Henrico Retirement Communities Chestnut Grove Senior Living

Retire to a carefree life at Chestnut Grove Senior Living. Located in Henrico, Virginia, this retirement community offers one and two bedroom units in a community staffed setting 24 hours a day. There’s no place closer to home than Chestnut Grove. Visit us www.yellowpages.com

Pioneers in Senior Living – Guide to Retirement Living SourceBook Cover Story

Lillian Zale and Jerry Altman residents at Atrium Village in Owings Mills, Maryland discuss their life, friendship, transition to senior housing and the unique offerings and lifestyle of their senior living community.

Make Retirement More Fun with Senior Living Facilities

No one wants to miss out on the golden years of life. However, only a few people get the chance to experience those days how they had always envisioned it. One solution is to move into senior living facilities. Retirement is the time in a person’s life that should be spent with great enthusiasm to live. In today’s busy world, families do not have as much time to take care of their aged loved ones, and it’s better for them to help them move into such facilities. It’s a great idea to help them enjoy the rest of their lives. If you are looking for a special facility that will give you the chance to stay with your peers after retirement, then a continuing care retirement community is the ideal option for senior citizens. With a fun and active environment, old age is easy for people who worry about getting older. So if an aged person wants to have the most enjoyable retired life possible, then the best decision would be senior citizen housing, which takes care of all of the needs of the senior citizens. Life is supposed to be lived to its fullest, and if something can actually improve the quality of your life, how can you miss out on it?

The goal of senior living facilities is to make your loved one feel as much at home as possible, and this is what any senior citizen would want in his elder years. These facilities provide all possible assistance which you might require during your stay at the facility. The senior citizens get an opportunity to socialize with other people who are at the same point in their lives. Senior citizen housing has to be chosen carefully if you want to make the retirement age more fun for the senior members of the family. When someone retires, life should be peaceful and happy. All the families need to do to ensure this is to find a continuing care retirement community that can be a second home for the elderly people of the family. These senior facilities make life so easy for the senior citizens that they forget all of the troubles of old age.

Life after retirement is not always as easy as we expect it to be, but with a continuing care retirement community, this phase of life can be the best. Improving your retired life is within your control, and when we get the support of senior living facilities, it’s an easy thing to do. In these facilities, your loved one will always have friends and the staff to take care of them and listen to their stories. For all retired people or those who are nearing the retirement age, senior citizen housing is worth considering, and it will surely improve their life.

Caricature Drawing and a Better Retirement

What began as a hobby has become a full-time obsession. I refuse to refer to drawing as a “job”,

that would defeat the original purose of what I do.

It began as a search for some part-time way of

augmenting Social Security. I needed enough additional

income to keep the wolves away and facilitate my being

able to focus exclusively on art; the fullfillment of

a life-long dream.

For the past three years I have been making the

transition from my previous life as a mental health

counselor to that of a semi-retired caricature artist.

It has been one heck of a trip, but well worth the

time and effort.

I feel very comfortable saying to one and all that

I have now made it to where I had always wished and

hoped I could someday be. My list of art clients

numbers into many hundreds and include not only orders

from nearly every State in the Union, but also from a

dozen foreign countries as well. I have divested myself

of the stressful routine of being a full-time counselor,

working in a busy community-based mental health facility. There are no more staff meetings, schedules or mountains of paperwork to deal with. I now spend my days

at home in my studio,listening to vintage rock’n roll music and creating caricatures from photos people send me.

I’m not getting rich, but I am comfortable and, more importantly, much more at ease with myself and the world. I have succeeded in making retirement a truly

“golden” experience that has rejuvenated my spirit and

replentished my hope for the future.

I strongly encourage anyone who is comtemplating what to do with themselves in their later years, those who do not necessarily see themselves fishing or playing golf until they’re planted, to consider a similar course. Turn your hobby or latent passion into a means to a happier, more productive retirement.

For me, it was art and caricature drawing. Whatever it is you’ve always wished you could do, remember: If not now, when?

Retirement in Puerto Vallarta–live in Mexico Without Spanish?

¿Donde esta el baño? ¿Como esta usted? That pretty well sums up two years of high school Spanish taken as a college prep course almost 50 years ago! Of course, why would anyone ever need to know Spanish having never met a Mexican, let alone thought about going to Mexico? My, how times have changed!

