Life in Senior Living: The Benefits of a Life Plan Community

Imagine: You wake up to a beautiful morning in your modern yet cozy Smart Home, with climate and light controls that give you the ability to customize your living space just the way you like it. It’s Saturday, and after an aromatic cup of coffee, you decide to take a refreshing walk around Ridge Creek’s picturesque outdoor terrace. The sun is shining, and your neighbors are happy to be outside as well. You get hungry, so you venture to the cafe, where you indulge in breakfast by a chef trained at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America. It’s a fantastic day already, and you’re just getting started.

During the day, you get your haircut at Heritage Community of Kalamazoo’s Seasons Salon & Spa, then you relax for a bit before meeting your community friends in the evening for a ballroom dancing class led by a wonderful, friendly instructor.

This is just a taste of what your life can be like in a senior living community—particularly a life plan community like Ridge Creek on the campus of Heritage Community in Kalamazoo, MI. By becoming a part of a community such as Ridge Creek, you can experience enriching amenities, life-changing benefits, and reassuring healthcare services that help you enjoy retirement to the fullest, on your terms.

The value of a life plan community

Life plan communities, which are a specific type of Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), offer older adults a chance to enjoy the future of retirement living. Life plan communities such as Ridge Creek combine luxurious living, community-building social engagements, senior-centric wellness programs, and the peace of mind of lifelong healthcare to provide residents with a superior level of retirement lifestyle.

Life plan communities often offer residents a wider variety of choices when it comes to home arrangements, and—one of the distinguishing features of life plan communities—they give residents the security of lifelong healthcare, often including such services as Assisted Living, Memory Care, Skilled Nursing, and rehabilitation.

Living on campus

Many life plan communities (including Ridge Creek at Heritage Community) feature a thriving campus where residents form an interconnected society of kindred spirits. Individuals are encouraged to be themselves in these communities, while also enjoying the freedom to learn and grow. The mental stimulation, social interaction, fitness services, and nutrition programs at life plan communities help seniors live longer, healthier, happier lives.

Additionally, some life plan communities feature state-of-the-art housing where residents can truly turn their houses into homes. Ridge Creek, for instance, provides leading-edge smart home automation, climate control, and lighting systems so residents can design their homes the way they want.

As for amenities, life plan communities do everything they can to make their residents feel comfortable, cared for, and fulfilled. Often, these special senior living communities provide thoroughly-curated dining options (such as Ridge Creek’s locally-sourced, chef-prepared menus), wellness and fitness centers, lively community gathering spaces, and perks like on-site salons, arts and hobby centers, and more.

Residents love life plan communities because of the freedom that the enriching lifestyle on campus makes possible. Life plan communities give residents the options they want to create retirement based on their wishes, and to develop the kinds of friendships and hobbies that make every day an adventure.

Healthcare at a life plan community

The other thing that draws seniors to communities like Ridge Creek is healthcare. In a life plan community, residents’ care—often for life—is provided for in the terms of residents’ agreement contracts with the community.

This is the case at Ridge Creek at Heritage Community, which boasts a long-standing reputation as a premier facility for senior living in Kalamazoo because of its healthcare excellence. Heritage Community offers residents a full continuum of care services in conjunction with the Bronson and Borgess Medical Centers, which are southwest Michigan’s leading health systems. Ridge Creek’s specialized care for residents includes options for Assisted Living, Memory Care, Skilled Nursing, and rehabilitation services—all on campus, and all included as part of residents’ life plan agreements.

The key value this level of care gives residents is the peace of mind—and the security—of lifelong care without unpredictable costs. From their first day at a life plan community, residents know how well they’ll be cared for in the future, whatever their healthcare needs may be; and they know they’ll be able to afford that care, because it’s already part of their living arrangements with the community.

Life at Ridge Creek

Ridge Creek is situated on the flourishing campus of Heritage Community, which has served Michigan’s seniors since 1945. Located in one of Kalamazoo’s historic neighborhoods, Heritage Community is the only locally-owned, nonprofit senior living residence in the area—and Ridge Creek, the new expansion of the Heritage Community campus, is a combination of the best this vibrant community has to offer.

To learn more about Ridge Creek and Heritage Community, schedule an appointment to visit the campus by calling 269-247-5999 or fill out our contact form.