Fortunately, Lancaster County features a wide variety of retirement communities to serve a wide variety of needs and interests—all amid the natural beauty of central Pennsylvania and surrounded by local food, history, and culture.
If you’re considering an LPC for your next move, asking a few key questions as part of your research will ensure you find your ideal community: one where you can enjoy your retirement in a vibrant, supportive environment for years to come.
20 Questions to Ask a Life Plan Community During an Open House
When exploring life plan communities, there are some important considerations that will help you determine if a specific community is compatible with your needs and lifestyle.
Ask these questions at your next LPC visit or our Annual Open House, and keep track of the answers for each individual community you evaluate. When it comes time to choose your dream retirement destination, you’ll have everything you need to make an informed decision.
1. What is this Life Plan Community best known for?
A lot of life plan communities offer similar features and amenities, but each one has its own ambiance and typically emphasizes a few aspects of retirement life more than others.
- Does your ideal LPC focus more on group socializing opportunities or individual enrichment activities?
- Does it appeal more to a physically active crowd or those seeking intellectual and/or spiritual stimulation?
- Is it equipped with full-service healthcare facilities or more suitable for minor medical support?
The features of these specialized communities are abundant, so it’s important to understand what each community values and excels at providing to residents and their loved ones. Asking a Life Plan Community representative to clearly define the community’s most recognizable characteristic gives you a simple way to assess whether you want to learn more or look for another community that might be a better fit for you.
2. What types of residences are available?
One of the benefits of choosing a Life Plan Community is the adaptive nature of the residences and services available as your individual needs change over time.
You’ll want to know what housing options exist in each community you explore, from houses to apartments to villas, and more. Different housing types provide different layouts, sizes, interior finishes, and ownership (or rental) options.
Whatever you’re looking for, there’s a good chance you can find it in a Life Plan Community residence.
3. What supportive care services does this LPC offer?
In addition to selecting your ideal housing type, you also need to consider what additional services you may need now or in the future. On top of property management and maintenance services (think: landscaping, snow removal, etc.), most life plan communities also offer a combination of healthcare services such as skilled nursing, memory care, and physical therapy/rehabilitation that can be available to you if the need arises.
Be sure to identify your individual needs and seek out a community that will make retirement living as fun, relaxing, and confidently prepared as possible.
4. Are trained staff available to residents 24/7/365?
As much as you might like to, you can’t predict when you’ll need assistance with something related to retirement life, especially aspects outside of your control.
One way to take control is to ask if the LPC provides access to trained staff members 24 hours per day, every day. You may also want to clarify how to reach the staff after regular business hours and what types of services or requests can be fulfilled—even in the middle of the night.
5. What is daily life really like for residents in this community?
Want to know how closely a Life Plan Community’s marketing brochure resembles real life?
Ask someone who actually lives there!
The best way to gauge whether you’ll thrive within the daily rhythms of a particular community is to visit in person. Schedule an appointment, or take advantage of an open house to explore the campus, meet current residents, and ask people about their experiences.
Where do people seem to congregate? What types of activities are they engaged in? Do you see examples of true community living? If you feel energized, confident, and welcome during your visit, the LPC might be a contender for your new home.
6. Does the community allow pets?
For many people, one of the first questions that comes to mind when selecting a Life Plan Community is whether or not they will be able to bring their pets. After enjoying the physical, social, and emotional benefits of sharing their homes with beloved animal companions, most people are reluctant to move to new places if their pets can’t come along.
The good news: Many Lancaster County life plan communities are pet friendly, making retiring with pets simple and safe. Navigating the transition to retirement living is a little less intimidating with the comfort of a familiar pet. If a pet is part of your selection process, make sure to ask your preferred LPC about their pet policies.
7. What activities are available for visitors?
Life plan communities not only offer day-to-day enrichment for residents, they incorporate events and other activities to spend quality time when friends and family come to visit.
If your loved ones are the outdoor type, ask about nature walks, bird watching, or gardening opportunities. Maybe your family enjoys arts and crafts, a popular offering at many LPCs. Or perhaps you prefer to venture off campus when visitors are in town (especially if you’re looking for things to do with grandkids), so you’ll want to know about Lancaster-area attractions, dining, and entertainment options.
There’s no shortage of ways to have fun when your loved ones are in town, and choosing a retirement community surrounded by your favorite places and activities is a great way to make it feel more like home.
8. Is this a CARF-accredited community?
Picking a place to spend your retirement years is a big decision, and you want to choose wisely. If it’s important to you that your Life Plan Community emphasizes resident quality of life, continuous improvement, and community service, you might want to look for a CARF-accredited LPC.
“CARF” stands for Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities and is an independent, nonprofit organization that evaluates LPCs on several criteria, including how well they make residents the central focus of the community. Learn more about CARF accreditation at carf.org.
9. How do residents stay active?
Staying physically and mentally active is an important part of enjoying a healthy, satisfying retirement.
Life plan communities prioritize resident activities as a way to encourage movement, socializing, and well-being—and the types of activities available are nearly endless. Fitness centers, dog parks, golf courses, billiards rooms, nature trails, fishing ponds, community gardens, libraries, theaters, art studios, you name it!