After living in Houston for 25 years, we discovered that Mexico was only two hours away and that it had some very intriguing qualities to offer. In 1984 we bought a condo in Mismaloya, south of Puerto Vallarta, and made semi-annual visits to Vallarta for 13 years before buying a villa in the foothills of the Sierra Madres, overlooking Banderas Bay and El Centro, the downtown area of PV.

When we moved to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, known as PV or Vallarta by the locals, ten years ago, our Spanish vocabulary consisted of about five words. Fortunately, a few taxi drivers, most restaurant waiters, and some caddies spoke, or at least understood, a little English. In order to survive here, it was imperative to understand and speak some degree of Spanish. During our first month in Vallarta, we purchased text books, manuals, dictionaries, and hired a tutor to come to our villa twice a week.

We worked diligently for almost six months, learning Spanish words, paraphrases, tenses, etc. so that we would have a chance of communicating with the locals. To assist our learning process, we watched our Mexican TV which had about five channels; CNN, Mexican shows aimed at sixth graders, and American movies with Spanish subtitles. We would then turn off the volume and try to understand the movies by reading the subtitles. Not much fun, but the price you had to pay in order to live in Paradise where the average daily temperature during the “high season” of November through May is 73°F with virtually no chance of rain!

We spent that first summer back in the States and upon returning to PV, we got lazy and discontinued our studies. Satellite TV became available in Vallarta and we no longer had the five Mexican channels, but instead had 350 channels from the US. Fortunately for us, the tourism boom in Vallarta was just beginning to occur ten years ago.

During the past decade, there have been thousands of new houses and tens of thousands of new condos, new hospitals, a new University of Guadalajara campus, new airport, new maritime terminal, etc. built in Vallarta. As tourism increased, so did the requirement for speaking English by the locals. If they could understand and speak English, they could obtain the higher paying jobs where interaction with tourists is a routine occurrence. Jobs such as waiting tables, caddying, taxi driving, police department, clerking at front desks in hotels, offices, hospitals, airport, etc. and management positions in stores and other businesses could pay three times as much as construction work, daily labor, cleaning, etc. where there is no requirement for English speaking skills. The difference in wages was so obvious and substantial that during the past ten years, most all of the younger generation of people in Vallarta are taking English classes in school and understand and speak basic English. Even those that haven’t had a day of classroom English have a good understanding of “Espanglish” and we therefore have absolutely no problem communicating with anyone in Vallarta.

Virtually all educated Mexicans in PV such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects, bankers, nurses, teachers, etc. are fluent in English. In fact, the majority of these people seem to prefer speaking English with Americans and Canadians. Typical music in restaurants, bars, hotels, and even dental offices are the popular American songs. American magazines, newspapers, and books are available throughout the city, whereas ten years ago they were virtually non-existent.

In summarizing, having knowledge of Spanish is no longer a prerequisite for visiting or retiring in Vallarta. The majority of the retirees that live in PV have little Spanish speaking ability and get along just fine. Most all tourists by plane or cruise ship have no knowledge of Spanish and they too have no communication problems.

Obviously, Vallarta is not typical of Mexico, however, those considering a trip to or retirement in Vallarta with no Spanish speaking ability, should not be concerned about a language barrier here. At the rate things are changing in PV, who knows, English could become its primary language in another generation!

Mexican Retirement Communites – Getting To and From Cozumel Island

Cozumel real estate is in the unique situation of being located on an island; while this may create some concern for real estate buyers about transportation to and from the island, transportation is readily available at reasonable prices. Just as importantly, the island itself offers a full range of services, conveniences and products, making it a top choice among Mexico retirement communities.

 

Located on an island, Cozumel’s international airport provides most of the transportation needed by retirees and other residents. During the last week of June, 2010, for example, the airport received 37 international flights – over five a day – carrying a total of 5,550 passengers, including both tourists and residents of the island. Some of the destinations included Atlanta, Houston, Chicago, Dallas, Charlotte, and Toronto; these are only a few of the locations to which direct flights are offered. Direct return flights to many parts of North America can be found for about $600 US, and connecting flights for as low as $400.

 

Flights for reasonable prices are also available to most parts of Mexico and many other international locations. Cheap flights to the nearby cities of Cancun and Merida are also readily available. If you happen to be on the mainland, the larger selection of flights from Cancun also adds some well priced options.

