How to Choose the Right CCRC for Your Needs

Choosing where to live is not a decision to take lightly – especially when it comes to choosing a continuing care retirement community. If you’ve already come to the decision of moving to a retirement community, that’s great – half the work is done! Now it’s time to decide which senior living community is right for you.

You probably know by now that not all CCRCs are created equal. In fact, it’s good you’re doing research to make sure the one you pick has everything you need and will be a long-term, satisfactory decision. We’ll do what we can to help you decide if Winchester Gardens is where you should call home – let’s start by walking through a short checklist, below.

Consider These Factors When Choosing a CCRC

As you’re searching for the right CCRC for your future, take the following factors into consideration:

• How many levels of care are available onsite? Take a minute to think farther down the road from today, or even tomorrow. Think about years from now. The continuing care retirement community you choose should have everything you need not just now, as an active, independent senior, but years from now when your care needs may change. This is the true benefit of a continuing care retirement community – residents enjoy a continuum of care and can rest easy knowing that should their health needs ever change, the level of supportive services they require can adjust to those needs.
• Does the CCRC remove the stressful parts of life you want to free yourself from? At Winchester Gardens, you get the best of both worlds: peace of mind knowing if your health needs change, you can access the level of care you need, as well as a private, personalized living space without having to worry about any of the maintenance involved with home ownership. Leave the leaf-raking and snow-shoveling to someone else and simply enjoy your free time to do as you wish.
• Does the CCRC provide opportunities to maintain your overall wellness, not just your physical health? Look for a continuing care retirement community that offers programs and amenities that benefit the whole person, not just one area of health. For example, our LivWell program ensures wellness in all seven dimensions: physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially, spiritually, environmentally and occupationally. You’ll find an on site fitness center and a variety of life-enriching events and activities, as well as nutritious dining options to ensure you stay healthy in mind, body and spirit.
• Do the levels of care complement each other in case your spouse has varying needs in the future? It’s not something fun to think about, but what if a few years from now your spouse’s care needs change and yours stay the same? Will you be forced to live separately in different senior living communities so you can both access the level of care you need? At Winchester Gardens, if you’re still independent and need no assistance with daily activities, but perhaps your spouse needs some help with bathing or dressing, you can rest easy knowing that you can stay together, living in close proximity on the same campus, all while receiving just the right level of care.
• Does the CCRC offer a variety of floor plans so you can find one that feels like home? The CCRC you choose is going to become home. Just like people buying a house have access to real estate listings and home tours to find the right one for them, you should also have access to a variety of floor plans so you don’t have to settle on your future home. Want to downsize into something smaller? A one-bedroom apartment may do. Or maybe you don’t want to make a drastic change from your current home, and you still want extra space. We offer numerous two-bedroom floor plans, too. Choosing the right CCRC means having access to enough options so you don’t have to settle on where you call home.

Live Life Fulfilled at Winchester Gardens in Maplewood, New Jersey

Choosing the right continuing care retirement community is not a decision to take lightly. In fact, we encourage you to do as much research as you need on the living options and the lifestyle at Winchester Gardens before making a decision, and we’re here to help answer your questions should any come up. Our community includes a brand new, state-of-the-art healthcare center to ensure we can fully meet the needs of all residents, no matter the level of care required, in the community they already call home. We welcome you to experience our CCRC in Maplewood for yourself – please contact us today to schedule a tour.