With
retirement looming for the “baby boomer” generation,
more than just individual lifestyles are changing—the
whole concept of the senior citizen in America is changing
radically as well. Not only are we living longer, we are
also generally cultivating much more active lifestyles
in our retirement years than did previous generations.
More interests are pursued, and more services are expected.
Unfortunately, many baby boomers—focused during
their working years on having everything and having it
now—have not planned adequately for retirement,
and are faced with continually rising health care, insurance,
and day-to-day living costs at a time when their income
is probably decreasing significantly. Careful and disciplined
planning for retirement, and starting that planning as
early in life as possible, are encouraged by Delta retirement
industry and financial planning professionals.
For those who have planned well, or at least make the
commitment to begin planning now in order to enjoy their
“golden years”, the Delta offers a wide range
of options. Retirement living facility choices have moved
far beyond just the traditional nursing home. Independent
and assisted living communities provide extensive services,
as well as cultural, entertainment, and educational activities
that cater to the myriad interests of the 21st century
senior citizen.
Oxford’s Azalea Gardens is now under the management
of Memphis-based Cooperative Retirement Services of America,
reports Tony Wilson. “It’s a really good company,
and we’re excited about having them involved. They’ve
brought a lot of good experience and new ideas.”
Azalea Gardens is currently in the middle of a 32-unit
expansion, Wilson says, and is also exploring the possibility
of acquiring other properties.
Like other Delta retirement centers, Azalea Gardens is
continually working to provide activities to meet the
changing preferences of residents. “We’ve
added a second activities program, and we’re offering
more evening and weekend activities,” Wilson says.
“Down the road, we’re looking into the possibility
of providing Internet access and computer hookups in every
room. In the coming years, I think this may be very viable
for the senior population.”
At Greenville’s Magnolia Gardens, a retirement home
and assisted living facility, Joy Lehman says the focus
is on-site activities. “Our residents expressed
interest in having more events right here. Many of them
don’t want to go elsewhere—they want the activities
brought to them. We’ve hired a new activities director
and increased the number and kinds of events held at Magnolia
Gardens. We’re bringing in more entertainment, offering
church services and bible study classes, for example.”
Indywood has recently completed a 25-bed addition to its
Greenwood assisted living facility, reports Eleta Grimmett.
The expansion will be spotlighted at an open house in
late September.
“We’ve added more activity space, including
a hardwood floor so we can have dances, and our own kiln,”
she comments. Grimmett adds that there are plans for future
additions to the Greenwood campus, including the possible
addition of senior condominiums.
At The Waterford, an independent living community in Ridgeland,
activities director Kim Vanlandingham provides a wide
variety of programs and events. The facility includes
a library with Internet service, a formal dining room
and private dining room, as well as exercise, arts and
crafts, and game room areas.
“We try to bring in a lot of different kinds of
entertainment,” Vanlandingham says, “from
singers to ballroom dancers. Whenever we can, we try to
utilize residents’ family members who have performing
talents.”
Oxford’s Hermitage Gardens is an independent and
assisted living facility which also offers a secure unit
for dementia patients. Bonnie Stevens says that they also
emphasize on-site activities for residents.
“Two activities have proven to be very popular,”
she relates. “One is an exercise class that provides
both relaxation and slow movement, which is very beneficial,
and can be done even from a chair. We’ve actually
opened this up to the community as well.
“We also have what we call our Hermitage University,
a weekly series of guest speakers who speak on topics
ranging from kudzu to China to the Roaring Twenties. This
is very popular with our residents.”
Flowers Manor, in Clarksdale, is one of eleven senior
living campuses under the auspices of Mississippi Methodist
Services, Inc. The Clarksdale facility includes 63 independent
living apartments as well as duplex cottages and facilities
for residents needing a greater level of care. Bill Lewis
reports that the parent company has recently introduced
a new concept in nursing care in Tupelo, where it is based.
“It’s a nursing home facility, but with a
lot of differences, called The Greenhouses,” says
Lewis. “So far, four wings have been developed—there
will ultimately be twelve wings, serving 120 residents,
10 in each wing. There’s a real effort to make it
as home-like as possible, and create more of a family
atmosphere—for example, all the residents of a wing
eat together. And more of the decision-making has been
given back to the residents.
“We’ve seen tremendous results so far,”
he continues. “The quality of life for these residents
is very much improved. The board of directors here at
Flowers Manor has discussed the concept, and we’re
doing a feasibility study to see if the Clarksdale market
would support it.”
The growing need for care for Alzheimer’s and dementia
patients continues to be met in the Delta through facilities
such as Garden Park Adult Day Care in Greenwood. Proposed
changes may mean that Medicare will begin paying for adult
day care services, a change that Director Rebecca Small
says will make such services available for more people.
“Right now the only reimbursement is through Medicaid,”
she says. “The other option is private pay. With
an older population, the need for adult day care services
will only increase. Not only is it less expensive than
nursing home care, but it also allows the patients to
remain at home, with family or loved ones.”
