Top 4 Websites for Seniors

The top four online websites for people over 60 are Google, Facebook, Yahoo and YouTube (AARP).

Top 10 Places in America to Retire

A couple enjoying the good (aka. "retired") life.

When choosing the city you wish to spend your retirement years, you should consider several factors. These factors include; cost of living, senior market, crime rate, climate and environment. You should also consider a stress-free retirement and comfortable area.

Below are our Top 10 places to retire in the U.S.

Hendersonville, N.C.

Hendersonville is located twenty-five minutes drive south of Asheville. This city is friendly and sophisticated with an official state theater, the Flat Rock Playhouse, and you can easily access nearby cities like Atlanta and Greensboro when the mood strikes. Hendersonville boasts amazing waterfalls and a national forest, or if you prefer, a great round of golf.

Naples, Florida

A sophisticated and charming town, the beautiful residential streets are conveniently located near white coral beach. Many elderly people decide to reside in the gated developments near waterways...or, again, you can enjoy playing golf.

St. Augustine, Florida

Located 45 minutes drive from Jacksonville, this town has great weather for outdoor activities, beautiful beaches and a rich history and culture. It boasts a great historic district, art community, fine restaurants and shopping, as well as museums and water sports. St. Augustine has the charm and appeal that many cities lack. You can also enjoy boat riding on the amazing rivers!

Venice, Florida

Venice is known for it's friendly community of about 21,000 people. It has beautiful scenery with several rivers and canals. The citizen get to enjoy the many shops and great restaurants with plenty of parks, public tennis courts as well as Gulf Coast beaches.

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

This is one of the most centralized cities to reside, as you get access to the shore or mountains, both within two hours. Shopping is a-plenty and health care services can be accessed easily around the clock. It is a friendly city, plus, Pennsylvania is the only state where all the lottery profits cater to the seniors.

Sarasota, Florida

Sarasota is considered to be the cultural center of Florida, with amazing cultural facilities, historical buildings and institutions. With a population of 52,000 people, there are sure to be friends to be made. 

College Station, Texas

Located between Houston, San Antonio and Dallas, the Gulf of Mexico and the beach a short, three hours way. The city offers a conducive climate, inexpensive housing, shopping, a thriving restaurant scene and more!

San Diego, California

Everyone's heard of San Diego. Shamu and friends are world-famous. The culture of this thriving city is based on catering to all comers, with a significant portion of them being retirees looking for great year-round weather and water views. Shopping, fine dining and exceptional beach fronts keep this city a popular retirement option.

Fort Myers, Florida

A population of 65,000, this city is located along the banks of River Caloosahatchee on southwest Florida's coast. Visit the Thomas Edison Museum or check out the beautiful beaches and numerous golf courses. It is an active city with people of all ages.

Austin, Texas

Austin's greatest attraction is it's amazing mixed culture. The city is fun and retirees will have plenty of activities to engage in. The town has it's young crowd, but it also definitely caters to the senior market as well. Fine dining, live music and more await the retirees who move to the Capitol of Texas.

How Retirement Homes Score in the Senior Market

Rocking out on the porch.

As one enters their senior years, the prospect of rethinking their living arrangements is an essential point that must be taken into serious consideration. Senior living is big business and offers up big choices. One common choice is to sign-up for a retirement community or nursing home for either assisted or independent living - and this can be a stressful time for most seniors. 

Not only will this trigger great emotional upheaval, the thought of finding a comforting place to stay can also be quite overwhelming. There are a lot of options to be taken into consideration such as location, amenities, accessibility, transportation, living style, customer service, and so on. One needs to remember that retirement homes are constantly evolving alongside the changes in science and technology, as well as economics. Let us take a deeper look at the current scenario of most retirement homes across the country today.

Common Features of Retirement Villages

 

There is no doubt that retirement homes or villages, whether aided or independent, make great places for seniors to spend their golden years. Here, they can co-mingle with people their age and enjoy the twilight of life. Today, more and more seniors are reaching out to states like Florida and other areas where development of independent living facilities, or independent CCRCs (Continuing Care Retirement Communities), that feature various residential alternatives in apartment style, free-standing homes, mobile homes, or condominiums. These communities are considered havens for everyone across the senior living spectrum.

Independent living senior villages, however, are only proper for seniors who are still fit to do normal activities, albeit perhaps at a slower, steadier pace. Some common features in this senior homes or villages are:

*free-standing living quarters

*recreational facilities

*access to transportation, local community and establishments

*easy access to medical facilities

*social activities

*maintenance and resident assistance

But Are These Enough? 

Well, not anymore. In today's highly volatile real estate senior market, the need for a retirement home that offers topnotch services is deemed essential by both the retirees and their families. The need for a more comfortable set-up, more amenities to enjoy, socialization programs and top caliber customer assistance is crucial for a home or village. Gone are the days when baby boomers simply make do with what is available. They want more! As people grow older, living alone alongside other equally lonely seniors no longer means sipping tea together, crocheting or watching the clock tick.

