You’ve scoped out the food service menus in your new premier senior living community, and you’ve measured out your new floor plan to the last inch to accommodate your favorite furniture. The details and logistics sometimes seem endless, don’t they? You’ve faithfully done your homework for months, right alongside all that downsizing.

It’s easy to get bogged down in the details when planning a move into a new retirement community. But have you taken the time to think about some of the little things that can have a major impact on your comfortable lifestyle once you move in? Here are some of the finer points to explore to ensure that there are no unhappy surprises once you’ve unpacked that last box.

Are engaging and enriching events available to you?

When you look at the community’s monthly calendar, you want to make sure that there are activities that interest you. In addition to games, movie nights, and art lessons, are there vocational enrichment opportunities in the surrounding community such as volunteering, higher education classes, or learning a new skill? Is there a life enrichment team that coordinates off-site, cultural adventures with trips to the symphony, ballet, opera, or theater?

What kind of transportation is available to you?

If you don’t have your own transportation, you need to consider how you will you be able to get off property when you want to if you don’t have a car. You want to make sure that you can run errands or enjoy all of the fine dining and cultural events downtown that you love. How do residents who enjoy Sunday worship attend local churches, for example? Look for a daily shuttle service that not only takes groups to cultural events, shopping, and restaurants, but also offers a private option should you need to run a personal errand or schedule a medical appointment.

Is your day and your schedule your own?

Or is there an unspoken expectation that residents take part in planned community events? Ideally, you’ve chosen a community that respects and supports your idea of the perfect retirement lifestyle, providing you plentiful options to engage but respecting your right to decline to attend.

Does the community’s management understand that their staff is there to serve you, but that the service is by request and totally voluntary? The reason you chose this retirement lifestyle is because you want to continue to live life on your own terms while enjoying easy access to an exciting variety of programs and activities to participate in if you so choose.

Are your visitors welcome?

Does the community have a policy regarding overnight stays by family or friends? If not, you’ll want to see if residents have an unwritten standard. The last thing you want is to start out on the wrong foot with your neighbors. Is there a private dining room that you can reserve for special celebrations with your loved ones?

What is the communal pet policy?

If residents can bring their pets with them, are there clear rules governing leash laws, uncontrolled barking, unattended pets, and cleaning up pet droppings? It’s important that you know the community’s management enforces these rules consistently and fairly, or you may find your peaceful retirement lifestyle evaporating.

Are there noise ordinances?

Perhaps the community has designated specific "quiet hours" during which disruptive sounds are banned or restricted. You want to be sure that your neighbors’ noises won’t keep you up at night or wake you earlier than you plan to rise.

What happens if your health changes?

Can you stay in your own apartment if your health changes and you need more intensive assistance? Hopefully, you’ve chosen a Continuing Care Retirement Community, or CCRC, that offers a full continuum of care.   

What if your financial resources run out?

If your retirement planning falls a bit short, will you have to leave if you can no longer pay your monthly rent? When considering a move into a premier senior living community, your primary goal is security. What better security than knowing that you’ve chosen a community that promises you’ll never be asked to leave for inability to pay?

Deupree House has kept this promise for over 60 years. It’s integral to our mission of improving the lives of older adults in a person-centered, innovative, and spiritually based way. After all, once you're here, you’re family.