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Active Adult Living Del Webb Communities Retirement

Sense of Community

This article brings to attention the importance of having a sense of community as you age and how to proceed building one.  As it turns out this was a very good thing to before you needed it. But it’s now too late.

Retirement is disappointing for some people.  They are taken out of their work world and have nothing to do and nobody to do it with.  They just don’t know what to do with themselves.

When people change their surroundings like that, when they retire, it takes a while to get their new bearings.  It did for me and it will for you too.

What is this retirement life that is supposed to be so good, all about?

One thing that I have written about before is how activities is the answer in giving you something to do.  It is exciting to find something fun to do that you really like. I have done that with bocce, race walking, and pickleball.  I love all of those activities.

Those activities would be no fun and impossible to do all by yourself.  You need people, hopefully ones you like, to do them with you.

When we retired, Mary Ann and I became involved with the new Park Place Active Adult Center in Johns Creek.  That’s where I started walking with the Park Place Pacers, playing bocce three times a week and being in charge of entertainment for the monthly dinner.

It’s also where we met, Don, Lamont, Genette, Pam, Skippy, Jim and Peggy, and so many others that we became friends with. I joined the activity committee.  We knew just about everybody. It was our community. Senior Centers really do offer a lot.

We liked it so much, we started looking at Active Adult Retirement Communities that offer that same sense of community with all kinds of activities right in the same community.  Our new friends would be our neighbors.

Sense of Community Paired with Amenities that meet all our needs

Looking back after living in a Del Webb Community for two years, I see that the sense of community was almost immediate.  People were so friendly, open and accepting right off the bat.  The rewards are immediate.

People benefit but they also give back.  Many people step forward to be the captain of their bocce teams like Mary Ann and I are doing right now. Or be an officer in one of the many clubs and groups.  Or even helping with group dinners, or maintaining the trails as the environmental club is doing. They also give much help to those outside the community like elementary schools, Veterans shelters,  food banks, and the list goes on.

Our sense of community is also strengthened because we have survived working life and made it to retirement and are active, engaged and living our passions.  We come from many difference backgrounds and regions of the country, but we relate on so many levels.

When we visited Village at Deaton Creek for the first time, we were paired with an “ambassador couple” who lived here and took us around the community to tour all the impressive amenities.  At the end of the day, upon returning to their home, before we departed he left us with a bit of wisdom. He said, those amenities are pretty impressive, but we have found it’s the people who really make this a community a desirable place to live.  We agree.

So if you are retiring or already retired and are not getting the most out of your retirement, looking for something to do and somebody to do it with,  then you may want to visit your neighborhood Active Adult Center (Senior Center).  Or if you can, move to an Active Adult Community.

Robert Fowler

By Robert Fowler

Robert Fowler is President of Retirement Media Inc. and publisher of 55CommunityGuide.com. Robert and his wife Mary Ann live at Village at Deaton Creek, a Del Webb Community in North Georgia. Robert has visited many 55+ Active Adult Communities and blogs about Active Adult Community Living.