Today, the 55-year old and up crowd wants state-of-the-art homes with Wi-Fi, golf courses, spa and beauty salons inside the community, regular Yoga or Pilates or Tai chi classes on the community clubhouse, a swimming pool preferably with a water aerobics instructor or a fitness trainer that can handle their physical and health concerns. The senior market demands a community with its own medical facility or, at the very least, a regular doctor for assistance and advice.

Indeed, the market is changing. Seniors want "enjoyment" to be synonymous with "retirement." For real estate firms to be successful in the senior market, it means developing retirement homes or villages that can answer the call for more comfort, luxury and easy living.

Seniors have all the money!

As seen on our Twitter page...

The 55+ age group controls more than three-fourths of America's wealth (ICSC).

Senior Living Market Research Calls for High Quality Communities

There are millions of people all over the world who age every year and they choose senior living communities as their retirement option. The demand for high quality senior living communities has also increased over the recent years. (See data here.) This has kept the senior living community developers on their feet as they try to come up with new ideas that meet the expectations of their clients. Retirees always go for this option as it gives them a sense of independence while relieving their children from task of caring for them. This is why the senior living communities need to be developed in such a way that all the needs of the retirees are met.

In most scenarios, majority of the household tasks are taken care of by someone else so as not to pressure the retirees. These tasks include laundry, local transportation, planning cultural and social activities, group meals and also planning for holidays. The main difference between this community and the nursing homes is that retirees living in the community are in good health and can move around without any assistance.

It is the ideal choice especially to the individuals who want to spend their golden years together with their peers. This way they are able to socialize with them as much as possible without any difficulties. They will also be able to have fun and take part in numerous cultural, social and fitness activities. This is why the developers always have to make sure that the environment in which they build the senior living community is favorable for the retirees. This way they can attract more clients to their community making it grow by the day.

The community is always compact meaning that it is easy to maintain. It also has to be private while promoting communal living. This is to allow the citizens to feel a sense of security and belonging to the community. However, developers should make sure that the retirees have both freedom and versatility. It should not be the same as living in a confined nursing home. There should be communal meals that are served in a formal dining atmosphere on a regular basis. The retirees will always look for appetizing meals and a relaxed environment. It should be away from noisy places.

The aging baby boomer population is what has kept the demand for the senior living communities on the rise. This has led to the development of more of these communities all over. The developers responsible for building these communities should ensure that realtors can recommend people to them after they have done comprehensive senior living market research.

Developers should always remember that most of their clients have worked hard for very many years and all they want is the best living arrangements. They always look for this in the senior living communities. Once the developers understand the needs that the retirees have then they should tailor the construction of the community to meet these needs. Apart from the environment being right, the price also has to be right.

Even though the seniors may have the disposable income, they aren't going to waste it on sub-par amenities.

Senior Market Research for Targeting Mature Consumers

Studies on mature consumers suggest that more than 33 percent of the American population will be over 50 years old by 2016. Senior market research further claims that the mature market, aged above 55 years, currently controls 75 percent of the wealth in America, and 70 percent of the US disposable income.

The senior market comprises individuals born in the period around the Great Depression, commonly referred to as the Depression-era Silent Generation - born between 1925 and 1942, and those born after the Second World War, commonly known as the Boomers - born between 1946 and 1964. Members of the senior market do not consider themselves to be representatives of their generation. However, their sensibilities can fall in either demographic with regard to their financial, political, social and cultural attitudes.

The specific generation of Boomers represents close to 44 percent of Americans. A study conducted on their consumer habits revealed that their buying power is quite substantial, contributing to the purchase of 49 percent of total Consumer Packaged Goods - CPG. In fact, the Baby Boomers are the primary consumers in 119 out of the 123 CPG categories. Senior market research also shows that the spending habits of Boomers are rather recession proof, with 63 percent of this group having a minimum of one individual in the household working on a full time basis.

Boomers are also keen to keep up with technology. This is supported by the fact that 40 percent of the wireless service subscribers, and 41 percent of Apple computers buyers are the Boomers. Furthermore, 33 percent of internet and social media users are Boomers, with over 8 million of them spending over 20 hours of every week online.

Part of the time spent online is used for shopping. Studies suggest that most of the disposable income of Boomers is spent over the internet, with the cumulative annual expenditure of individuals aged 50 years and above reaching $7 billion. The internet plays a major role in the consumer decision journey of Boomers, where they compare prices and other features before purchasing pricey items like home furnishings and cars.

Older Boomers aged 56 to 66 years spend the most amount of money online compared to other generations, with a quarterly spending of $367 million. Younger Boomers aged between 46 and 55 years fall in second place with a quarterly expenditure of $318 million, followed by "Generation Y", those aged 23 - 31, with an average spending of $311 million. Generation Z adults, aged 18 - 22 years have a quarterly online expenditure of $118.

Besides getting their information online, Boomers also spend a lot of time watching the TV, at an average of 174 hours a month.

For more info, please check out PMDAS.com today!

Managing Director, Michael Starke speaks at CALA and Washington State Leading Age

Michael Starke, Managing Director, PMD Advisory Services will be speaking Monday morning, June 3, 3013 at the California Assisted Living Association Conference.