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Southgate at Shrewsbury

Retirement community near Shrewsbury and Worcester, MA

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1.800.492.8331

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What To Look For In a Retirement Community In 2021

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Congratulations! You’ve worked hard and have reached an exciting new phase of life wide open with possibilities—welcome to retirement!

So what now? How will you spend all that newfound free time? Where will you spend all that newfound free time?

You’ve decided to live in a retirement community, but with so many options, how do you begin to narrow it down?

Will The Community Fit Your Lifestyle?

You will want to make sure your retirement community offers easy access to the lifestyle you enjoy. Amenities and conveniences come in many shapes and sizes, so you should be able to make sure you have access to what you need to maximize the enjoyment of retirement.

Whether you’re more into physical activity, like to spend time outside or in the garden, enjoy pursuing more knowledge or simply gathering in social places, communities like Southgate at Shrewsbury have a wide variety of amenities and conveniences to ensure you not only adjust to life in retirement, but love it! With our on-site dining options, handicap-accessible garden, woodworking shop, gym and spa, extensive programming and so much more, Southgate is a great place for anyone to find what they are looking for in retirement. Check out our amenities here.

Convenience Is Key!

Convenience is Key
The pandemic has taught us all the true value of convenience and efficiency, and these are absolutely traits you should look for in a retirement community.

This applies not only to what they have on-site, but what is nearby. Do you have access to the healthcare you need or the shopping you desire? How about good food?

As we age, having access to great healthcare in an efficient manner becomes more important. At Southgate at Shrewsbury, we not only have excellent on-site healthcare and wellness options, but are located near some of the most highly regarded hospitals and medical providers in the country.

In terms of shopping and conveniences, it is quite easy to make sure your favorite stores are nearby or that your favorite delivery services will ship to your community. Communities like Southgate even have convenience stores on site, along with other services like beauty salons and several different dining options.

Cleanliness & Friendliness

When looking for a place to spend your golden years, you certainly want to end up somewhere that is both clean and sanitary as well as friendly. A positive atmosphere goes a long way to ensuring you make the most of retirement.

When checking out independent living communities, be sure to inspect the common areas for organization and cleanliness. Does the staff seem to take pride in what they do? Do the residents take pride in their community? If the answer to both of those is “yes,” you will likely be greeted by a clean and organized facility.

Be sure to also check out the staff. Are they helpful and do they carry themselves with a positive demeanor? If you are to spend your golden years at a retirement community, the staff can be the thing that makes it extra special. This is a point of emphasis for all of us at Southgate at Shrewsbury. We both set the tone and encourage residents to be as involved as they want to be in helping to shape their community.

Prediabetes Awareness & Diabetes Prevention: What You Need To Know

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Diabetes awareness and prevention is always a hot topic among the senior population, but what about prediabetes? Awareness of prediabetes is incredibly important to our overall health, yet the CDC estimates a staggering 88 million American adults have prediabetes and 84% of those are unaware they have it!

So what is prediabetes? Simply put, prediabetes occurs when blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes doesn’t have any clear symptoms, so it often goes unnoticed and undiagnosed.

The good news is that a prediabetes diagnosis does not mean you will surely progress to having type 2 diabetes. It means you are at greater risk, but with proper mitigation and the guidance of a medical professional, it also means you are better educated and able to make the changes necessary to avoid type 2 diabetes.

How Do I Know If I Have Prediabetes?

Talk to your doctor about getting your blood sugar tested, regularly. Particularly if you fall into any of these more at-risk groups:

  • Having a family history of diabetes
  • History of gestational diabetes
  • Being overweight
  • Limited physical activity
  • African American, Hispanic/Latino American, Native American or Pacific Islander
  • Diet rich in processed meat & sugar-sweetened beverages
  • Over 45 years old
  • Tobacco user
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome
  • Disrupted sleep patterns or sleep apnea

I Have Prediabetes. What Now?

In a way, finding out you have prediabetes is a beneficial tool in preventing type 2 diabetes. Because you haven’t progressed to type 2 diabetes, you likely aren’t experiencing the symptoms associated with diabetes. You can make a few simple lifestyle changes to control your blood sugar levels and prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Change Up Your Diet

If you have a lot of red meat, processed foods or sugar-added beverages in your diet, start switching those out for healthier snacks and beverages. Introduce more fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains into your diet. Switch your vegetable and canola oil out for healthier olive and avocado oil, and make sure to cut down on the processed foods and meats.

Cutting out those sugary beverages can be tricky if you’ve become accustomed to the sweetness. Try phasing them out by introducing new beverages you can make easily at home such as infused water or replacing it with kombucha or green tea.

