Studio apartments are most often linked to kid-free young adults. But there is another generation that are now choosing or struggling to choose whether a studio apartment is right for them. With the senior population on the rise, it’s time to take a look at how to downsize and live well in a studio apartment.
The Benefits
Many seniors are not able to maintain and afford larger units for an extended period of time. Studio senior apartments are much more affordable and can help you extend your private pay finances should you need financial assistance down the road.
The main benefit of studio apartments for seniors is reducing the amount of stuff you’re taking care of. In congregate communities like any SilverCrest Community there is no yard to maintain and maintenance is handled by us.
Additional benefits include greater access to transportation, more opportunities for socializing, and lower overall housing costs.
Decreasing Space, Increasing Life
Our different community locations and lack of things to “deal with” provide many residents a high quality of life. We’ve had new residents express that they love that they can have great meals (that they get served and don’t have to cook) and have great outdoor spaces, many activities to do if they choose and the peace of mind of care if and when they need it. They are all great places to live, no matter how much space you have.
What is important to you?
That is one of the first questions that you’ll hear from us. Usually the answers are safety, quality care, and quality living. Then, after we have the conversation of what’s important and you see the studio apartment, you’ll have a moment of shock. Yes, it’s small. But think back to the conversation of why your loved one needs a senior community (falls, isolation, not eating right, needed care), none of those reasons involved having a large 1- or 2-bedroom apartment. Plus, you’ll have the whole community as your home (that’s more than the home you moved from likely.) With less stuff at home to deal with, more focus can be put toward living a better quality of life.
We understand that making the decision to move yourself or moving a loved one into a senior living community and also a studio apartment is hard. That’s why we’re here. To help support you, guide you and let you know that it’s okay. It’s okay to be scared and it’s okay to let go of the guilt. From our experience, for some seniors, too big is too much. Too much walking, which increases risk of falls. Too much to maintain and they just don’t need space anymore. They need love, they need care, they need
Ways to Live Well in Studio Apartment
- Pick a color scheme and get some fun art
- Get creative with shelving
- Use a decorative divider
- Get a comfy twin size bed with fun, new linen that matches color scheme
- Use curtains to define your space
- Make use of every corner
- Wall shelves, wall shelves, wall shelves
- Double duty furniture (ex: ottoman that doubles as storage)
- Pinterest is your friend
- Get the floorplan with dimensions and outline what is necessary to bring with and what you can pass along to family