your mortgage. No argument there. But maintaining your property is physically taxing and can still be cost-prohibitive.

For one thing, you have to worry about keeping track of your utility bills: gas, electricity, water, trash, sewage, phone, cable TV and internet all add up fast! So too do insurance bills. You still need to carry a homeowner’s policy, perhaps  an auto policy or two, and coverage for any sheds, barns or other structures that may be on your property.

What happens if your home is damaged in a storm or flood? What about general upkeep expenses? Lawn mowing and landscaping?

Aging at home really isn’t as cost-effective as you might think.

And then there are taxes. Property taxes can put a serious enough crimp in a fixed income. What about Homeowner’s Association fees? Taxes on your investment income?

All that on top of Medicare premiums, out of pocket healthcare costs, home nursing fees, groceries, prescriptions, fuel . . . Aging at home really isn’t as cost-effective as you might think.

According to a recent Genworth study, the average annual cost to live in a retirement community is $43,200.

But that typically includes everything: apartment rent, meals, physical and occupational therapy sessions, memory care, entertainment and more! And you don’t have to keep up with all the bills — it’s all one flat fee.

Myth #2: Only the sick and dying live in retirement homes.

So not true. Just ask Dr. Henry Heimlich, the 90-year-old inventor of the famous lifesaving maneuver, who lives at Deupree House and is still saving lives.

Or talk to the volunteer speakers of Episcopal Retirement Services’ Council for Lifelong Engagement (CLLE), who work with local teachers to share career insights and inspiration with the Tristate’s young students.

Many of these volunteer instructors live at Deupree House, or at its sister community, Marjorie P. Lee. And they’re not sick and dying — they’re vibrant, active seniors living well into the future.

Myth #3: People who live in retirement communities lack independence.

False. Many residents at Deupree House have their own cars, parked in their own garage spaces and come and go as they please.

They do their own grocery shopping. They cook for themselves whenever (and whatever) they want, when they aren’t taking advantage of the luxurious dining room or Grille 39.

(Grille 39 — named after Deupree House’s address, 3939 Erie Ave)

They go to ballgames. They visit their loved ones and friends. They take in shows, events, cultural sites. They volunteer in the community.

Retirement community residents, like our neighbors at Deupree House, are as independent as they want to be. And care providers like Episcopal Retirement Services give them as much or as little assistance as they want with daily tasks. That’s the cornerstone of our person-centered care philosophy.

Retirement communities aren’t nursing homes. They’re something much, much more.

Not convinced? Want to see the difference for yourself? We’re happy to welcome you for a visit!

Click here to contact us and schedule a tour today for yourself and your loved ones.

Let us show you how Deupree House — and its sister senior communities in Cincinnati — are challenging all the myths about assisted living and retirement care.