 

Flying is not the only way on and off the island; the ferry to Playa del Carmen runs every hour on most days, and costs a little over $10 (one way). From Playa del Carmen relatively low priced taxis, car rentals and tour buses are available for getting around on the mainland of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

 

Although transportation to and from the island is easily available, Cozumel itself provides complete services for a retirement community. In fact, boat lovers may wish to take advantage of marina services to enjoy sailing over to main land, or even going on a longer tour. Golf is also available on Cozumel, and many communities offer facilities for tennis and other sports.

 

Sight seeing is also a favorite here, with a beautiful, traditional, Mexican town center, many Mayan pyramid sites and beautiful nature all around, those who enjoy their retirement here, never tire of the surroundings which play such an important part in the atmosphere of relaxation. And, of course, there’s always the miles and miles of wide beaches to enjoy!

 

TOPMexicoRealEstate.com; Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely

 

Buy your Retirement Home Now and Beat the Rush!

Scottsdale Arizona aah! Who wouldn’t want to retire there?

Beautiful weather, all the golfing you can handle and an up market lifestyle with plenty of culture. There are also endless community education courses and an ever increasing realty market.

You are nodding your head and groaning. The property market is increasing and you can’t get your foot on the ladder for another few years. Frustrating!

Well, think again – you can buy a home now and it will be ready for you when you are about to retire. However, you do have to move your thinking slightly sideways to achieve this.

When we think of retirement, we think of the perfect home, unique design, maybe all on one floor, with a great view, perhaps on acreage, or with a double garage or whatever your fancy is.

Yes, well put that picture on hold for a few years, because we are talking about a stepping stone here. But, a stepping stone that should get you an even better retirement home at an even lower cost to you.

Okay, well by now I should have your attention, so let’s get down to business.

Realty prices in Scottsdale have more than doubled (almost tripled) between the years 2000 to 2006. However with the baby boomers coming to the golden retirement age of 65 in the year 2011, there will probably be a rush on housing.

The laws of supply and demand suggest that this would add even further to the upward price trend, particularly in the choice retirement area of Scottsdale.

Usually in the housing market, we see a rise or a drop right across the board. So, theoretically, if you bought a modest home for $100,000 in 2000, it will be worth between $200,000 and $300,000 by now.

Houses can still be found in Scottsdale in the $200,000 (or less) price range. If you buy a modest one or two bedroom home now, in a few years it will most likely have increased its value. Guaranteed pensions are taken into account by the bank, so no problem there.

But that is only half the story. If you buy a modest home, you can rent it and let it pay for itself for a few years. You can go through a rental agent for this, this way you do not have to fuss with it, or you can take a holiday in your new property and finalize a rental agreement while you are there.

If the market trend continues to rise in the next few years, you will simply smile and rub your hands together! There is one more advantage to this plan. When you are ready to retire, you can stay in your own Scottsdale home and choose your perfect retirement home at your own leisurely pace.

5 Secrets To Active Retirement

One of my favorite sayings is “If you don’t know where you’re going, how are you going to get there”! With retirees seemingly getting younger and younger, in the mind if not in the body, enjoyment is the name of the game! But to get the most out of retirement, you need to have a plan

For any would-be retirees who haven’t tried goal-setting yet, having a plan is great. You can make daily goals (“today I am going to sign up for a French course”), 3-monthly goals (“I will be able to converse in French at the ‘hello, how are you’ level”), yearly goals (“I will save enough money to go on that cruise I’ve been talking about for years”.)

The following are just some suggestions I have come up with while planning my own retirement! Hope they give you some ideas to be going on with. There are of course many, many more things you could do with your time, but the following might help to start the ball rolling.

1. Develop an Exercise Program – it doesn’t need to be at a gym, and can be as strenuous or not as you choose. It could be walking, tai chi, line dancing (boot scooting), taking up a sport…..

2. Learn Something New, it keep helps keep your mind active. There are hundreds of different Home Study courses to choose from, or you could become a mature age student at your local tertiary college, which would have the added bonus of mixing with lots of new people, young and old; you could join that Thai cooking course you were always looking at, or how about extending your present knowledge, and learn more about using your computer, or go to a golf clinic for a holiday, join a choir etc.

