Retirement & Senior Living Choices: A Guide

choices: retirement living & senior living options and costs

Whether you call it senior living, retirement living, aging in place, or just finding a nice place to live when you get a bit older, where and how to live is a super important question for older adults.

There is a great deal of information on the Internet about the more traditional types of retirement community. But we find our explorers are still seeking clearer comparative information about what is out there, and how to choose between different retirement living options.

We also see a strong theme in our explorer discussions that suggests todays boomers are less enthusiastic than their parents about conventional retirement community options. Instead, people are asking about things like cohousing and other types of affinity-based community.

This page is the Topic Hub for our analysis of different retirement living options, and other types of senior living arrangements.

If you are just starting your research into these topics, we recommend starting with this overview article about different options for retirement living.

See our featured articles and explorations below.

Featured Content: Retirement & Senior Living Choices: A Guide

Aging in Place: Why Technology & Gadgets Matter

In my mind, there is a compelling argument that the right gadgets and technology can make aging in place more successful and less expensive. And by more successful, I am thinking in particular of higher quality of life, more autonomy, and less dependence on the kindness of strangers. I don't think this argument gets made much in the media or by the aging services industry though. So here it is.

Read: "Aging in Place: Why Technology & Gadgets Matter"

Architecture by McCamant & Durrett Architects

Cohousing: The Power of Community

Cohousing: The power of community. Thoughts from a cohousing pioneer.

Read: "Cohousing: The Power of Community"

Retirement Living Options

When it comes to retirement living options, the question of whether to stay at home or to move often looms large. Here are the things to consider so you make the right decision.

Read: "Retirement Living Options"

Choosing different retirement living options

Retirement Living: Comparison Matrix & Talk

Retirement Living expert John Milford has created this talk and comparison matrix of pros and cons of different retirement living alternatives, using San Francisco Bay Area examples to illustrate the comparison process. Details include entry fee sizes, ongoing financial obligations, application requirements, and which entities oversee the different housing types.

Read: "Retirement Living: Comparison Matrix & Talk"

How a Continuing Care Retirement Community Works

How a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) works is a question that often pops up when our explorer discussions turn to where and how to live as one gets older. This article explains how this model of retirement living works, and discusses their financial model.

Read: "How a Continuing Care Retirement Community Works"

Where & How We Want to Live

Where and how we want to live as we age has been the subject of quite a few of our Longevity Explorer discussions, especially in those circles made up of Boomers. We Boomers wonder: should we move, and to which type of living situation? Listen to the audio of real people discussing these topics.

Read: "Where & How We Want to Live"

Retirement Community Costs: Rolling the Dice

Retirement Community Costs: How Much?

At the outset, the greatest barrier to moving into a retirement community can be the cost. Therefore, most homeowners and renters find it attractive to age in place at home in the community where friends and services are nearby. However, the cost of remaining at home can become very high in the later stages compared to some of the alternatives.

Read: "Retirement Community Costs: How Much?"

Life Stage Denial

Many who are standing at the brink of change in later life – though still active, social, and financially secure -survey the changes in lifestyle that could mitigate the ravages of older age and become frozen and unable to make a decision, thinking that taking action makes sense, but “I’m not ready yet.”

Read: "Life Stage Denial"

Service Area San Francisco Village serves all of San Francisco. We have members in over 20 neighborhoods throughout the city.

The Village Movement

Villages are a non-profit subscription membership network of individuals over 60 who want to stay in their own homes and neighborhoods – neighbors realistic about the transitions that come with getting older - committed to helping each other when there’s a need.

Read: "The Village Movement"

Independent for Life - Or Just for a Season?

For those fortunate enough to age in place in surroundings designed to be safe and comfortable, the experience will most likely be more lasting than in one's own home which was designed for an entirely different demographic.

Read: "Independent for Life - Or Just for a Season?"