How old is too young for 55+ Living?

Misconceptions vs. Reality in a 55+ Community

55+ communities are not assisted or even independent living venues. This is a common misconception for the uninformed. While independent and assisted living facilities offer such services as food preparation, various levels of health care and other services, these are not things offered in 55+ communities, often referred to as Active Adult Communities. Clearing up this misinformation lays the groundwork for how old is too young for 55+ living.

The Social Heart of a 55+ Community

At the heart of Active Adult Living is socializing with similar aged people with shared history, think music, movies, world events, levels of technology, and more. A big part of socialization is participation in sports such as bocce, tennis, swimming, golf, softball, croquet, hiking, and the ever more popular pickleball. Other favorite activities are cards and other games, book clubs, concerts, community events and entertainment as well as numerous other interest groups.

The Ideal Age for Moving to a 55+ Community

While not everyone participates in sports or athletic activities of any kind and even those who don’t, , for those who do I always here “we should have embraced this lifestyle sooner” and “we thought we needed to be old to move here”. By definition the majority of residents in a 55+ community are at least 55 years old (subject to the HOA REQUIREMENTS of individual communities) or at least one resident of the home is at 55 or older. Many people do not consider living until 60’, 70’s or even their 80’s. To embrace all an Active Adult community has to offer the closer to age 55 the better. Everyone, even if you are on the older spectrum, that embraces 55+ living, will enjoy – single story home options, many home features are geared toward seniors, like wider doorways, lever door handles and more, lawn care is typically included in the HOA dues, and the elevated social scene.

Selecting the Right 55+ Community for Your Lifestyle

In a previous blog I discussed the myriads of differences in 55+ communities and is imperative, at any age, that you compare communities you are considering with what you hope to gain from living in an Active Adult Community. Don’t wait to start living like you are always on vacation!