3. Work Part-time. Rather than going back into the workforce, which you’ve just escaped from, try turning a hobby into a business. As well as keeping you and your mind young, this has the additional benefit of giving you extra income. For instance if you have always sewed for your family, you could start an online ebay shop where you sell the items you make. Like scrapbooking? Start teaching other people how to do it. Enjoy using the internet? Want to earn cash online? Try some internet marketing, you’ll be amazed at what you can earn, and learn.

4. Become a Volunteer. Place such as Community Organisations, Respite centres, kindergartens, schools, Meals on Wheels, church or the local community radio station are always looking for volunteer workers. As well as keeping yourself occupied, you are also helping others, which always feels good

5. Go Out with a Friend. Plan to spend one day per week/fortnight/month out with your partner or a friend. You could go to the movies one fortnight, to the zoo another time, or perhaps just a day out shopping with a nice lunch. It not only gives you something to look forward to, but keeps you in touch with previous workmates and buddies.

Now go to it and enjoy your active retirement!

Senior Citizen Retirement Homes

For many seniors in search of senior citizen retirement homes is not an easy undertaking.  For those used to city living, public transportation is often the only way to their independence.  As we age, senior citizens many times choose to give up driving and rely on public transportation.  In many area’s there are no subways and bus lines are limited.  In addition to this, many municipalities are cutting their budgets which include public transportation.

 

 

So, when considering senior citizen retirement homes, consider that fact. San Francisco’s bus and train system cut ten percent of its service. New York, Atlanta, and Chicago have made major cuts as well.

 

 

You may want to consider when searching for senior citizen retirement homes is to consider a multi residence housing facility.  Here, you can have a single person or couple apartment style home. Sometimes, this will include in your search for senior citizen retirement homes, facilities for meals, recreation, transportation and health care.

 

 

Senior citizen retirement homes differ from nursing homes or assisted living facilities. Senior citizen retirement homes can be retirement villages or a retirement community. Most of these senior citizen retirement homes if not all require a limit of age of fifty five (55) years. Be sure to check who can live with you under that age. If you are caring for children or grandchildren or if they visit.  Most visits can be for no more than seven (7) days.

 

 

So, when choosing senior citizen retirement  homes for you, consider the following:

 

 

FAMILY:
Are you willing to leave family, (immediate or extended), aging parents, children, grandchildren? If you are in that position, will you have room for them to stay a period of time? How about children still in school?

Contact the U.S. Department of Education (for public schools) to see how the area you are contemplating measures up to your expectations. Of course there is always the private sector for schools.

 

HOUSING: When searching senior citizen retirement homes, The National Association of Home Builders publishes a spreadsheet that shows the affordability of houses around the country.

 

LOCAL TAXES: Just because you found that perfect senior citizen retirement  homes in your perfect price range, it may not be what you bargained for. Taxes might be very high. Not just real estate taxes. Look at sales tax or tangible and intangible taxes, etc.

 

COMMUNITY:
What kind of demographics are you looking for in your senior citizen retirement homes? Neighbors? Convenience? Do you want zero lot lines between your house and next door or do you want five acres? The Census Bureau’s Quick Facts web site will show you population, income, business information for all counties in the United States.

Get a sense & feel for where you want to move. Call the local Chamber of Commerce or view the local newspaper online. See if there are local chat message boards or local web sites. Check with local law enforcement for safety & crime in the area. The F.B.I has a crime reporting system that they release annually.

 

TRANSPORTATION:
How do you get where you want to go while living in your new senior citizen retirement homes? Remember what we stated above.  Are you willing to drive everywhere? Check out those gas prices. Does the area you are looking at in your senior citizen retirement  homes search have public transportation that is convenient to do grocery shopping, travel to the mall, take you to the cruise ship? What about airports? International or domestic? The FAA has maps showing major U.S. airports with links to smaller or regional airports. Don’t forget the train or bus lines.

 

FAITH, RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY:
Going to your house of worship when considering senior citizen retirement  homes can be a great way of breaking into the community. Usually, you will be welcomed and start new friendships with those who have the start of something in common.

 

 

HEALTH CARE:
As we become wiser (certainly not older), we become wiser to our health needs. hospitals, doctors, health practitioners. The American Medical   Association web site can help you locate what you’re looking for in your senior citizen retirement  homes search , particularly if you might be facing a medical challenge or specialty.

