Senior Living Gets High-End Makeover
The latest trend among retirees is condo-like communities with a focus on an active lifestyle. Ventana by Buckner Executive VP Charlie Wilson and Ventana depositors Kirk and Kendall Hagan discussed the trend.
“This is a senior living community and it is focused on seniors that are 62 years and older. And, it’s a life-care community that has a health care benefit to it so that they [residents] never have to leave the community to receive health care,” Wilson told the FOX Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo.
When asked why he and his wife chose to retire to a big city high-rise rather than a quiet suburb, Ventana depositor Kirk Hagan said, “I retired about three years ago and we wanted to stay in Dallas. We like Dallas, we’ve lived in big cities before. But, Ventana offered the life-care program, so we’re really moving into the first phase of life care and the building looks fantastic – can’t wait to move in.”
Then Kirk’s wife Kendall Hagan weighed in: “And I like to say it’s like living on a cruise ship, one of my favorite things to do.”
Wilson gave his forecast for senior living as Baby Boomers lead to a surge in the number of retirees.
“I think the future is very bright, we have 10,000 Baby Boomers retiring every day and seniors want to be active, engaged, learning. These Baby Boomers have really shifted everything as they’ve gone through the different things from raising kids to now retirement so there’s going to be a lot of opportunities and they’re going to have a lot of demands that we’re going to have to step up to meet.”
Wilson then offered his advice to those making the transition to retirement or planning for the retirement phase of their lives.
“I think conventional wisdom says not to try and follow your children because they may move if you move to where they’re at. This type of community and others like it really, people that are planners plan for this because they don’t want to burden their children. I think that’s probably the best advice I would give is to make sure you have control of life and don’t leave it up to others.”