There comes a time in life when you are no longer really able to care for yourself in the way that you once were, something that typically happens as you age. And as people are living longer and longer in the United States as well as in many other places all around the world, human bodies are becoming frailer and frailer by the time that we reach the ends of our lives. And the population of the elderly is only one that is continuing to grow, with currently more than fifty thousand people over the impressive age of one hundred currently living within the boundaries of the United States. By the time that we reach the year of 2040, just over twenty years from the current date, this number is only going to grow, as will the general number of all elderly people. It is even anticipated that there will be as many as fourteen million people who are over the age of eighty five living in the United States by that time.
Now that people are living for longer, we are able to maintain a quite good quality of life until we are very old, thanks in part to advancements in science and modern medicine. But sometimes we are no longer physically stable enough to support our independent living, and living on our own is no longer a safe thing to do. In fact, far too many elderly people are seen in emergency rooms around the country on a daily basis because they fell at home, and many such falls lead to very serious injuries that can even require surgery down the line. But moving to a retirement community or independent living community (two different phrases for very similar things) can be quite a blow, and many people try to avoid it as much as they are possibly able to. In fact, as much as ninety percent (nine people out of every ten surveyed) said that they wanted to and would try to live at home as long as they were physically able, avoiding moving into an assisted living facility for as long as they possibly could.
But of the people who have indeed moved into an independent housing community or senior living community, the reports are primarily positive, with many people finding that they enjoy such senior housing communities much more than they thought they would have. For starters, it is very important to note that independent housing communities are not nursing homes, where round the clock care is often necessary. Independent housing communities often have staff members that are there to support the members of the community, but they are not necessarily providing twenty four hour supervision. This can be ideal for someone who is uncomfortable about living far away from help in the case of a potential emergency, but who is still looking to live in independent housing and not in a facility that feels like your typical nursing home.
Aside from increased safety for the elderly people who live there, independent housing communities also often provide a great social outlet for their members. In fact, it has been found that as many as half of all people who are at the age of sixty five or past it now participate in some type of volunteer activity that allows them to give back to their communities. Volunteer work can easily be organized through an independent housing facility, and it is a great way for senior citizens to connect with not only one another, but with many other members of the community in which they live and often once worked.
Many other seniors are looking for a different type of connection, with more than teb percent of those who are now over the age of sixty five in the United States now on various dating apps and websites. Moving to an independent housing or retirement community can be the perfect way to meet people, especially people who live close to you, and presents a possibility to form strong and long lasting friendships, even if you don’t necessarily make a viable romantic connection.
