Purposeful Aging: Why Independent Living Communities Reignite Passions and Hobbies

In retirement, you have more time and freedom than in any other stage of your life. This brings exciting possibilities and the chance to reimagine what life can become. You can prioritize more fun and excitement, learn new hobbies, focus on your health, or continue to grow as a person.

Speaking of growth, there’s no better place than a life plan community like a Sequoia Living community to Never Stop Growing. Life plan communities offer a full lineup of activities and events that give you the control to live life exactly the way you desire. Below are several ways that independent living communities are the perfect environment for purposeful aging as you start planning for retirement living.

Even in retirement, you can easily drain your time and energy through the never-ending maintenance, yard work, cooking, and cleaning. At independent living communities, meals, maintenance, and housekeeping are standard services, freeing your time for a more enjoyable retirement.

Residents often fill that additional time by taking advantage of Sequoia Living’s many offerings, such as attending classes, socializing, focusing on health and wellness, volunteering, or joining a committee. You’ll find there’s time to do it all without the burden of maintaining your living space.

In a traditional neighborhood, you’d share the streets with a variety of people, from families with children to college students and everyone in between, and your social life can fall to the wayside without others in your phase of life nearby. In an independent living community, there is no shortage of friendly faces and opportunities for social connections.

Not only can you find others who share your interests, like enjoying an active senior lifestyle through fitness classes or doing laps in the pool,  or a book club, but there are also more chances for spontaneity in relationships. Hundreds of other residents offer hundreds of opportunities to meet a new friend at the dinner table, in the gardens, or even just down the hall.

A life plan community is the perfect place to find others who enjoy similar hobbies. Don, a resident at The Sequoias San Francisco, can often be found with a ukulele in his hands, a lifelong passion of his, and he’s not the only resident to appreciate making music. After starting a ukulele class, he’s gathered over a dozen students who attend weekly lessons from Don.

Don (and other residents) typically don’t stop at just one hobby.

He and his wife spend time in the community garden tending their plots and dining with friends, and while Don teaches his classes, Ada enjoys spending time in her art studio.

If one thing you wish you had more time for was volunteering, there’s nothing like retiring to start giving back. Over the holidays, residents at The Tamalpais Marin came together to give back to the community by donating food to a local non-profit supporting people experiencing homelessness.

Judy Gries (middle of photo, holding the bright yellow Thanksgiving decoration)  was one of those residents, and that’s not where her heart for volunteering ends. She donates her time, energy, and resources to other programs and was recently recognized as  Volunteer of the Year.

A life plan community is a great way to rediscover your favorite pastimes and create new ones. With all these opportunities, life after retirement can be some of the best years of your life.

If you’re considering senior lifestyle options, join us for a free in-person presentation with Ryan Frederick, a leading voice on longevity, aging well, and the role that place plays in quality of life, as he offers advice and data regarding your personal wellness and your place.