Customer Reviews

Worry-Free Retirement Living: Choosing a Full-Service Retirement Community

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The authors, Loni and Ralph Smith came to see me at Oak Hammock at the University of Florida on a tour several years ago as part of their research for this book. I can honestly tell you that in all my many many years of Marketing in the senior living industry, I have never met a couple so prepared and knowledgable as the Smiths. I'll never forget them because they had pages and pages of questions, all them important and all of them worth asking!I believe they have made it a life passion to educate people about full service retirement communities and with the publication of this book, their tremendous knowledge is now availabe for every one. There are so many options and choices and contract types that it can be very confusing to someone trying to either chose the right community for themselves or assisting their parents in this choice. I guarantee you that this book will give you all the questions you NEED to be asking to help you pick the right community for yourself. This book is not just an introductory guide but a total and complete course in how to evaluate one community from the next. Definitely worth every penny! Star Bradbury, Marketing Director, Oak Hammock at the University of Florida

One, a social science expert and one-time board member of a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC), the other, an attorney and law professor: Ralph and Loni Smith have helped others select a community and then applied their own knowledge to choose one for themselves. In so doing, they assembled five years' worth of research to produce a volume of very sound advice. They recommend a go-slow approach that includes visits to various properties and in-depth interviews with directors of marketing, with chief administrators, with health staff members, and with residents. The most outstanding feature of this book is a thirty-some page checklist of key questions to ask during these visits, along with "red-flag" and "deal-breaker" indicators to steer the prospective resident away from making a bad decision. The chapters leading up to this extensive questionnaire explain the authors' approach and prepare the reader to understand the purpose of each question. There is enough repetition from section to section to allow readers to begin where they choose and read selectively; yet, those who prefer to proceed straight through the text will not be put off by this style. My only objection is the relatively limited focus upon assisted living units in CCRC's; indeed, reading between the lines, the astute reader may sense that there is more to be said about assisted living. Perhaps the authors are mindful that future CCRC residents give little thought to assisted living until the moment comes for crossing that bridge. On the whole, a most useful text; CCRC marketing directors would do well to be on their toes if prospective residents show up with this guidebook in hand.

I'm looking for a retirement community for my father. What a great resource! I especially appreciated the charts and questions I needed to ask. It is well written, humorous and easy to read.
Thank you for a wonderful resource!

This is the book I wish I had had when I had to place my mother in a retirement facility after she had been diagnosed with dementia and could no longer live with me. The choices then were very few and very difficult. Loni & Ralph Smith's book gives everyone a roadmap for this difficult journey. I will use it when I(or my daughter) have to make the choice for my husband and myself. Hopefully it will be in it's 10th edition by then, for it deserves to be a classic and to outlive us!

This great little book helped us determine what we wanted and didn't want in a CCRC. It helped us understand the difference between for-profit and not-for-profit CCRCs, and how to determine the financial stability of a CCRC. Because we are on the leading edge of the baby boomer generation we chose a brand new CCRC in a downtown area (lots of entertainment, culture and public transportation.) The average age here is younger than in a long-established CCRC. We are very happy with our choice and are thankful to the authors for all their research and writing.

A last comment: While the book is primarily about CCRCs, it does address the pros and cons of other options.

It gives you something to think about for your retirement. But, what about if you can't afford the monthly fees.
These retirement communities will be in trouble when the baby boomers retire.