The Foreign Service Journal, January 2006

facilities, most institutions include in their monthly fees either a charge to cover 30 meals or a fixed figure (we saw $600) to be drawn down for the meals during the month. All establishments vaunt the quality of their cuisine, but it is best to try it out, which you can do. Monthly fees, depending upon the size of the apartment, generally run from under $2,000 to about $4,000, with about $900 in addition for the second resi- dent. When we added up the bills we had paid at home the past year for electricity, natural gas, water and sewage, painting, roofing repairs, general maintenance, lawn and tree care, firewood, extermina- tors, driveway repaving and a security contract, these monthly fees looked pretty reasonable — in fact, they would be quite a saving in our case. Individual real estate taxes may be paid separately by the owner of a condominium apartment, while they are includ- ed in the monthly fees in a coop- erative system. Some senior living facilities have continuing health packages whereby monthly fees continue at the same rate, or increase only modestly if a resident’s health requires moving to one of the assisted living or skilled nursing accommodations. In these cases, a medical examination is re- quired at the outset to gain admittance to the facility and to qualify for such a pack- age, which seems usually to be surprisingly economical. By the way, those (unlike us) who had the good sense to take out long-term care insurance will find that a good chunk of their monthly fees may be covered by the insurance. Demand is now so great, at least in the Washington area, that the more attractive senior living facilities are able to require a substantial refundable deposit, often $10,000, for the privilege of being added to the waiting list. In one case — a particularly handsome and com- fortable facility planned but not yet under construction in Bethesda, which will not be ready for occupancy until early 2008 — the developers are requiring a $10,000 refundable deposit and a non-refundable $300 inscrip- tion fee to get on the waiting list. It is reportedly over- subscribed already. Due Diligence: Questions to Ask You will want to question residents of a facility as to how they like it, and what are the positive and negative aspects. But a warning from experience is in order: human nature is such that people will tend to give their own facility high marks and downplay its problems. It is not a bad idea to try — and to time — the drive from a facility to locations you will often be visiting. If you have a dog to walk, or if you like to be outdoors, look into adjacent paths and wooded lanes (and confirm that dogs are welcome). Ask about balconies or terraces or screened porches, none of which are as common as they might be in these communities. Higher-end apart- ments often have (gas) fireplaces. F O C U S 54 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 6 There are always one or more dining areas, as well as fitness centers, libraries, hobby workshops and studios, and some sort of auditorium or theater. Check Out the Possibilities Online You will probably be astonished at how many senior liv- ing facilities exist these days, and how many are within three miles of where you live without your being aware of them. This is a growth industry. As usual, the Internet is very help- ful. www.retirementliving.com takes you to the “Retirement Living Information Center,” with a wealth of references. www.retirement-living.com will take you to “Guide to Retirement Living,” a tremendous source of information for the mid-Atlantic region (D.C., Va., Md., Del., Pa. and N.J.). They publish magazines you can order online that list by loca- tion all retirement facilities and their attributes, and provide advice on consultants who can help you think through your priorities and guide you in realizing them. I assume there are similar Web sites for other regions of the country, but did not take the time to scroll the 25,000-plus hits you find when you google this subject. www.sunriseseniorliving.com is worth a look. Sunrise Senior Living is the dominant enterprise in the field, either owning or managing some 425 senior living communities in 38 states, Canada, Germany and the U.K. This is a success- ful and experienced New York Stock Exchange company, with high standards. Their Web site will take you by Zip code to a listing and description of Sunrise facilities (some 30 in the Washington metropolitan area, in varied price ranges, but each probably of high quality in its class). — Bill Harrop