Seniors Housing is About Making Positive Choices: Article #3

Making a List & Checking it Twice - Wants!

This Article follows from Article #2, “in making choices about which seniors’ accommodation suits you the best”.

As noted in the previous Article one needs to do some preparation. And as indicated it is much like making a shopping list of things you “want”. What falls into the want camp is specific to each individual; wants are like desires and you need to establish what you want in a senior’s place beyond the health, safety, good food, in a building with a good reputation and, a building in a good state of repair.

Again, setting up a rating guide for yourself will be very useful.. Make sure it has a numerical system of per sae 1 through to 10; 10 being great and 1 poor. As you go from one place to another it is important to rate them- especially in trying to recall what you found and thought about the different establishments.

It is unlikely that any residence will have all the attributes you want, so you need to be practical about your selections. Determine high priorities versus lower priorities of desirable things. You can accomplish this within broad categories, as below:

Activities – i.e. crafts, games, and special events like resident art & crafts exhibitions,
Entertainment- movies, presentations, special events like dances, singers, and comedians.
Outings- to local places of interest.
Community amenities –as noted below.
Socialization- places for friends to congregate in smaller groups to talk and share information.
Intellectual stimulation – guest speakers and programs/activities geared to personal academic and practical interests.

For each category identify up to 5 specific things you like to do, and then enquire directly about the opportunity to do these things. You need to see if space is allotted for this in the residence and/or if it is available within the community. Generally speaking, community services you would likely want to access should be within 4km and along transportation routes either accessible via public transportation or taxi. Residences within a village are generally going to provide the greatest selection of activities- shopping, banking, library, senior’s centres, clubs, and entertainment.