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From parties and get-togethers to clubs to classes, retirement communities provide everything an active senior needs for having fun and making friends. Senior citizens know, it's not just a place to retire, but an opportunity to enjoy oneself and tap into their interests.
Nancy Root, a five-year resident of Frasier Meadows Retirement Community (Boulder, CO), says that living at FMRC provides her with plenty of interaction. Before moving there, Root was a widow living alone but these days she finds herself always surrounded by friends and activities. Like many active lifestyle communities, FMRC's activities ranging from book clubs and an opera group to a wellness center (that offers Tai Chi and Pilates classes) and group gatherings, such as a weekly social hour and stitch ‘n chat.
“There are way too many activities to get to all of them," says Root. "Before we enter a retirement facility, many of us think, “Well, this is a last ditch stand; it’s all downhill from here…not so!”
Many residents like Root find value in participating in community activities. Such involvement is important for maintaining one’s sense of self, says Nanette Overly, vice president of sales and marketing for Epcon Communities, a developer of retirement communities for active adults.
“Active lifestyle communities are not a place where seniors go to surrender themselves, but a place where they can make a home and continue living," she explains. "They offer a sense of self by providing opportunities for community members to make new friends and forge new relationships with people they can relate to.”
Through these activities Root says she's made new friends, learned new things, and exercised–all while feeling safe within a comfortable community. Plus, living there has given her the opportunity to tap into her journalism degree; Root writes and edits the active lifestyle community's monthly newsletter. “There are a lot of reasons here to get up in the morning!” she says.
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