In our previous blog, we touched on an important topic for anyone considering a retirement home—in short, we addressed “When” it might be time to start looking for an appropriate option. Our recommendations hit on some signs to look out for, but those signs don’t mean they’re any easier to accept as reality. Therefore, we wanted to follow up with a little bit of a lighter (yet also pragmatic!) approach to the discussion: “Why” a retirement community might be a viable option in the months ahead.
We say “months” because it’s never too early to begin research on high-quality retirement communities in the area. And, because you’re on our St. Anthony’s website, we think you’re in a PERFECT place to begin the search.
The reason we want to focus on “Why” it might be time is because there are so many positive aspects about moving toward this living option for you and/or a loved one. This season of life is often seen as “AGAINST” another way of living, but we want to highlight some specific reasons “FOR” a retirement community. In other words, we want to help you reframe the conversation around 10 reasons why a retirement community might be for you.
7 Reasons for a Retirement Community
1. Community
State the obvious, why don’t we?! But it’s true. The leading component of any retirement community is, in fact, the people that make up the environment itself. From ownership to staff to residents, there isn’t a person that lives or works at St. Anthony’s we take for granted. We are confident every person is here for a reason. How do we know that to be true? Because we see those reasons on display each and every day—through the smile of a staff member or celebration of a resident (after winning an intense board game, of course). A retirement community isn’t doing it right if they don’t first prioritize the well-being, safety, and care of its people.
2. Peace of Mind
Do you ever lie awake at night wondering “What’s next?” That question is debilitating. It prevents us from realizing all that God has given us in the moment. We worry about the future and wonder if what’s just around the corner will be the thing that takes us, or someone we know, down an unfavorable path. But to focus on life one day at a time is where peace of mind is found. “Our daily bread” is what we ask for, and many of us have received for many years on end. In a thriving retirement community, loved ones live with enhanced peace of mind—that those they love the most are being taken care of. They are receiving daily bread each day for the good of their own nourishment and enjoyment.
3. Health and Nutrition
Yes, the aforementioned “daily bread” is often seen as a more spiritual providence within the context of day-to-day life. HOWEVER, we believe daily bread is also the real, God-given nutrients we are blessed to receive each day. In our past post on signs to look for when considering a retirement home, we mention poor eating habits as a key indicator a loved one might be ready for professionally positioned support staff. We can’t speak for other retirement communities, but our staff at St. Anthony’s contains health and fitness professionals to meet our residents where they’re at, and ensure their quality of life is aided by positive consumption habits.
4. Consistent Exercise
An offshoot from the health and nutrition conversation is an important one: movement! For those who are able, we emphasize regular exercise and movement in any daily routine. An active lifestyle is not just encouraged but modeled by our staff and many residents at St. Anthony’s. Often you’ll find individuals dancing to music or playing an outdoor game to get some Vitamin D on top of that day’s movement or step goal. Life is too joyous to sit still, so we encourage a more fun and healthy option: to get up and move the muscles God gave us!
5. Proximity to Pop In
This is another one of those “can only speak for ourselves” points, but St. Anthony’s is just such a fan of our greater retirement community family. In short, the families of our residents are some of the best people we know—they encourage our work and help us strive for excellence in the process. Because of those mutually beneficial relationships, it’s easy for us to welcome the “family pop-in” so that they can regularly visit their loved ones. In a place like Kansas City, we are about a 15 to 20-minute drive from ANYWHERE in the city which makes it convenient for said family members to pop in. And for anyone who might be traveling in to visit, we are an easy ride from the airport. An airport we are excited to see revitalized in the near future!
6. Fun!
Another obvious-yet-important aspect to include in this list of “Why” a retirement community might be for you. We have written extensively on our blog about how many fun activities there are to do around Kansas City AND at St. Anthony’s. When it comes down to it, the season of life post-retirement can be a difficult one to navigate. It takes some individuals a little while to get used to it. But we think, once they reframe their mindset, many might realize these are just the beginning of some fun and fantastic years! That’s what we believe anyway at St. Anthony’s. It’s a mindset for our staff as well—to cultivate a fun and safe environment for our residents—from Chiefs games to wine tastings, and board games to dance parties . . . reach out to us today to learn about all the fun we have on a daily basis!
7. A Touch of Eternity
OK, so we’re kind of bookending this list with some aspects about God and why we’re called to community. God, in Himself, is a community—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Humans, therefore, made in the image of God, are meant to dwell in community while here on earth!
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” -Ecclesiastes 3:11
That verse speaks to the longing, in every person’s soul, for something greater and more beautiful than this world has to offer. But a great component of this gift called “life” is that sometimes . . . if we’re truly looking for it . . . we get a glimpse of Eternity on any given day.
At St. Anthony’s, it’s sometimes seen in the smile of someone serving dinner. Or out on the lawn at twilight, as husband and wife dance to their favorite song. Or even in the morning—conversation with a friend around a hot cup of coffee in the fall. Those are the touches of Eternity we get to experience alongside a retirement community we don’t just enjoy—it’s a community we love.
And if any of these seven components have touched you in some profound way, we would love to begin a conversation about you and/or a loved one joining this community. Because just like God’s glorious Kingdom: there’s always room for one more.
