Finding Niche Retirement Communities

Most large retirement communities are designed to appeal to a large number of people with diverse interests.  For example, Laguna Woods Village, the retirement community where I live, has horseback riding (as shown in this photo I took a few days ago from the back of horse).  It also has golf, tennis, parties and much more. 

However, what if you could choose a niche retirement community that is designed to attract a specific group of people ... people who are more like you and share your specific interests and hobbies?  Today, this is one of the exciting new trends in retirement communities.

What is a Niche or Affinity Retirement Community?

These new retirement communities are catered specifically to people who have common interests or traits.  For example, retirement communities that target intellectuals are being built near many universities.  There are communities for Asian Americans, and at least one for Baby Boomers who enjoy recreational vehicles.  There are communities specifically for the gay and lesbian community, as well as communities for people who are interested in art and music. Sometimes these niche communities are referred to as affinity communities.

How do you find these communities? 

How to Find a Niche Retirement Community

Here are a few companies that either currently meet these specialized needs or are planning new affinity communities in the coming years

Aegis Living:  for Asian-Americans

Oakmont Senior Living: for Gays and Lesbians, and Korean-Americans

RainbowVision community: Gays and Lesbians

Escapees CARE: assisted living for RVers

PANDAbare: building a nudist assisted living facility

Burbank Senior Artists Colony: for actors, artists, and writers

Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame: university-based retirement near one of our nation's premier Catholic universities.

Retirement with an Equestrian Facility: Laguna Woods Village in California is the only one I have run across.  The photo above shows one of its trail rides.  People have moved to this community from states like Montana and Colorado in order to retire someplace where they can bring their horses with them.

Should You Move into a Niche Retirement Community?

Niche retirement communities are not for everyone.  Sometimes people long for more diversity, and a broader range of activities.  In other cases, some of the niche retirement communities may be exceptionally expensive.  However, if you have a specific need, you may want to look for niche communities in the area where you want to retire. 

If you know of a niche retirement community that you believe might interest others, please feel free to mention it in the comments section below.  My readers will appreciate your thoughtful suggestions.

If you are looking for articles on more retirement communities, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of this page to find links to hundreds of other articles on topics of interest to retirees.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

Photo by author

Retirement Community Amenities - Which are Best For You?

When you think about retirement communities, what kinds of amenities would you like to have?  You may be surprised to discover that you have a wide variety of choices in nearly every region of the country.

Within just five miles of my home, there are many different types of retirement communities, and they each have a diverse menu of amenities and services that they offer.

Active Adult Communities for 55+ Senior Citizens

One of the most popular types of places for people over the age of 55 to live is an active adult community.  This may consist of single family homes, townhouses, or condominiums.  The residents all live independently in their own residences and participate in their choice of activities.  

For example, our community of Laguna Woods Village offers golf, horseback riding, tennis, five swimming pools, two gyms with trainers, art studios, a live theater, dance classes, bridge, parties, and over 200 clubs.  Some residents have chosen to live in our area because it is one of the few retirement communities in the United States that contains its own equestrian center and riding trails.  We often attract retirees from Colorado and Montana who bring along their horses and board them at the stables.

However, our community does not offer skilled nursing care, memory care or any of the amenities that you might need as you get older; nor does it provide residents with meals or similar services.  In addition, the homeowners dues are unusually high because of the number of activities that are provided at no charge or for a very low fee.

Senior Apartment Communities

There is one highrise senior apartment community, called the Towers, within the gates of Laguna Woods Village that does provide some additional services ... dinner every night and weekly maid service.  The average age in this building is approximately age 88.  However, even this facility within our gated community does not include nursing care.  It is an independent living senior apartment complex.  You can find senior apartments throughout the United States.  In addition to luxury ones, many cities have low income housing for seniors that would generally fall into this category.

Another senior adult apartment complex in our area is just a few feet outside the gated community of Laguna Woods Village.  It is called San Sebastian.  This building is very new and modern.  It has gorgeous apartments, beautiful pools, frequent parties, and a gym.  The building is very secure.  Although the facilities are very appealing, the residents cannot use the golf course, tennis courts or other amenities inside the gates of Laguna Woods Village, just a few feet from their door. 

