Restrictions On Age, Not On Options

Retirement Communities Come in Many Flavors

Is your house holding you back from aging successfully? Sybil and Ron Levin pondered that question a decade ago, when they were in their 60s.

They became convinced that their spacious creek-side house in Alexandria no longer served their needs. Their children were grown, so rooms went unused. Stairs challenged their knees. Yardwork and household maintenance demanded time and attention. Treasured neighbors moved away, and retirement moved closer. Concerns about long-term health care surfaced.

At the same time, new friendships, hobbies and travel beckoned.

So the couple decided to move to an apartment at Greenspring Village, a continuing-care retirement community in Springfield. Sybil Levin is glad they did. "I didn't realize what life could be," she said.

Forty percent of U.S. households will be headed by people 55 and older by 2012, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Because of that, the number of communities targeting that market is increasing.

But is such a move right for you?

Architect Fred Nielsen, now 82, designed the Potomac home he and his wife, Jean, shared for 53 years. "How can you give that up?" friends asked when he announced two years ago that they were moving to a condo in Leisure World, an active-adult community near Leesburg.

"We can be as active as we want to be, or we can just relax," he said, adding that while their former home was surrounded by woods, from their new home, they have views of hills and a river.

"Our memories are with us, not in that house," Nielsen said.

Ron Levin suggested that if you choose to live in an age-restricted community, "make the move while you are still healthy enough to become involved."

And you do need to plan ahead -- some communities have waiting lists of several years.

The Levins' advice: Decide which path is right for you, prioritize your needs, visit various communities, and ask the right questions.