Like any other retirement communities, a senior living community in Apollo Beach, FL is made for older adults. This place offers a lot of assistance for their residents, including exclusive senior living programs for them to enjoy. This includes housekeeping, transportation, dining, fitness, and other life essentials at this stage. If you are quite hesitant as to whether it is time to transition a loved one to this community, it pays to know if there is a minimum age requirement to do so.
What is the Minimum Age to Qualify?
How you wish you can just go directly into a retirement community when you have reached your retirement age. Consider that the first step, because that means there is willingness to transition to such communities. Next to that, however, you must figure out whether or not you qualify for such communities. This will depend upon the type of community you choose, whether a continued care, 55+, assisted living, senior cohousing, independent living, or memory care community. Basically, the minimum age ranges anywhere between 55 years old and 62 years old.
- The 55+ Housing
As the term implies, the minimum age requirement to stay in this community is 55. Like other communities, it offers a place where one can enjoy socialization, physical activities, events, chef-prepared meals, and transportation. Do not expect much when it comes to medical care, though.
- Nursing Homes and Retirement Communities
These communities usually accept individuals who have reached the age of 62. There are some exceptions that are made depending on individual circumstances, though, so you better check on these exceptions as this may vary from one facility to another.
Why Age Requirement Matters?
You might wonder why not just transition into a community once you are 55 since most accept this as a minimum age to qualify. Well, the main reason is that there are existing government rules and legislations that need to be followed. There are also programs which are designed to help older adults as they age, and this can impact the decision as to whether or not one can be accepted in the community when they apply.
There are also certain communities that may receive financial aid from the government so that they can accommodate older adults who do not have the means to pay for the more expensive communities out there. Add to that the fact that Medicaid, Medicare, and social security benefits may be considered to pay for these communities. When you decide to bring your loved ones to government-operated communities, you must always comply with the minimum age requirement.
Other Considerations that May Impact Age Requirement
Some older adults choose transitioning into such communities to enjoy their retirement while they are also actively aging. They want to exercise independence as early as possible, at the age of 55, and do the things that they have always wanted which they were not able to attend to in the past. Others, on the other hand, may be suffering from cognitive decline, in which case, they may need to be in a memory care home, where their needs will be attended to according to their age.