* RetCom Life

RCL-3 : The Pros & Cons List

An important part of this new RetCom cornerstone here at RJsCorner is to give  those of you who are not currently RetCom residents some suggestions about how to evaluate the facilities you might visit in the future. Critical to that is “The Pros & Cons List”

When you visit a RetCom to consider whether it is a good fit for you, it is essential that you take in everything you see as a pro, con or “not applicable”. I will clue you in on a little secret, you will never find the “perfect” RetCom, at least one that you can likely afford. To find the best overall fit should be your goal.

When you have your pro/con list done prioritizing the list is the most critical part of the process. If a social life is the most important thing you need to give it a higher priority than say, the dining facilities. This analytical process is a necessary step, but maybe more importantly is just how the RetCom “feels” to you.  If you do your homework you have a good chance to get it right the first time.

Here is a list of things, in no particular order, to consider.  Each of these items, and others likely to be added, will be further discussed in future posts:

  1. Cost (now and when my needs increase) –
  2. Type of Facility (Independent Living, assisted living, CCRC)
  3. Current & Future Needs
  4. Private Residence Size
  5. Overall RetCom Size
  6. Location – 
  7. Timeline
  8. Community Culture
  9. Anemities
  10. Age of the Facility
  11. Medical Support
  12. Dining Facilities
  13. Upkeep
  14. Security
  15. Programs & Activities
  16. Distance to Medical Providers
  17. Provided Transportation
  18. Support for Transitioning to the facility
  19. Staff to Resident Ratio 
  20. Resident Demographics
  21. Turnover Rate
  22. Housekeeping
  23. Safety Consideration (Emergency Alert Systems)
  24. Song Book
  25. Occupancy Rate

I want to tell you that this list is likely a fluid thing that will modified  as we go through this process.  I hope, by the end of this series it is more complete than it is now. You can access this list anytime by clicking and holding on the *RetCom Living button and then clicking “Pros & Cons List

This was the cabinet that started my custom cabinet making business in 2000. I enjoyed the design and fabrication process, but I got bored with sucking so much sawdust and shut the business down in 2007 to go into the full retirement mode

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