How to Live Well in Smaller Spaces

Studio apartments are most often linked to young adults without children. But there is another generation that is now choosing studio apartments.  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 care of belongings and the costs associated with it.  In communities like ours, there is no yard to maintain and we do all the maintenance.  Additional benefits include more opportunities for socializing, relationship building, engaging activities and lower overall housing costs.

Decreasing Space, Increasing Life
Our community’s amenities and maintenance free lifestyle provide many residents a high quality of life. We’ve had new residents express that they love they can have great meals (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 to have care if, and when, they need it. It’s a great place 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, that my loved one can live here forever, your staff care for them like family. Then, after we have the conversation of what’s important and they see the studio apartment, they 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, they have the whole community as their home.  With less stuff and home to deal with, more focus can be put toward living a better quality of life and a wonderful lifestyle.
We understand that making the decision to move yourself or a loved one into a senior living community, as well as smaller space, 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. So we urge you to try a studio first, and if it doesn’t work, you can always go bigger.
 
Ways to Live Well in a Smaller Space

1. Pick a color scheme and get some fun art
2. Get creative with shelving
3. Use a decorative divider
4. Get a comfy twin size bed with fun, new linen that matches color scheme
5. Use curtains to define your space
6. Make use of every corner
7. Wall shelves, wall shelves, wall shelves
8. Double duty furniture (ex: ottoman that doubles as storage)
9. Pinterest is your friend
10.   Get the floorplan with dimensions and outline what is necessary to bring with and what you can pass along to family