Fall Retirement Guide 2013
Westminster Suncoast, 1095 Pinellas Point Drive S., St. Petersburg, FL 33705, (727) 867-1131,
www.westminsterretirement.com
You’ll love the villa lifestyle in our beautiful, gated garden community. Westminster Suncoast offers you the finest in active living and lifelong learning on 30 lush acres in sun-splashed Pinellas Point, plus the security of a continuum of care on one campus. Our lifestyle activities are second to none. Contact us today to find out why Westminster Suncoast is the best choice you can make. (See ad on page 10.)
Westminster Woods on Julington Creek, 25 State Road 13, Jacksonville, FL 32259, (800) 532-2116,
www.westminsterretirement.com
Experience active, maintenance-free living for adults age 62 and older. Westminster Woods on Julington Creek is on 86 acres of lush, semitropical paradise on the arm of the St. John’s River. Residents live in gorgeous villa homes featuring two bedrooms, a den and sunroom, two bathrooms, and a garage. Choose from 17 different apartment floor plans. Take advantage of our full continuum of care. The community is church-related and operates as a not-for-profit. PET FRIENDLY
Community Evaluation
When CWO4 Gordon E. Shults, USA (Ret), began his search for the perfect retirement community, he needed to know he was getting exactly what he wanted. This was no small task. With options from fraternal organizations to in-home laundry facilities, how could he weigh all those pros and cons correctly?
Shults put together a survey and evaluation guide, which he recently updated for Military Officer. It includes a list of common areas to evaluate, plus advice on how to compare options that seem wholly disparate (such as meal plans versus individually priced menu items). “I developed and conducted a survey, finding that some communities operate in basically the same manner,” he says.
While your top concerns might be meals, floor plans, health care options, and transportation, consider bigger questions as well, Shults adds. Here are a few of his areas to evaluate:
■ Management. Who are the decision makers for the community? Is the governing group elected, appointed, or self-appointed? Who is responsible for day-to-day operations, and is the community for-profit or nonprofit? Is there resident involvement in decision-making and community operations? If the community is accredited, research the accreditation group and determine how they evaluate retirement communities.
■ Finance. Use available financial information to determine the long-term debt and current financial position of the community, including its financial ratings. Request information regarding past, present, and future rate increases for the community.
■ Age of the community. Inquire about renovations that have occurred, are occurring, or are planned. Review recent, current, and planned expansion. These areas could have a major impact on future operating costs of the community.
Find Shults’ full evaluation guide at
www.moaa.org/retirementeval.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
What criteria were important in your evaluation of retirement communities? Let your experience inform other MOAA members. Log in to the members-only MOAA Connect online community at
connect.moaa.org to join the conversation. Search for “Retirement Communities” discussion.
86 MILITARY OFFICER SEPTEMBER 2013 ■ RETIREMENT COMMUNITY SOURCE
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