If you’re anything like us, it’s likely you’ve got some wonderful childhood memories associated with visiting your grandparents. Everyone would pile into the car and go for a drive down the road, arriving at grandma’s house where you knew you’d be welcomed with open arms – and usually some really nice snacks (preferably chocolate chip cookies).
Grandma’s house was always a great place to visit. Filled with comfortable furniture, interesting knick-knacks, and, most of all, love. It’s enough to make you pine for the days of yesteryear! Well, today things are different. Now, instead of retiring and aging in place in your existing home, you have the option of relocating to a retirement community. Yet new, modern retirement communities can be just as good a place to welcome your own grandchildren as grandma’s house was for you – and in many ways, even better! Here’s what you should know about making your retirement community the place grandchildren can’t wait to visit.
The Comfort of a Modern Retirement Community
If there’s one thing that grandma’s house was always known for, it was comfort. Spending time there was always great because it was a place you could relax and enjoy the company of your grandparents free from the stresses of your everyday life – and let’s be honest here, even kids face their fair share of stress growing up. For many of us, visiting grandparents meant an oasis of calm and comfort.
It’s only natural to want to provide that for your own grandkids, which is why you might think you need to stay in your existing home. The truth is, however, that modern retirement communities, especially the gated ones, are some of the most comfortable and welcoming places you’ll find anywhere. That’s because the list of amenities available to residents and visiting family members is truly incredible. Let’s look at just a few of them.
Enjoying the Great Outdoors
Did you enjoy spending time in the backyard with your grandparents? Maybe they had a garden they would putter in, or a nice patio you would eat lunch on whenever the weather was good. Maybe you remember going on picnics at the local park, or walking through the woods together, or even going for a swim in the municipal pool – whatever it was, spending time outside with your grandma and grandpa was a treat.
Well, your own grandkids can do the same in a retirement community! The campuses from Acts Retirement Life-Communities, for example, boast wonderful outdoor spaces perfect for spending time together. Dedicated picnic and gardening spaces, outdoor walking trails, and swimming pools constitute but a few, which means if the weather is good, you can have a great time entertaining family in the great outdoors.
Indoor Time at Grandma’s
Maybe it’s just us, but we loved whenever grandma brought out the board games when we would visit. Even a few hands of Go Fish or Hearts was always a fun time, especially if the weather was bad and we couldn’t enjoy the outside world. Same with arts and crafts at the kitchen table! Or maybe we’d hang out with grandpa in the garage where we would “help” him complete his latest woodworking project, often much to his good-natured chagrin.
There’s no reason those experiences can’t be shared with your own grandkids in a retirement community. That’s because these communities have dedicated recreation spaces that are perfect for entertaining indoors. Game and billiards rooms offer opportunities to have a little fun competition, while art studios provide ways to embrace your creative spirit together. And most Acts communities have crafting and woodworking studios as well for even more hands-on fun!
Filling Little Bellies
No discussion of visiting grandma’s house could possibly be complete without mentioning the food. Nobody ever went hungry when they visited grandma’s house! You’d leave stuffed to your gills with some of the absolutely best-tasting home-cooked meals ever, and then you were often given a few cookies or candies on top of it. You know, to tide you over for the ride home.
You can replicate this experience with your own family so very easily while living in a retirement community, and in more ways than one. First, you have a fully-equipped kitchen at your disposal in your home, where the sky is the limit for feeding the younger folk. If you feel your cooking just can’t measure up to your own grandmother’s, though, don’t worry – Acts communities have multiple fine and casual dining options right on-campus. Treat your family to a great meal they’ll never forget, all without having to cook it yourself!
Having Everything You Need to Spoil Your Grandkids
We’ve really only touched on the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the advantage of moving to a retirement community. The truth is that there’s so much more that helps you live your best life in retirement, so that you can focus your energies on spending time with your family (and spoiling your own grandkids, of course). One of the biggest ways that retirement community living benefits you that we haven’t even discussed is how affordable it is in comparison to aging in place in your own home!
When you take into account property taxes, maintenance and utility costs, and everything else that goes into keeping a house ship-shape, you’re devoting huge chunks of your retirement income on unnecessary upkeep. Move to a retirement community and your costs are consolidated, leaving you more resources to spend on quality time with your family. Plus, if you have equity built up in your home, selling it and using the proceeds to finance your move to a retirement community means you’ll likely come out ahead in the end.
The Modern Grandma’s House, for a Modern Grandma
It’s often said, with tongue firmly pressed in cheek, that grandkids are your reward for not killing your own kids as they drove you crazy growing up. Well, it’s time to enjoy your reward in style. Choose a modern retirement community and see just how many ways it can help you live that ideal grandparent life!