What the Towers and San Sebastian have in common is that they are both apartment complexes that are designed specifically for senior citizens.

Continuing Care Retirement Communities

There are also a large number of other types of senior residences in the area surrounding our community.  They are called Continuing Care Retirement Communities or CCRCs.  

The ones in our neighborhood have names like Freedom Village, The Wellington, The Regency and Whispering Fountains.  They provide the residents with a private room or senior apartment, three meals a day, and full use of their facilities. Most of them provide private bus service to shuttle the residents around to shopping centers, doctors appointments, the theater and other activities.  They hold parties and have exercise classes, putting greens, hot tubs, and bridge groups. Many of them also have different levels of care ... independent living residential apartments, assisted living (for those just needing a little help), skilled nursing facilities, physical therapy,  memory care facilities, etc. 

The price you pay for a CCRC depends on the level of care you need.  I have known people who have a chronic illness or other future health concerns who wanted to move to these types of facilities while they were still active and capable of taking care of themselves.  It was reassuring for them to know that they would never have to move again if they became weak or incapacitated.

Which Type of Retirement Community Amenities are Right for You?

What type of facility do you want or need?  Before you buy into a retirement community, give a lot of thought to your future needs.  If you are comfortable with the idea of living in one place now, and moving into a residential facility with a higher level of care later, then you may want to select an active adult resort type community like Laguna Woods Village.  If you have a serious illness or feel your health slipping away, you might want to select a place that will care for you for the rest of your life.

Neither choice is better than the other.  Only you can decide which types of amenities will best suit your needs.  However, these are some of the issues you will want to consider before you make up your mind about where you want to live.  Once you do decide, relax and enjoy your new living situation.  All of these retirement communities have plenty of activities to keep you busy and entertained!

If you are interested in learning more about where to live after retirement, financial planning, medical issues that can arise, changing family relationships and more, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page to find links to hundreds of additional articles.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

photo taken by author while horseback riding in Laguna Woods Village, California

Publish Your Autobiography for Free

They say that everyone has a story to tell.  Do you?  Have your children asked you to write down the stories you tell them?  Do they have questions about your childhood and the years before your children were born?  Would they like to know about your years in the military or other interesting experiences you have had in your life? Have you ever thought about writing your autobiography, but didn't know who would read it, or how you would get it published?  You'll be pleased to know that there is a way to do it for free.

Publish Your Life Story, But Do Not Pay For It

One of our neighbors faced this dilemma a few years ago.  In the 1960's, he and his wife were sent from South Korea to the United States to study. They were both in their 20's and they had to leave their two young children behind in Korea with relatives.  After being in the US for a few years, our neighbor became a college professor at a major American university, and they were able to bring their children here to live. Now our friends are in their late 60's, and their children are grown.  These adult children wanted to know about their parents' lives in Korea, as well as their early years in the United States, so our neighbor wrote an autobiography and had it printed at a vanity press.  He gave copies to his children and neighbors, which is how I came to read it.  I loved his book, and thought it was a very kind thing for him to do for his children. 

However, not everyone can afford the luxury of printing books at a vanity press, which can cost thousands of dollars ...  which few people ever get back in sales.  Instead, more and more people are discovering that they can use the free publishing services on Amazon to produce paperback books and Kindle e-books, at no cost, except $5 or $10 for the books they actually order.  If you don't buy a book, it costs you nothing to use the service.

Write Your Book Using CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing

Today, you can write a book as a word document on your computer and submit it to Amazon.com's CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing.  You need to follow their detailed formatting instructions, but it isn't hard. Here is a brief summary of what you need to do:

*  Write your book as a Word Document

*  Download one of the free CreateSpace templates; cut and paste your autobiography into it.

*  Put a page break at the end of each chapter and at the end of your book.

*  Open an account with CreateSpace and follow their instructions to upload your book from your computer onto their website.

*  If they tell you that you need to imbed your font, follow their simple instructions to do that.

*  Follow their instructions to create your own cover.  You can use a generic photo that they provide or you can upload a family photo and use it on your cover.

