"Movin' on UP" to Independent Living

Well, Vi and I have made another big change in our lives, moving from our private home in The Villages, FL, retirement community to a condo in a new Independent Living facility called "Freedom Pointe". Our new digs are here in The Villages so we can continue to enjoy all our clubs and the sports pools and -most important- all our Villages friends.

The image shows the view from our condo which faces northeast. We get just a sliver of direct sunlight in the mornings, and have a fine view for the remainder of the day. That is the hospital over my right shoulder.

The second photo shows our condo, on the fourth floor, close to outdoor parking and not far from the covered garage where we have a parking spot for our car adjacent to a spot for our golf cart, along with a 4' x 8' locked storage shed.

Our condo has two bedrooms, two baths, a living room, a kitchen, a washer/dryer, and a master closet. At 1144 square feet, it is half the area of our most recent home, but we have access to lots of public areas. These include: 1) a good sized balcony that faces southwest, part of which is air conditioned, part screened, and part open to a grand view of the pond and golf course, 2) the Library, 3) the Studio, 4) the Meditation Room, 5) the Woodshop, 6) the Dining room, 8) the Pub, 9) the Town Center auditorium, 10) the Pool, 11) the Barbershop, 12) the Lobby, 13) the fully-equipped Exercise and Rehab facility, 14) outdoor picnic area, 15) pitch and putt golf, and 16) other stuff we have not found yet!

One restaurant-style meal, in the Dining Room or Pub, is included daily. Weekly light housekeeping is also included. They are responsible for all maintenance of the appliances in our condo.

When the time comes that we cannot drive our car or golf cart, they offer free transport to doctor's appointments and shopping. They also have weekly free entertainment and movies, free internet building wide, over 90 free channels of TV (but, sad to say, it is analog, so we subscribed to DirecTV HD-DVR service) and lots of scheduled activities, trips, and who knows what. And, we still have access with full resident rights to all amenities of The Villages.

Further Information?

In case you are interested in why Vi and I think this was a right choice, and why now when I am "only" 73 as she is even younger, please ask in the comments. I will also be happy to share the financial aspects of Independent Living and what I know of what will happen when one or both of us needs a higher level of care, such as Assisted Living or Skilled Nursing or the Memory Unit.

Howard Pattee, who I hope will rejoin the Blog for this discussion (at least) has been living with his wife in a similar situation in Western Massachusetts for over a decade, and he may have something to add. [UPDATE 13 Mar: Here are Howard's thoughts.]


Ira Glickstein