Beginning your retirement and entering your 60s is the start of a new and exciting chapter of life! Joining a Life Plan Community is a great way to make sure you can fully enjoy it, while also setting yourself up for peaceful senior years.
Looking at retirement communities before 70 may seem premature, but there are surprising benefits to joining earlier that are worth considering. Some of our residents join because they want more free time for what they love. Others want to free their adult children from the burden of worrying about them as they age.
Life Plan Communities are unique because they can do both. They can enrich your life in your more active years and be there for you when your needs and mobility change.
At FellowshipLIFE, we are proud to offer five Life Plan Communities in New Jersey for seniors who want to have a transformative experience of retirement. Here’s how we do that for our residents:
What is a Life Plan Community? Is it the Same as a CCRC?
If you’ve never heard of a Life Plan Community before, you may be familiar with Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). While the term “Life Plan Community” is more modern, it is essentially the same as a CCRC. Our communities offer a continuum of care that can support you from 62 years old and better throughout your senior years.
Life Plan Communities focus on fostering an active, fulfilling lifestyle for residents who have reached a certain age – usually 62 and over. They do this while providing the security of professional, medical care that is always available when needed. FellowshipLIFE communities offer independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care options at every campus. The best part about this is that you can easily transfer between care levels after you move in, without leaving your home or apartment.
The best part about living at a FellowsshipLIFE Life Plan Community is that you can easily transfer between care levels after you move in, without ever leaving your home or apartment.
At FellowshipLIFE, we put this into practice by creating communities where you can thrive, pursue passions, and build meaningful relationships at any age. You can do this while having the peace of mind that your future health care needs will be met.
Quick Links to Residency Agreements for FellowshipLIFE Premier Life Plan Communities
We also offer different contract arrangements at each unique CCRC community across New Jersey. These payment models are designed to provide you with both flexibility and peace of mind. Each community has a “Residency Agreements” page outlining the contract options available and any move-in incentives.
- Applewood Village, Freehold, NJ
- Pines Village, Whitting, NJ
- Riverwalk Village, Hackettstown, NJ
- Friends Village, Woodstown, NJ
- Fellowship Village, Basking Ridge, NJ
How Life Plan Communities Work to Make Your Future Easier
There are a few ways our Life Plan Communities work differently to make your life easier both now and in the future. We help you set up the right framework to support your future needs while you are still active and able-bodied but offer options as your mobility and healthcare needs change. We do this by:
- Enabling you to downsize your home and move into a space with regular home cleaning and maintenance services, so you know which things will always be taken care of for you
- Contract options that offer a guaranteed continuum of care and financial stability rather than worry about steep price increases
- Making large refund options available for those who never need greater medical care or assisted living services, so the value of your estate is respected
- Allowing you to age in a community that values vibrancy and fellowship when you join before any disqualifying medical needs occur
- Freeing you from the burdens of daily upkeep and seasonal chores, like snow-shoveling in the winter or yard maintenance in the summer, so you can do what you love more easily while building memories with a spouse or friends
Benefits of a Life Plan Community Now and in the Future
- Increased Time to Enjoy Active Living
One of the common myths about senior living communities is that they are only for elderly and frail people. In fact, the reverse is true. Most residents wish they had made the move earlier while they were healthy and active. Making a move before you’re 70 years old allows you to take advantage of all the activities offered, whether that be painting, gardening or perfecting your golf swing (check out Applewood Village or Pines Village if golf is your passion, although most communities offer a putting green)! Building up a strong social circle will be invaluable for longevity. And when you need care, you will be rooted in a community of friends and continuing care to avoid a disorienting upheaval. - Lower Future Costs of Care
New Jersey is one of the five most expensive states for assisted living, with residents incurring an average cost of $77,940 a year, according to Genworth data. The company projects continuing care costs will rise by more than 30% before 2035. That’s a conservative estimate when judging recent annual increases. A primary benefit of a Life Plan Community is lower future costs of care. Why wait? The longer you stay in your own home, the more money and energy you could spend on home repairs, lawn care, upkeep and housekeeping. The team at FellowshipLIFE takes care of you from the moment you move in. - Rehab on Your Doorstep
Whether you suffer a stroke or become one of the 28% of Americans over 65 who fall each year, having access to rehabilitation services at your community is a huge advantage. The last thing you want when you are recuperating from an illness or accident is to spend weeks in an unfamiliar facility. - More Support Should You Need It
Assisted living is not just for people who need help with basic daily activities like bathing or dressing. It benefits those who find it challenging to keep up with ADLs, the daily tasks that are essential to independent living such as cooking, eating, shopping and managing your medications. Home-like assisted living neighborhoods, like the one at Pines Village in Whitting, NJ, provide a balance of individually tailored care, community and secure privacy. We offer high staff-to-resident ratios, beautifully designed common spaces and private suites with kitchenettes. And as your need for supported care increases, you get peace of mind knowing additional care is there for you. - Compassionate Memory Care
The Alzheimer’s Association’s 2023 report reveals that more than 33% of Americans over the age of 85 have Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. Yet, according to U.S. News, only about 14% of assisted living communities offer specialized dementia care. Memory care residents at FellowshipLIFE communities benefit from home-like spaces, including a secure garden. They also enjoy innovative programs like music therapy, which has been proven to tap into memories and aid communication.
