The Natural Choice for Senior Living

There are a lot of myths about independent living for seniors. Perhaps the biggest is that independent living and assisted living are two ways of describing the same thing. In reality there's quite a difference. Independent living means just that: much like condo life, you're on your own in that there's no building maintenance or lawn care responsibilities. Assisted living is when you need help with daily care such as getting dressed, bathing, or similar personal attention. Many senior communities such as Daystar offer both options so community members can move from one type to the other without much disruption in their daily lives if they find themselves needing help with daily living care.

Here are some other myths about independent living:

While there are independent communities all over the country if you're in the Seattle area you can stay close to your neighbors and family when you move to Daystar. If you're still driving you can keep your vehicle, and you're free to travel wherever and whenever you want.  That means you can continue your old friendships and the distance from your family will be the same.

Independent living means just that: you're free to come and go as you please, and you can have company visit anytime you want. You can continue any outside activities as you please, so if you've been in the same card game group at the senior recreation center for ten years you can keep your spot. Visit your old neighbors for coffee hour, or better yet invite them to explore the great shopping center that's right across the street from Daystar! The same goes for family; there's plenty to do in and around the campus. Shop at the mall, browse the bookstore, or take the grandkids for a hike or cookout at Roxhill Park. Overnight guests are always welcome at Daystar, so the kids can also enjoy a bath and bedtime story before you tuck them in for the night. It doesn't get much better than that!

You'll also have a new community to explore as well as new friends to meet. Your new neighbors at Daystar will be more than willing to help you settle in and before you know it you'll find ones that share your interests and are willing to suggest new activities, classes, and hobbies to help you explore your new neighborhood.

Let's start with a caveat here: moving can be scary and depressing in itself. Leaving your familiar home is stressful, no matter how much you're looking forward to the change. That being said, the staff at Daystar are pros that have been trained to ease your stress and will gladly help you through the transition.

Once you get settled in a bit you'll be too busy exploring to be depressed. In fact, many medical studies show that loneliness and lack of socialization are key contributors to senior depression and living at Daystar will remove both of those factors from your life. The staff is also trained to recognize depression and other ailments residents might have so they'll help you if you do start feeling down. Here are some other ways you'll avoid depression when you move to Daystar Retirement Community:

• Group Activities: there are always things to do at Daystar as well as several excursions planned every month. Take a look at our calendar and you'll be amazed at what we have to offer!
• Social Events: coffee socials, book clubs, dances, movies, bible studies, and church services are just a few of the social events that are held every week.
• Hobbies: whether you knit, crotchet, paint, or enjoy a different hobby altogether you're sure to find new neighbors who share your interests. If there isn't a group or class available perhaps you'd like to teach one once you get settled in!

Click here to learn more about Activities and Events at Daystar

Getting and staying fit keeps you mentally healthy as well as physically. Exercise is one of the best ways to combat depression and stay healthy, and at Daystar there's a wide variety of choices to help you get in shape. Here's a few of the classes you can choose from:

• Water aerobics
• Yoga
• Tai-Chi
• Walking Club
• Strength Training
• Zumba
• Enhanced Fitness

Daystar understands privacy and when you move to our Independent living community you'll have just that. Staff will perform three non-intrusive well being checks each day, which means you'll hang a sign on your outer doorknob to let them know you're okay; other than that you won't be bothered. Of course, you're independent living apartment amenities include weekly housekeeping so you'll have to fit that into your schedule. Otherwise you're free to come and go as you please so if you want to sleep in or watch TV all day that's your choice to make. Most likely though you'll slip into a schedule of your own that revolves around your friends, activities, and hobbies and the people and places you plan to visit.

At Daystar Retirement Community security is always in mind. While you'll be living independently your safety is always our primary concern. That means our staff is carefully screened upon employment to keep your home safe and secure. Here are a few other features to keep your life worry-free:

• Front entry protected with 24 hour surveillance camera
• Ample, lighted parking for resident and guests
• Available covered parking
• Emergency call system in each apartment

Another myth about independent living is that you'll have to give up entertaining because you'll be downsizing from a house to an apartment. Daystar Retirement Community knows that some people were born to entertain so there are five dining rooms as well as tastefully decorated parlors, recreation rooms, and dayrooms where you can entertain your guests. There's even a pool table room, so bring your cue stick and get your game on!

