When you hear the word “retirement,” do you get excited? Are you ready to finally be able to stop working and start doing all the things you’ve always wanted to do? Maybe you’re prepared to travel, join a retirement community, spend time with your grandkids, or see some long-lost friends again.

Or does the word retirement give you anxiety? Are you worried about having enough income to cover your daily living expenses, not to mention if something goes wrong with your home? Or what about your health? Maybe you’re worried about being a burden to your kids and wonder if you need to arrange your long-term care strategy.

Either way, you’ve come to the right place. Explore Retirement Living (ERL) wants to help you financially prepare for your life after retirement so that you can enjoy this hard-earned time with peace of mind about your finances and ongoing medical needs.

For many individuals and their family members, deciding between in-home care or moving into one of the many retirement communities in Lancaster, PA, can be stressful. After all, you’ll need to consider many important factors so that you or a loved one receives the right level of care required.

We’ve covered a wide array of topics in previous blogs, such as discussing what active adults should ask when considering retirement communities and what you need to know about the different kinds of long-term care facilities that are out there. In today’s blog, we’ll look at some of the reasons you should choose a continuing care retirement community over in-home care.

Now more than ever before, we have a wealth of information at our fingertips to help make decisions—from simple purchases to major life planning choices. Finding your “perfect fit” retirement community certainly falls into the latter category of decisions, and if you’re reading this blog post, you’re probably right in the thick of it.

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Unfortunately, that’s a typical response to “information overload.” And there certainly is a lot of information to sort through to help you make the right retirement community choice!

Today’s article breaks down some of the essential resources you should look to when comparing the quality of retirement communities. Though, we also want to remind you that “hard numbers” on quality assessments and official ratings aren’t everything. In fact, this type of data often only covers the healthcare offerings at a given community—and modern retirement communities are so much more—including proximity to excellent golf courses, on-campus activities, and anything else you can imagine to help you keep up your active lifestyle!

Here at Explore Retirement Living, we’re always looking for fun things to do in Lancaster, PA, that showcase the special beauty and character of this place.

Today’s blog post offers up eight unique tour and local travel ideas that allow you to experience Lancaster County—and even some of the wider region—by land, “sea,” and air! This list is by no means exhaustive, of course. There are also plenty of ways to see Lancaster County on foot, by car, or even by Amish buggy ride.

We’d also love to hear your favorite local tour and tourist attraction experiences—just stop by our Explore Retirement Living Facebook page or send us a message to share!

(Please note that some tours may be temporarily suspended or altered due to COVID-19. Visit the linked websites for each business or service to get updated information on their operations before visiting.)

Perhaps because the native people of Lancaster County and the wider south-central PA area are such an industrious lot, many well-known products have long been made here. Hershey’s Chocolate is probably the most famous example of a product that was “born and raised” locally (Milton Hershey actually started his candy-making empire in Lancaster City), but there are many more examples, as well.

Are you curious to see “how it’s made” in Lancaster County and beyond? Today’s blog post offers a few options for factory tours and visits to sites where handmade products are created in the local region. Food tours are at the top of the list, but you can also discover how things like premium furniture and even motorcycles are built!

(Please note that some tours may be temporarily suspended or altered due to COVID-19. Visit the linked websites for each business to get updated information on their operations before visiting.) Continue reading See How It’s Made: The Lancaster Area’s Best Factory Tours →

And, Why You Should Consider a CCRC or Life Plan Community Yourself

In many of our posts here on the Explore Retirement Living (ERL) blog, you have likely encountered the term “Life Plan Community,” and perhaps you have wondered what that actually means. We realize that there are a lot of seemingly similar terms that get applied to retirement community living, and that can create unnecessary confusion.

Today’s post will clear up some terminology questions related to retirement communities of various types. We’ll also explain how the Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) and Life Plan Communities affiliated with Explore Retirement Living in Lancaster County, PA, are different from so many others. Continue reading How Lancaster County’s Retirement Communities are Different →

It seems counter-intuitive that after decades of working, raising children, taking care of housework and home maintenance chores, and just living the “daily grind,” it can be challenging to step back and actually ENJOY retired life.

But many seniors today find the extensive free time suddenly available to them in retirement can be challenging to fill with meaningful or productive activities. You’ve earned this time—you should spend it how you want instead of having others constantly dictating your schedule, but now what?

You don’t want to fall into the trap of one of the most significant retirement risks out there—passing idle hours in front of the TV or Facebook every day, just feeling bored and unfulfilled. Luckily, there’s a whole world of options to keep boredom from catching up with you! You just need to know where to look—and perhaps get a little creative.

We’ve got some suggestions here to get you started, and we’d love to hear your good ideas on our Explore Retirement Living Facebook page, too! Be sure to give us a “Like”! Continue reading How to Successfully Enjoy Retired Life →

A little while ago, we shared five big priorities you should work on as you are nearing retirement. We looked at retirement income planning, touched on considerations for your investments and sources of income, and even explained why giving your home some attention was a smart idea in the five years or so just before retirement.

However, we neglected to mention one to-do in that post that you also shouldn’t forget in your retirement plan: “don’t believe everything you hear about retiring.”

It’s true. There are tons of retirement myths floating around the internet and in your friends’ and loved ones’ imaginations that have the potential to ruin your “golden years.” Many of these relate to financial planning and money management both before and during retirement, but there are also some myths about general retirement living that also need to be “busted.”

Today’s post highlights four of the most significant retirement myths out there and offers some truthful insight so you can better prepare. Continue reading 4 Big Retirement Myths You Should Stop Believing →

As an avid golfer, you may dream of retiring to sunny South Carolina, Florida, or Arizona—lands of meticulously maintained golf retirement communities and world-class courses around every other corner. However, did you know that Lancaster County, PA is also home to some amazing—and affordable—golf options that make retirement closer to home that much more enticing for those who enjoy hitting the links?

In these uncertain times, traveling to exotic golf resorts elsewhere is challenging at best. But, Pennsylvania’s golf courses are safely open for you to play a round while easily following proper social distancing and other COVID-19 prevention guidelines. It’s certainly time for you to check out what these courses have to offer!

Need a little more info about our fantastic local public courses before you set a tee time? Today’s post introduces a sampling of five of the Lancaster area’s favorite golf courses open to every golfer. We’re also sharing which five of our phenomenal independent retirement communities are located closest to each course—where you may just want to rest your clubs for the long game! Continue reading 9+ Reasons Why Lancaster, PA is the Perfect Retirement Destination for Golfers →