 

 

WEATHER:
Neither rain, nor snow or sleet……..Oh, yeah. That’s the postman’s creed. Do you want to live & play in snow or at the beach? As you progress with your senior citizen retirement  homes search, you can certainly check the weather patterns in the coldest months (Jan-Feb) & the warmest months (July-August) to the area you are considering. The local Chamber of Commerce & online weather channels can assist you in your decision.  

 

 

CELL PHONE COVERAGE:
Check it out with your current service. What’s involved of keeping your popular cell phone number or going through the anxiety of letting everyone know your new cell phone number. The cancellation of a contract, a new contract, area coverage. Do you plan to be a world traveler with needed coverage or just local? Dial up the coverage maps for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon  or your current carrier.

 

 

FOOD:
 General grocery shopping is fine. However, what about; seafood, vegetarian, kosher, deli, farmers market, green market, organic market, specialty markets? Dining out…….how far do you travel to your favorite restaurant or Starbucks

RECREATION-LEISURE-FIESTA:
What are you going to do with all this FREE TIME, now that you have settled on your senior citizen retirement  homes, you now have on your hands? Golf, walking, beach, skating, cruises, gardening, traveling, cleaning your house, become a dog walker for the neighborhood, become a volunteer (so many needed)?

 

 

Did you know that there are garlic festivals all around the country? What about wine tasting? You can check online by using the key words to your desired activity. One thing for sure as you choose your senior citizen homes, look to see if there are certain gatherings in your prospective new address that might be a little overwhelming for you. Some events happen in certain areas of the country during certain times of the year.

 

It’s easy to find a movie theater or a video rental store. What about the likes of local community live theater (dinner or not), symphony orchestras, dance companies, museums, free local tours, mall shopping.

 

JOBS:
WHOA! Hold on a minute. I want to go into my senior citizen  retirement homes and not work. I’ve done my time you say. You know what is said about idle hands……. You just may want to keep those hands busy now that you realize you’re not a couch potato. So, maybe a part time position is in the cards…..mmm, a dealer at  Vega  s?

 

 

EDUCATION:
Ready to explore new interests or a degree? Want to study rocks……… archaeology or diamonds, they are a girls best friend. Continuing education just might be for you. A new language, become a tour guide.

 

 

LIBRARIES:
Sure there are bookstores in every mall across the country. Have you considered used book stores, libraries and their resources? Many libraries offer free classes, book readings & senior activity. Glow little book worm, glitter, glitter.

 

 

You Will Find Retirement Communities Today Everywhere In The US

There are so many Retirement Communities today in the US that choosing the ideal one is now easier than ever before. All you have to do is search to find the best retirement communities and then decide on one that you seem to like. There are so many options for senior living today.

The fact is, the meaning of retirement has also gone through many changes with time. It is only after retirement that there is finally some time to enjoy them. Luckily, all these activities can be found at the many active retirement communities that are available.

There are, of course, those who would just want to relax after doing a lot of running around and leading a really active life while they were working. So they just want to laze around and relax in the sun, with greenery and peace all around them. There are manicured lawns and jogging tracks that they can use to keep themselves fit.

But, it is important for you to know that all the amenities and activities that are mentioned above are not available in all active retirement communities.

You may want to do some checking on the Internet prior to scheduling a visit if you are interested in Charlotte, North Carolina based Retirement Communities. But truthfully, not only in the state of NC, you will actually find retirement communities elsewhere as well. Not just in the sunshine states, these communities can be found all over the country.

You might also be willing to take a look at the amazing community and the Villas at Sun Valley. There is a lot you will find here such as walking trails, great dining and shopping options, a clubhouse, recreational areas, and walking trails too. Other facilities include Sunroom, Brick fronts and ultra-modern kitchen. And on top of that, these kinds of properties also attract low Union County tax and this is naturally wonderful news.

In southeast Florida there are many options from which you can make a choice such as Cascades at St. Lucie West or the Coral Cay Plantation of Margate. Not just these two, you will find many others as well. In the state of California there is the Del Mesa Carmel, Cypress Ridge and the Chandlers Gate. And here are a few of them in Arizona – Cimarron Ridge – The Villas, Desert Harbor and the Dolce Vita at Superstition Mountain.

They came into existence in 1983 and since then, they have been offering a maintenance free lifestyle. You will find these communities at various locations in Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas. Needless to say, these rank among the best Retirement Communities.

Next Page »