Daystar understands there are many retirees who worked hard with the end goal of retiring early and our independent living campus is geared toward that same premise. If you've retired early and no longer want the responsibilities that come with home upkeep and repairs then independent living can be an excellent choice. You can enjoy a condominium-type lifestyle with many extra amenities and because our community is secure you can travel worry-free, too. Daystar does have a minimum age requirement of 55 so if you're not quite there yet now may be the perfect time to tour our campus and make arrangements for a future apartment.

There's a new saying going around: "90 is the New 70!" and it is very much true. At Daystar Independent Living we understand that age is just a number and you're as young as you feel. No matter what your chronological age if you're able to live on your own and perform regular personal care such as bathing, dressing, and feeding yourself then you'll be fine in independent living. In fact, because Daystar offers five levels of care it may be the choice that makes more sense because if you find in the future that it's getting harder to manage on your own you can just move your care level to assisted living and get just the right amount of help. In fact, because independent living offers so many amenities and activities you may start to feel like you're getting younger every day!

Just like neighborhoods in a city, independent living communities are all different. One mistake many seniors make when they decide to move to independent living is choosing the campus that is nearest to their current home or family. Instead you should do diligent research and narrow down your choices to a handful and then tour each community to consider the pros and cons of each before making your decision.  A good plan of action is to download and print a checklist to take along when you tour a community; that way later you can compare the different places. The first thing you should always check is whether the staff are screened and trained. Besides your checklist you should follow your senses:

• Sight: Is the campus clean, pleasantly decorated, well-lit, and comfortable looking?
• Sound: Ask questions of staff and chat with some residents as you tour; listen to their tone of voice as well as their words.
• Taste: Stop by the dining room for a meal or snack and note whether the food is well prepared, pleasantly seasoned, and is available in a wide variety of choices.
• Smell: Notice whether the overall smell is pleasant. Take note of any sour or unpleasant smells as well as an overwhelming odor of cleaning agents that might be masking something unpleasant.
• Touch: Note whether the common areas are clean and dusted and whether you're allowed to explore all areas of the campus as opposed to a specific tour route.
• Sixth: Your  sixth sense may be the most important, so if something feels "off" but you can't explain why pay attention to your intuition. That doesn't mean cross the community off your list immediately; if you love everything about a campus but have an odd feeling go back and try to pinpoint what set off your warning bell before crossing it off your list.

Click here to learn more about Independent Living at Daystar

Many people take this myth as truth before evaluation a true comparison of independent living costs. The best way to determine whether you can afford independent living is to do a cost comparison spreadsheet. While this spreadsheet will give you a detailed evaluation, if you're living in your own home here's a look at things you're most likely paying for now that will be included in your rent at Daystar Retirement Community:

• Rent / Mortgage or Senior Living Fees
• Property Tax and Insurance
• Home or Renter's Insurance
• Utilities (Electricity, Gas, Water, Sewer, Trash Removal)
• Telephone and Cable
• Yard Care and Landscape Maintenance
• 24-Hour Security
• Housekeeping, Laundry, Home Maintenance and Repairs (plumbing, electric, roof)
• Recreation and Entertainment
• Exercise, Health and Wellness Programs
• 24-hour Emergency Call Service

As you can see from this short list there are many costs in home ownership that we don't really look at once the mortgage is paid. If you no longer drive you can add Transportation (gas, insurance, maintenance, taxi service) to the list, and since Daystar Independent Living includes dinners even your grocery bill will shrink.

Because everyone's situation is different your best option is to make an appointment with a retirement planner and fill out daystar's detailed cost evaluation. You can submit your evaluation online with no obligation and get access to financial planners, options on selling your home, and other aspects of planning a move to independent living. That way you'll have all the information needed to make an informed decision about making Daystar Retirement Community your new home!