PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. (PRWEB)
August 14, 2021
Seventy-two-year-old Polly Gates describes herself as a second-generation continuing care retirement community resident. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, her mother and father moved into a community near San Francisco in their mid-seventies. She just made a move into The Amsterdam at Harborside in Port Washington, New York,
A continuing care retirement community (CCRC), sometimes known as a life plan community, provides a range of living options—from independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing—that can all be met within the same supportive community environment.
Residents make a proactive decision to join a community because they have assessed their plans for the future and want to take an active hand in shaping them.
“My parents were my role models,” Gates says. “It was a fabulous decision for them. What they said to me and my siblings was, ‘Look, this is our gift to you. When you come visit us you can just come and enjoy. We don’t want you to worry about who is taking care of us.’”
Explaining that her father is now deceased, and her mother, now 98 is in the memory unit of the same community, and that she’s on the East Coast because she has grandchildren nearby in Littleneck, Gates went on to explain that she had an epiphany a few years ago when she needed a ride from her son to have a medical procedure.
“I’m thinking, here my son and daughter-in-law are working full-time — they’re busy. They’ve got two kids,” she said. That’s when she decided it was time to give her children the same gift her parents had given her and her siblings 25 years before.
A Maintenance Free Lifestyle
In the case of The Amsterdam at Harborside, couples, or individuals like Polly Gates, initially pay a refundable entrance fee and move into an apartment in which they live on their own. The full range of services include a maintenance-free lifestyle, housekeeping, restaurant-style dining and activities ranging from fitness and art classes to organized off-site outings and cultural events. Many residents continue to work, volunteer and travel, maintaining existing relationships with family and friends outside the community and building new relationships within it.
As Polly’s mother experienced, as a resident’s age advances and their needs change, the life plan community can meet them seamlessly, all under one roof.
Time Is Right to Make the Move
Initially residents do have to “qualify” physically and cognitively in order to get in to a continuing care retirement community. With a life plan community, a type of CCRC, there is a reduced rate for future health care if and when needed. With the potential cost of assisted living, memory support and skilled nursing, this results in substantial savings over time along with the security of knowing care is available when needed.
While the COVID-19 pandemic understandably put a near-halt to new residents making the move into CCRCs, with the availability of vaccinations, better understanding of the spread of the virus and the worst of the pandemic largely behind us, seniors who put off making the decision to move to a CCRC are now beginning to make that move.
“First of all, the real estate market is really hot and it’s a great time to sell your home,” notes Sarah Gilroy, marketing director of The Amsterdam at Harborside. “Second, the people who we’ve been speaking with who have reached the point in their lives where its time to make decisions like this are looking for peace of mind – both for themselves and their children. ”
Gilroy explained that in “normal” times, communities like The Amsterdam typically have a waiting list for apartments.
Debbie Sussman, 72, lived in nearby Roslyn Heights for 41 years. She recently moved in to an apartment at the Amsterdam after having done a thorough assessment of her needs and her options. “You have to be honest with yourself,” she explained.
Be Where Your Friends Are
Like Polly Gates, a life plan community first came on to her radar because a family member, her aunt, lived in one. Sussman, who was living alone, began to listen to her children who said, “You know mom, you should find a place like Auntie Nancy. You could feel comfortable there for the rest of your life.”
She has friends who live near to Port Washington and began to think seriously about her options.
“You have to be where your friends are,” she explains. And her oldest daughter lives in the area and she wanted to be near her too.
“It’s comforting to be in a place where there are people around who care about you,” Sussman said. She lives independently at The Amsterdam, but also takes comfort that as she ages and if her needs change she can transition to assisted living and eventually, if needed, into skilled nursing right in the Amsterdam community.
“That’s the reason you do these things,” she said.
Those options are likely far away for both Debbie Sussman and Polly Gates. “There are a lot of active people here,” explains Sussman, who is looking forward to getting involved in the classes, swimming and other activities offered on-site at the Amsterdam.
The Freedom to Lock and Leave
Gates, on the other hand, intends to use The Amsterdam as her basecamp to continue her pre-pandemic travels and passion for photography. She postponed trips to Mongolia, Egypt and Tanzania due to Covid-19 concerns, but now hopes to go to Italy in October and also plans to travel to the West Coast to visit family and friends in the Bay Area and Oregon.
Residents who travel avidly, like Gates, enjoy the “lock and leave” benefit that comes with their new living arrangement. No more worries about leaving home lights on a timer or asking the neighbors to keep an eye on things when they are gone.
“We are hearing from more and more seniors who have had the time over the last year to take a step back and reflect on what they want the rest of their lives to be. They are now feeling they have the freedom to move forward to shape those plans,” noted The Amsterdam’s Sarah Gilroy.
And with a strong housing market and apartments available for those interested in life plan communities, there’s almost never been a better time for them to do that.
About The Amsterdam at Harborside
The Amsterdam At Harborside is a vibrant and active independent living community with assistance and healthcare if ever needed, all under one roof. With its on-site amenities, full calendar of engaging activities, social and educational opportunities and restaurant-style dining, residents can enjoy all the things you love and more.
The Amsterdam’s residents are active and engaged—not only are they offered fitness classes but also excursions to cultural events, game nights, musical entertainment, opportunities for life-long learning, movies and more.