Retirement community

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A retirement community, or active adult community, is a very broad, generic term that covers many varieties of housing for retirees and seniors - especially designed or geared for people who no longer work, or restricted to those over a certain age. It differs from a retirement home which is a single building or small complex where no "common areas" for socializing exist. Many retirement communities are planned for that purpose, and have special facilities catering to the needs and wants of retirees, including clubhouses, golf courses, and on-site medical facilities. Others are "Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities" (NORC), which become retirement oriented due to market forces rather than design. Another term may be used for a predominantly senior citizen community, which residence is unrestricted by age and job affiliation.

There are really three broad categories of retirement communities:

ACTIVE communities (all residential units, no longterm healthcare facilities)
ACTIVE/SUPPORTIVE communities (a combination of residential and healthcare facilities - also known as "continuing care retirement communities")
SUPPORTIVE communities (all longterm healthcare units, like assisted living and nursing care)

Retirement communities are often built in warm climates, and are common in Arizona, and Florida but are increasingly being built in and around major cities in cold climates too.