*  They will suggest a price that will cover the cost of printing the book.  It will probably be an odd number, such as $4.37.  Round it up and approve the price.

*  Order a proof and have it mailed to you, so you can see what it looks like.  If you are satisfied, log back onto the site and tell them to publish it.  It will be available for sale on Amazon.com within a few days, and your relatives can order it.

*  Tell CreateSpace you want the information sent to Kindle Direct Publishing.  Set the price there at .99 cents.  Your family can download it on their Kindles for that amount.

*  You may even have strangers buy copies of your books ... but only if you promote it.  That's OK.  You primarily did this for your family and friends.

*  When you receive royalties from the sale of your books, you can use the money to do something fun for your family. It won't be much, but it will be exciting to celebrate with pizza or a bottle of wine!

Books That I have Written on CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing

Although I have not written an autobiography (perhaps another year), I am working on helping my father and mother put together the story of their lives.  My father is currently recording stories from his life and I have promised to write them up and publish them, when they are ready. It may take a few years for my father to finish his part, but I am enjoying the process.

I have already written a few Kindle books.  One is:  "Your Guide to a Fabulous Las Vegas Wedding."  Others are: "The Mayor and the Garbage" (a novel for 9-12 year olds), and "Romantic Budget Wedding Ideas" (a book for anyone trying to save money on a wedding).  You can use the links to them to read an excerpt, and see how I formatted the books, wrote dedications, etc.

Benefits of Publishing an Autobiography

Your descendants will really appreciate the opportunity to read your life story.  Even if no one else ever gets a copy, you will enrich the lives of your family members by sharing a little bit about your own life.  Were you a war veteran?  Did you move across country?  Did you have to take care of ill family members?  Did you suffer from a great disappointment, or go on an exciting adventure?  All of these topics will be interesting for your family members to read.

To top it all off, you may even be able to sell a few copies and make some money from your autobiography!  Your experiences may enrich the lives of others.

If you are interesting in more information about retirement planning, changing family relationships, travel, where to retire, medical issues and more, just use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page to find links to hundreds of additional articles.

You are reading from the blog:  http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com

photo courtesy of moguefile.com

How to Tell if your Pain is Dangerous

Do you suffer from pain?  Virtually everyone experiences some day to day aches and pain.  That is actually normal.  However, some types of pain could be an early warning of a serious health issue.

How can you tell if your pain is serious enough that you should see your doctor?  On doctoroz.com, the famous Dr. Oz reports that there are 4 body pains you should never ignore. 

Types of Pain that could Indicate a Serious Health Issue

Jaw Pain:  If you experience jaw pain after or during physical activity, it could indicate a heart attack.  Be particularly alarmed if you also feel pain in your chest or left arm and shoulder, or if you experience shortness of breath.  Call your doctor right away!

Leg Pain:  If squeezing the back of your calf causes you severe pain, you may have deep vein thrombosis.  Be particularly worried if your leg is red and warm.

Abdominal Pain:  If you feel severe pain within 20-30 minutes after eating meals that contain fat, you may have gallstones.  If antacids don't help, you should have a doctor check it out.

Pins and Needles pain:  If your foot seems to fall asleep and you feel muscle weakness, you could have a damaged nerve or impaired circulation.  Your doctor should check it out.

Your Doctor is an Important Resource

Many of us are reluctant to contact our physicians, particularly over what we perceive as simple aches and pains.  However, any time you develop a new pain, pain that is intense, pain accompanied by redness or fever, or anything that alarms you, let your doctor know right away.  While it may not be a serious condition, it is possible that it could be your body alerting you to an impending heart attack, stroke or other medical condition.  Don't ignore your body's early alarm system!

To read more about these health concerns, you may want to see the full Doctor Oz article at:  http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/4-body-pains-you-should-never-ignore?page=4#copy

If you are interested in learning more about health issues affecting baby-boomers, retirement planning, changing family relationships, where to retire and more, use the tabs or pull down menu at the top of the page for links to hundreds of additional articles.

You are reading from the blog: http://www.baby-boomer-retirement.com 

Photo credit:  morguefile.com