Making these decisions, taking care of your estate, and enjoying life while you are still mentally and physically fit is important. If you wait until you are limited in your abilities, you may be forced to make decisions you don’t like. You may not be able to qualify for communities that prioritize the things that are important to you.
A Longer, Happier Life in a Life Plan Retirement Community
It may surprise you, but joining a Life Plan Community can simplify and improve your life so much, you may have more of it to live!
Living in a supportive community can bring you unexpected peace and joy. It provides an environment where you can feel safe and secure, which helps ease worries and gives you a stronger sense of stability. This sense of peace can make a big difference in how you feel emotionally and physically each day.
Our communities also create opportunities for connection and well-being. From shared activities and friendships to wellness programs and access to nutritious meals, there’s always something to support both body and mind. With regular health care services and a caring environment, you know your needs will always be met.
Life Plan Communities can also ease the recovery process if you do experience an injury or medical need while you are a resident. Being able to receive care and therapy in your own home from staff members and medical caretakers with whom you’re already familiar, can speed up your recovery process.
By reducing daily stress, providing safety and fellowship, and making it easy to build or maintain a healthy lifestyle, our Life Plan Communities remove many of the factors that can shorten lifespan. This means you have more years to live out your dreams and spend time with those you love!
Age-Related Benefits of Living in a Life Plan Community
Studies explore how Life Plan Communities contribute to resident happiness and well-being. The Mather Institute’s “Age Well Study” is a longitudinal, five-year study that evaluated the impact of living in a Life Plan Community on residents’ cognitive, physical and psychosocial health.
Findings from the ‘Age Well Study’ on 5 Key Topics
1. Satisfaction with Life. On average, Life Plan Community residents have high levels of satisfaction with life and tend to have greater satisfaction than seniors at large.
2. Resilience. Life Plan Community residents have moderately high levels of resilience, meaning they tend to have the ability to bounce back and recover from stressful events better than residents not living within a community.
3. Mood. Residents at Life Plan Communities tend to experience more positive moods overall compared to most seniors.
4. Hopelessness. Life Plan Community residents have moderately low levels of hopelessness, suggesting they have higher expectations to achieve their goals and find fulfillment.
5. Optimism/Pessimism. The study showed that Life Plan Community residents have high levels of optimism and relatively low levels of pessimism. This finding suggests that Life Plan Community residents have a more positive outlook on life and their future.
How Joining a Life Plan Community Impacts Health and Longevity
Research from the Mather Institute indicates that Life Plan Communities play a significant role in resident wellness and success in aging. With access to incredible amenities, engaging social events and comprehensive health care services, Life Plan Community residents tend to have an increased sense of fulfillment and health compared to seniors who age in their homes. Contributing factors include the following:
- A Service-Rich Environment: Residents in Life Plan Communities experience lower levels of stress and an increase in emotional wellness because of the multitude of services and amenities provided. At Fellowship Village, for example, residents have access to creative, educational and cultural activities, award-winning dining, fitness center, walking trails and so much more.
- More Time to Do What You Enjoy: Life Plan Pommunity residents never have to worry about housekeeping, interior maintenance or snow removal. A maintenance-free lifestyle gives you more time to pursue your passions, enjoy your hobbies and try new interests.
- Enjoyable Socializing: At FellowshipLIFE communities, residents don’t have to worry about loneliness and isolation. We promote a strong sense of camaraderie! Both residents and team members participate in social events and activities to maintain connections and feel fulfilled.
With Five Life Plan Communities in New Jersey, FellowshipLIFE Has a Place That Is Perfect for You!
At FellowshipLIFE, we want to see more retirees take control of their futures by setting up the right care before they’re in a crisis. That is why we decided to create Life Plan Communities where you can continue your career, enjoy current passions or find new ones, and keep doing the things you love at any age.
Who knows— you might soon change your view of what a “retirement community” looks like. Plan your visit to one or two of our communities to compare which living style is right for you. Use this short form to contact us and get information on the communities that interest you, then schedule your personalized visit with a community ambassador.
