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Southgate at Shrewsbury

Retirement community near Shrewsbury and Worcester, MA

Phone

1.800.492.8331

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senior living retirement community

The First Things to Consider When Moving to a Retirement Community

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Choosing the right retirement community for you shouldn’t be a tedious task. Discovering what you value in a living space and picking a community based on that is part of the process in finding your new home.

When looking at a retirement community, it’s important to consider things like location, environment, amenities, and housing options before moving in. You can use the guide below to help guide you during the vetting process.
 

Location

One of your number one priorities when looking for a retirement community should be deciding where you want to live. You should ask yourself: Do I want to be near the city or in a quieter, rural area? What do I want to have close access to?

The location of your retirement home is important for not only you, but for your visitors and family members as well. You may want to live in a space where family is close by, or somewhere with attractions to explore when they come to visit.

Southgate is located just 45 minutes outside of Boston with access to a local library, parks and festivals in Shrewsbury. There are plenty of attractions for local dining, shopping, and entertainment nearby! It also offers easy access to both Worcester and Providence!
 

Tour

Before you decide where you want to live during your retirement, you should tour your options. Touring retirement communities allows you the opportunity to see if you can picture yourself living there, and if it has everything you desire.

When touring, trust your gut and follow your heart. Make sure you’re comfortable in the space and truly want to spend your time there. Ask questions and see as much of the community in person as you can instead of relying on websites and pictures. Seeing the property in person will help you make an informed decision and feel more confident in your choices.

Visit https://southgateatshrewsbury.com/contact/request-more-information/ to schedule a tour at Southgate to see if it’s the right fit for you.
 

Amenities

A retirement home should have everything you’re looking for, including amenities. Retirement is all about relaxing and having things at your convenience, so if you’re looking for a place with in-unit laundry and a full kitchen – that’s exactly what you should have. You deserve all of life’s luxuries, and at Southgate, we have floor plans with those convenient options.

Other amenities to be on the hunt for include a swimming pool, fitness center, libraries, and a cocktail lounge. It’s up to you to decide what you value most in a retirement community, but here at Southgate we’re here to offer all of those convenient features and fun amenities to make your new home as relaxing and enjoyable as possible.
 

Housing Options

Retirement homes should never be one-size-fits-all, as every person has different wants and needs. When choosing a retirement community, it’s important to explore the different housing options they have available.

At Southgate, we offer 14 different floor plans to choose from, as well as an Independent Living and Assisted Living communities. We give you and your family the option of choosing what’s best for you. Having the choice between Independent Living and Assisted Living means that Southgate is available to anyone looking to retire, whether they need extra help or have the desire to live on their own.

Our staff is here to help and support you at all times, and we want you to feel comfortable in whatever space you choose to live in.

 
Choosing a retirement community is no easy task, and there are lots of things to consider before taking the plunge and moving in. At Southgate of Shrewsbury, we put our residents first and want to assist them in finding the right fit for their retirement lifestyle.

Making the Most of Your Time at a Retirement Community – Part II of our Ongoing Blog Series: You’ve Retired. Now What?

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Here at our senior living retirement community, no two residents have the exact same definition of a fulfilling retirement. The world is truly their oyster, and they’ve earned the right to do as much or as little as they see fit. When they do feel like being active and engaging with the community, they are fortunate to find an unlimited variety of activities and amenities to inspire and support them in their pursuits.

In this blog series entitled You’ve Retired. Now What? we will discuss some interesting ways that seniors can make the most of their time at a retirement community that go beyond the amenities and the scheduled events and activities that are offered as part of our program schedule.

In this installment, we discuss how easy it is to get started with genealogy and how it can enrich your life.

Genealogy: Finding Your Place in Family History

Where did I come from? The vast majority of us have an innate curiosity to answer that age-old question. Perhaps it’s driven by a fascination to discover whether we’re related to famous historical figures. Or perhaps it’s an urge to better understand relationships between family members. Or perhaps it’s merely a desire to learn more about relatives we never had a chance to meet—or never knew existed.

Yet, despite the universal appeal of delving into our past—an appeal that seems particularly widespread at retirement communities—most of us never make a calculated effort to do so during our younger years. Quite often, that’s due to other, more-pressing demands. Between raising a family, working 40 hours a week and keeping up with endless everyday chores, there’s simply no time!

Yet, when you’re retired and enjoying the leisurely pace of retirement living, time is available as never before. So for those seniors who are interested in doing so, creating a fleshed-out family tree becomes is viable for the very first time. Furthermore, with today’s unprecedented wealth of information available in books and online, researching your background has never been so simple.

Getting Started on Your Genealogy Search Online

A great place to start your search is on the computer. You’ll find there are numerous online commercial genealogy sources. Some of the most popular of these include Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, Archives.com and familytreemagazine.com. Be advised, however, that there are often fees involved with these sites. You may find that the price is well worth the benefits you gain from one of these paid services, but make sure to read all of the details carefully before making your choice or providing any payment methods.

If you don’t want to use a paid service, there are still many free tools you can use. A list of free genealogy resources for every state can be found at FamilyHistoryDaily.com.

Start Creating Lists

An alternate way to start is by sorting through old family photographs. This allows you to begin developing the foundation for your family tree. Jot down all those individuals you recognize, even if you can only recall a first name or a nickname. Essentially, you’re trying to establish a checklist that you can use as reference throughout your research efforts. Chances are, you’ll begin seeing certain names come up again and again—which can lead down other paths of discovery. It can also help you sort out the members of one generation from the members of another.

Set Your Family’s Oral History Down in Writing

Another technique is to assemble a collection of anecdotal stories you recall having been told by parents, siblings and/or other relatives. There’s usually a very good reason such stories survive and get passed down over the years—including the purposeful effort to ensure that the memory of someone special is preserved. Here again, be on the alert for names or other hints that might provide the basis for further digging.

Use Your Living Family as a Resource

Don’t forget to treat your living relatives (and their basements, attics and any other hideaways that may be storing ancient family gems!) as the indispensable resources they are! Family members often don’t realize how much information about the family’s history is only known to one or two people in a generation. It’s important to collect that information before it’s lost forever. That’s where your checklist of names comes in handy. Ask the older members of your family what they know about the people on your list, and you may be surprised by the wealth of information you find. Local libraries, historical societies and town historians, too, can often provide valuable insights.

Good luck … and have fun doing your homework. And who knows? You may turn out to be royalty!

About Southgate at Shrewsbury

At Southgate at Shrewsbury retirement community, we offer a multitude of rewarding and fun on-site amenities. Examples include a four-lane candlepin bowling alley, indoor swimming pool, billiard and card room, 200-seat theater, arts and crafts studio, health club and spa, cozy library with fireplace, and woodworking shop. All of these offer ample opportunities to learn new skills, engage with neighbors, discover new interests and simply enjoy a relaxed lifestyle.

Of course, these amenities barely scratch the surface of what is available here at our highly acclaimed retirement community. If you’d like to discover all the possibilities available when you call Southgate at Shrewsbury home, please give us a call to schedule a tour.