Garden Park is dementia-specific, so to meet the needs
of those with mental illness or retardation, an Elderly
Psycho-Social Center has recently opened. “We’re
offering more therapeutic services to treat anxiety, depression,
schizophrenia, etc.,” reports Small, and adds that
Garden Park has also started a support group, which is
open to the public and meets generally at the Greenwood
Leflore Hospital, for caregivers of Alzheimer’s
and dementia patients.
Of course, many senior citizens do not have the desire,
or often the financial resources, to consider various
residential options. Well over two-thirds of Mississippi
senior citizens continue to live in homes they own, but
find it increasingly necessary to rely on outside services
to maintain their independence and quality of life.
Through its Division of Aging and Adult Services, the
Mississippi Department of Human Services offers a range
of programs designed to assist elderly citizens. The need
for such services will only continue to grow, says Sylvia
G. Jackson, director of the South Delta Area Agency on
Aging. “The population is growing, and people are
living longer, while at the same time the funds they use
to continue living independently are diminishing.”
Funding of programs such as hers is also a major problem,
Jackson says. While the Delta, with the state’s
greatest number of the poorest people, has probably the
greatest needs for senior citizen assistance, its funding
level is low. Even in tight budgetary times, however,
the Agency provides a wide range of services. These include,
among others, adult day care, case management to help
keep seniors from having to go into nursing homes, home-delivered
meals, homemaker services, legal assistance and transportation.
Even as they express concern about the lack of retirement
planning among the younger generation, retirement industry
professionals see some increase in the numbers of older
citizens taking planning seriously, and report a growing
sophistication in the planning which the savvy seniors
(or soon-to-be-seniors) are doing. One real change in
retirement planning, according to Christy Knapp with Oxford’s
Retiree Attraction Program, is increased use of the Internet
by senior citizen, to research communities where they
are interested in relocating. “We find that more
and more people are utilizing web sites, reading magazines
such as Where To Retire, and reading the ‘guidebooks’
that cater to retirees,” she comments.
“I find that more and more people who are looking
seriously into their retirement options begin doing it
some three to five years before they actually plan to
retire. They do this thorough research, looking at cultural
activities and other amenities, for example, then frequently
make short trips to visit the places they are considering.”
When looking for a retirement locale, quality of life
and health care are important considerations, Knapp points
out, but cost of living is another big factor. “With
the recent economic climate, and the drop in interest
rates, many people are having to look at ways to preserve
their income, and often give a priority to a location
where they can extend that income,” she explains.
“In Mississippi, the taxes they have to pay are
comparably low, and people look at that.”
Eleta Grimmett notes a recent increase in seniors looking
into their retirement options. “Interest on savings
was hurt by the economic downturn, and seniors became
more conservative,” she comments. “Now they’re
feeling more confident about the economy, and we’re
getting a lot of inquiries at all three of our locations.
“Adults need to consider four items,” Grimmett
says. “They need to have a living will, so their
wishes are carried out if they’re incapacitated.
They need a durable power-of-attorney for health care.
They need just a plain will, which needs to be reviewed
regularly, because assets can change. And they need to
look into long-term care insurance, which is much more
affordable the younger you are.”
Joy Lehman sees a growing trend toward long-term life
insurance, something she encourages. “We see more
people inquiring about long term care while still in their
forties,” she comments. “We’ve held
three seminars for the public to provide information on
long term insurance, and I hope to make this a quarterly
event. People need to realize that such insurance is a
lot cheaper at a younger age, a really good deal.”
Says Bill Lewis of Flowers Manor, “There does seem
to be more planning and earlier preparation, which is
wise since costs keep going up. What happens a lot of
times is that when family members go through the process
of getting someone located in a facility such as ours,
it gets them looking into their own options.”
“We encourage people to come in and really look
at the facilities,” says Bonnie Stevens. “Unfortunately,
many people just don’t think ahead, or seriously
consider that this will happen to them. Often they don’t
get serious about their options until a family member
reaches the point of needing a higher level of care, but
is still not ready for a nursing home. Some of our residents
do have long-term care insurance, and it is certainly
helpful. But often people wait until they’re older,
when such policies are much more expensive—and then
they have to weigh the benefits.”
Comments Stacey Wall, president and CEO of Pinnacle Trust
Co. in Ridgeland, “Through the 1980’s and
1990’s, people as a whole were more concerned with
having things now—unlike earlier generations, the
baby boomers spent more and borrowed more, with the result
that the average consumer is now very leveraged.
“Even those who did have retirement plans in place
were perhaps a little too aggressive in looking for the
big returns. Then the market turned, and people lost a
lot of their money, especially in retirement plans. People
are living longer, and Social Security isn’t what
it once was, so many older people are having to work part-time
jobs to supplement their retirement income.
“There are three points I would make to those who
are serious about retirement planning,” he continues.
“First, you can’t start too soon—many
people wait until they’re in their forties or fifties,
after the kids are grown, to start planning for retirement,
but the earlier the better.
“Second, start somewhere, make a commitment. When
you get a raise, for example, commit yourself to applying
even a small portion of it to your retirement plan. Then,
each year, with another raise, you can add to it without
it being very painful.
“And use the tax-deferred options that employers
or IRA’s offer—get the benefits that the government
allows.” DBJ