Be sure to ask each LPC you visit about their most popular activities, both on campus and in the surrounding Lancaster area.
10. Is there transportation available for residents who want to go off campus?
Many retirees choose to stop driving to save themselves the hassle of vehicle maintenance and the stress of navigating traffic and poor weather conditions. But that doesn’t mean they’ll be stuck without transportation or have to give up their independence.
Some life plan communities offer shuttle services or scheduled trips off campus to help residents get to appointments, go shopping, and attend events even if they can no longer drive themselves. It’s a good idea to ask each LPC what transportation options they offer so you know how you can get around if you need to go somewhere.
11. Does this LPC have an on-campus pharmacy?
For anyone who takes daily medication (or even the occasional remedy for a short-term illness), having a pharmacy nearby is a lifesaver.
Some LPCs offer convenient, on-campus pharmacies to make filling prescriptions fast and easy—without having to leave the community. For those without their own transportation, an on-campus pharmacy is an important amenity and definitely worth asking about at your next visit.
12. Does this community offer access to religious services?
In addition to taking care of their physical and mental health, many retired people prioritize nurturing their spiritual well-being.
While spirituality takes many different forms, for many, a regular religious practice is a key component. To serve this need, life plan communities often provide religious services tailored to people of different faiths. Some LPCs are run by faith-based organizations, which may emphasize a particular religion more than others.
When doing your retirement community research, you may want to ask about spiritual or religious offerings so you can match your personal faith needs with a community that can meet them.
13. Are community residences and amenities accessible to persons with disabilities?
If you live with a disability, you probably already know to ask about accessibility when visiting a new place. This question is even more important when weighing your options for a long-term retirement residence. As you explore different life plan communities, consider how the campus grounds are laid out and how easy it would be to navigate the physical space. Think about how comfortable you would feel living independently in this community and whether or not you would be able to participate in activities you enjoy. Ask the staff about their experience and training working with persons with disabilities.
All LPCs strive to provide comfortable environments for their residents, but before you choose one, be sure the environment at your preferred LPC will meet your individual needs and allow you to live the fulfilling retirement life you deserve.
14. What kinds of contracts does this LPC offer?
All of the Life Plan Communities in the Lancaster County area offer a variety of contracts that can fit your needs. This blog will take you through many of the contract types available, but it’s important to ask the LPCs you are visiting or interested in what kinds of contracts they offer.
15. How does this community approach environmental sustainability?
If environmental sustainability is a key concern for you, don’t be afraid to ask about each LPC’s approach to environmental impact. Communities with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold rating have been recognized for their performance on energy efficiency, water use, indoor air quality, and overall sustainability.
16. Does this community offer moving services for new residents?
Once you’ve selected your ideal Life Plan Community, it will be time for the big move.
Anyone who has ever moved before knows the process can be demanding, time consuming, and stressful, which is why some LPCs have started offering moving services to ease the burden for new residents. If you’re eager to start your new retirement life but don’t want to deal with the hassle of the move itself, seek out a community that will help you coordinate the logistics—and leave the stress behind.
17. What volunteer opportunities are available to residents?
Giving back to the Lancaster community at large is a great way to find fulfillment in retirement. Teaching classes, working with animals, cleaning up neighborhoods—the options are plentiful. Most life plan communities provide opportunities to volunteer on campus and around town, often alongside local youth for intergenerational outings. If helping others brings you joy, ask about the various ways you could get involved through volunteerism.
18. What dining options are available in this community?
If you’re like most people beginning their retirement community selection process, you’re wondering: Which community has the best food?
The answer is subjective, of course, and depends on what type of dining you prefer.
Most life plan communities offer on-campus dining options such as restaurants, cafés, and coffee shops. Lancaster County is also full of excellent food, and many LPCs are close to grocery stores and farmers’ markets for additional variety when you venture off campus. Ask staff or current residents about their favorites when you visit.
19. What special interest groups/clubs are there in the community?
One of the best parts of joining a Life Plan Community is the opportunity to form connections with other people who share your interests.
LPCs offer all kinds of clubs and special interest groups to bring people together. Love gardening, painting, woodworking, or discussing books with others? There’s a club for that. Choir, bible study, crafting, quilting, and photography are also common. Inquire about the clubs at the LPCs you visit.
You might even discover a new interest to explore!
20. Does this LPC have a waiting list, or immediate availability?
Depending on when you plan to move to your new retirement community, it will be important to confirm if the LPC has immediate availability. Many popular communities have a waiting list, so if a particular one appeals to you, you need to find out when you could move in and whether you need to reserve a spot sooner than later.
Visiting In Person Can Answer (and Inspire) More Great Questions
Finding your ideal retirement community requires asking the right questions. Each LPC offers a unique combination of housing options, amenities, and support services—there’s truly something for everyone, provided you know what you need and want.
One of the best first steps in your evaluation process is to explore life plan communities in person to observe their campuses, residents, and staff. In the Lancaster area, that means visiting any of Explore Retirement Living’s 17 collaborative communities during the annual open house to ask your questions and learn more about elevated retirement living. Happy home hunting!