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My wife and I visit with a couple that live in Sun City Hilton Head. We spend 3-4 days with them several times a year. It is a lovley place with as many activities as one could want. Most of the friends they have made came from his fellow golf buddies and those they met at one of the on-site restaurants/bar. He also is a member of a Cribbage Club that gets together once a week to play Cribbage then have lunch.
Remember that many retired there and they come in with no existing social circle thus they are looking to make new friends thus open to being approached.
He says they are turning down offers to do things all the time.
Every person I met was friendly, polite, and social. I am not saying I could be friends with each of them but I am saying that with so many things to do and ways to meet people that anyone who is alone, is alone via choice.
My wife and I visit with a couple that live in Sun City Hilton Head. We spend 3-4 days with them several times a year. It is a lovley place with as many activities as one could want. Most of the friends they have made came from his fellow golf buddies and those they met at one of the on-site restaurants/bar. He also is a member of a Cribbage Club that gets together once a week to play Cribbage then have lunch.
Remember that many retired there and they come in with no existing social circle thus they are looking to make new friends thus open to being approached.
He says they are turning down offers to do things all the time.
Every person I met was friendly, polite, and social. I am not saying I could be friends with each of them but I am saying that with so many things to do and ways to meet people that anyone who is alone, is alone via choice.
Great information! Have you noticed if they have a lot of snowbirds in the winter?
My husband and I retire next year. We are both active, but he is especially, and a Del Webb location with Tennis among other sports will keep him active and happy.
My concern is that I am an open-minded, non-religious, definitely not politically conservative individual and I have seen some comments regarding these communities that make me wonder if I would be considered an outsider to most. I hope to find clubs that I can join and fill my day while my husband is filling his.
We looked at Del Webb at Hilton Head and Sun City Texas, and a couple in Las Vegas – but looking and living there are two different things.
Can anyone now living at a Del Webb community comment or provide some advice. It would definitely be appreciated.
Thinking back to this OP one of the things I could say about Del Webb and their marketing is that they were openly seeking diverse populations both in marketing and personally
This has been a fascinating subject. We have considered adult retirement communities but the thoughts raised here are very helpful (except for the vituperation by some).
Several issues bother me though about retirement communities. Perhaps some will comment.
1. My wife is my life. Period. If she lost me would she be comfortable in the community as a widow? Would she be stuck owning a property that only someone 55+ can purchase? (terrible market now and forecasted).
2. Medical coverage especially with the cuts in Medicare to physicians and hospitals. I've made inquiries in some areas we are interested in locating to, but cannot find out information on what doctors are taking new Medicare patients. A close family friend who is a primary care physician says his peers do NOT want new Medicare patients and some are going to opt out of Medicare altogether. That is just one anecdote of course.
3. I had never considered sitting down and planning a "what if" my children die and leave me with a grandchild to rear. Talk about a roll of the dice. Or suppose one of your children becomes terminal with an illness and needs to go home to die?
After these discussions, I don't think we will be looking at retirement communities though I certainly have no objections to those who live in them and evidently thrive.
First, we have a large contingent of widows and widowers alike. And quite a few of them came here with spouses, but one or the other has passed, and by what I have seen they go on to be as active, or sometimes even more so, than when there were two. We have a widow's group that gets together to play cards and go out to lunch and do other things together. There are many groups that, although either can join, are mostly men or mostly women (sewing club, cooking club, remote control boats, etc etc etc. I feel confident that either you or she would be fine. When a spouse is lost it seems that almost instantly a support group forms around them to help them through the grief and include them in activities. I have a neighbor who was like you....her world was her husband. They traveled the world together, and were never apart anywhere. He was about 12 years older than her and she spent the last year of his life taking care of him. Yet after about a month she started getting back into things that she enjoyed before like golfing. Now she goes to a lot of different things, as well as doing some traveling on her own (her sister lives in MD). In fact, just last year she went on her very first solo plane trip!
Second, yes she would have to follow the rules to sell or rent. But, resales here are booming! I can safely say that no house stays on the market more than 60 days, and most sell in under 30 days. One neighbor of mine sold in 12 days, another in ONE day, and a third in a bit over 30 days, but they were overpriced to start with. If a house is priced right here, I can't see it taking more than 30 days to sell. So if she would want, I don't see that being a problem. And they are competing against new home sales as well. But she may enjoy the activities and support she would get here.
Third, according to the rules up to 10% of the houses in here can be sold to people between 50-55. Mostly those are people who buy to retire later and just rent for now. BUT.....No one under the age of 19 can live here permanently. So if you have a child OVER 19 that "needs to come home to die" they can come live with you. They just can't OWN the house. I really don't know of any younger adult, without an extreme reason, would want to live in here anyhow. But the rule still stands that anyone under 19 can only stay here 90 days total per year.
Hope that helps a bit, but I have to agree and reiterate that it is not for everyone. But should something happen to you, I would think she would have an easier time here than out somewhere with people who do not have the same interests, or a like-aged support group.
My doctor here in GA does not accept Medicare. However, I pay him his full fee and then his office staff files my paperwork for the office visit. Medicare and the Supplement reimburse me directly. It ends up costing me ~$20 per visit, but it's worth it to me to have a good doctor that I trust. Perhaps some doctors near retirement communities would do this or would consider doing it.
Staywarm2, I wish I knew more about what your doctor is doing regarding Medicare because it does not match up with what I've read concerning doctors who don't accept Medicare. Doctors who opt out of the program cannot file claims nor can you if you deal with a doctor who opts out of the program. At least that is my understanding.
Sun City Texas, north of Austin, is a place you might want to check out. There is a very active Democrats club and diversity is becoming a reality - African Americans, Latinos, Asians, same sex couples. We have a way to go, but we are definitely moving in the right direction.
It appears democrats are in small demand in most retirement communities. I searched several Del Webbs and found only Republican Clubs. I read a post written by someone moving out of The Villages in Florida who said Democrats are censured and practically run our of town. I don't get it. In my world, there are as many democrats as republicans. I'm 65 BTW.
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Sun City Hilton Head