Increase Your Activity

Increasing your activity levels will also help stabilize your prediabetes. You don’t need to start running marathons, just simply introduce 15–30 minutes of moderately strenuous activity into your daily routine!

woman swimming

This can take many forms, whether it be walking, jogging, swimming, or exercising with weights and machines. Physical activity helps moderate your blood sugar levels, but you will want to stay consistent!

Prediabetes awareness is very important, particularly for seniors, as it can help us make the lifestyle changes we need to ensure a longer, healthier and happier life. Be sure to talk to you doctor about getting your blood sugar levels tested regularly, and check on your diet and lifestyle. Your golden years should be just that—golden!

New Ways to Celebrate the Holidays This Year

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With the pandemic still upon us for the holiday season, many of our traditions have been disrupted. As human beings, we have a remarkable ability to adapt over time, and will find ways to make the best out of this and any situation we are in.

The holidays are no different. We may not be able to gather around the Christmas tree or light the menorah surrounded by our loved ones, but thanks to technology and ingenuity, there are still ways we can enjoy the holidays together and create memories we will cherish for years to come.

Open Gifts Together Virtually

As the holidays approach, one tradition many of us cherish is opening gifts, together with our loved ones. Thanks to technology, we can still open our gifts with our families and friends virtually!

*** For a information about programs to use for virtual get togethers, check out our previous blog post about Keeping in Contact Under Quarantine ***

Be sure to mail gifts to your loved ones beforehand, coordinate a time, and you can keep this time-honored tradition going—even through a pandemic!

You can even coordinate and conduct a virtual gift exchange (Secret Santa & Hanukkah Harry are still well and ready to help!) with a group of friends or family members.

Enjoy Your Holiday Meal Together Virtually


For many of us, cooking and eating a holiday meal is our favorite tradition. This is another activity that can be coordinated and conducted, virtually.

You can even plan a menu so everyone is sharing the same holiday meal. If you’re celebrating Christmas, you can bake cookies for Santa, together (we hear he is still making his usual rounds). If you’re celebrating Hanukkah, you can get together to make latkes.

Decorate Your Front Doors & Build Community Festivity

Whatever holiday you may be celebrating, you can bring the holiday spirit to your community with a holiday door decoration spectacular!

If you live at a retirement community like Southgate at Shrewsbury, you have a large and diverse group of neighbors that all celebrate a little differently. Although we cannot get together to share it with each other in person, we can certainly decorate our doors so when residents are going on walks, they can check out the various decorations and soak in some holiday spirit.

Don’t let COVID-19 curtail your holiday spirit, this holiday season! With a little communication and ingenuity, we can make this holiday season one full of cherished memories that we will never forget. We can leave this legacy for future generations—to share the stories of how we found cheer, no matter how light or dark the times may be!

The Benefits of Living in a Retirement Community Right Now

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With social distancing and COVID-19 becoming a staple in our current everyday lives, living in a retirement community has a plethora of additional benefits that should be considered when looking at life after your career.

You’ve worked hard to get to this point—you should ensure you set yourself up to enjoy your retirement, pandemic or not! Residing at an independent living facility has its perks, regardless. The following are some extra benefits the pandemic has shown us an independent living community has.

A Built In Social Network

With a large, diverse group of residents, living in a retirement community contains a built-in social network to help you maintain a vibrant social life. During the pandemic, socially distanced activities can still be planned. At a facility like Southgate at Shrewsbury, our residents and support staff alike are active in making sure our residents have something to keep them engaged despite the challenges a pandemic can cause.

Safe & Enclosed Facility

During unusual circumstances like a pandemic, a retirement community functions as a walled-off safe zone, which further protects residents from the virus. At Southgate at Shrewsbury, our attentive staff ensures our campus remains free of unnecessary risk so our residents can enjoy a calmer lifestyle.

On-Site Support Services & Staff

If you’re considering a retirement community like Southgate, you’ll notice the many on-site services, amenities and conveniences that allow for less travel into the outside world. On top of that, the staff operating these facilities are always ready to assist residents.

At Southgate, you will find convenient medical care on campus, a convenience store, multiple dining options, a beauty salon, a health spa and much more. For your enjoyment, there is also a library, swimming pool, candlepin bowling alley, woodworking studio, handicap-accessible garden and more.

While the pandemic has brought with it many challenges, choosing to live in a retirement community can be a solution to many of them by providing you with a safe environment insulated from unnecessary risks. You will find an exciting social community, wonderful living facilities and enough conveniences, services and activities to keep you engaged throughout your golden years.