Florida Senior Living

It’s no secret that Florida rules the kingdom when it comes to senior living communities and it’s certainly no mystery as to why it’s still so popular with the 55+ crowd. You’ve got your sun, your beach, your mild climate, your golf and your tan. What else do you need?

Well, for starters, senior living in Florida offers many diverse communities with like-minded people and various activities that aim to keep you happy and healthy in those golden years. With all that the Sunshine State offers for active Florida senior living year-round, the sunshine state is, and will probably always be, where the in-the-know go for top senior living options.

Florida Assisted Living Costs

Florida is still one of the best states in regards to reasonable independent living options and costs. The average monthly price of a single occupancy room in an independent living community is $2,337, but can range from $1,325 to $3,395.*From the SeniorHomes.com 2012 Independent Living Cost Survey. (http://www.seniorhomes.com/p/independent-living-costs/)

The State Agency Responsible for Regulating Assisted Living in Florida is the Agency for Health Care Administration and the Bureau of Long Term Care Services.

Retirement in Florida

Florida is still the number one place for retirement communities and the number of Florida senior living options continues to increase in order to meet the high demand. Although Florida offers something for every budget it remains such a popular spot thanks to the rather low cost of living, which is 4.10% lower than the U.S. average.*Bestplaces.net

The cost of living varies between city to city, but Florida has a variety of senior living opportunities for those looking to retire in this coastal paradise. Home prices have dropped consistently across the state for years and this has opened up a buyers market for seniors looking to save on housing costs. Cape Coral - Ft. Myers, for example, has seen the average selling price fall to $108,000 in late 2011, according to Realtor.com

Did you know that…?

• Florida has the highest (17.3%) percentage of people over 65 years old in the USA *www.usnews.com
• There is no income tax in Florida.
• Florida's total state/local tax burden is 47th, one of the lowest of any state.
• Special categories of  tax exemptions are available to homeowners in Florida who are veterans of the U.S. military and were disabled while in the military service. *www.kiplinger.com

Best Cities in Florida for Retirement

Obviously, Florida has no shortage of quaint beach towns that are perfect for any type of retirement lifestyle. Living costs can vary throughout the state, but cities around the Palm Beach and Naples areas are known to be some of the most affluent areas in Florida, with some of the more expensive living options in the state. By contrast, Sarasota and Venice are considered two of the best places in Florida for retirees. Like most of Florida, the summers in both of these locations can be extremely hot and humid, but the cost of living is attractive for many seniors. Fort Myers is also a location for active seniors due to its lively beach community and low cost of living, which is 7.40% less than the national average, according to Best Places.

Health Care in Florida

Florida has more than 260 hospitals and medical centers. Ten of these are nationally ranked and twenty rank state-wide for high performance. Tampa General Hospital is ranked number 1 state wide, followed by Florida Hospital in Orlando.

With the implementacion of the Affordable Care Act, seniors will be receiving more options for reasonably priced health care and prescriptions. The law allows for more affordable Medicare prescription drug coverage as well as adding free preventive care to the overall healthcare plan. See more information at Healthcare.gov.

Quick Medical Guide for Florida:

• List of Hospitals and Medical Centers in Florida
• Consumer Reports: Consumer Rated Hospitals in Florida

Activities for Seniors in Florida

Let’s face it: Florida is beach and golf and more beach and more golf. However, although this may be the daily activity schedule for many Floridian retirees, it’s not all that Florida offers. In fact, activities for senior living in Florida are incredibly varied as the Sunshine State really does provide quite a bit of options for those who are ready to take full advantage of Florida's diversity.

While there are loads of golf courses in Florida, there’s also an endless variety of activities for the active seniors such as bird watching, kayaking, sailing, snorkelling, fishing, boating, etc. Nearly every town has a harbour or port, which usually consists of a nautical club with events. These clubs are great options for meeting people with similar interests.

Local Weather

Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Gulf of Mexico on the west, Florida has no extreme climate variations. The summers are hot and humid, but the rest of the year is as close to perfect as you can get. It can sometimes drop below freezing in Northern Florida, but this is very rare and extremely brief. Check out current Florida temperatures!

Sharp Seniors has 66 Senior Living Facilities in Florida

• 61 of them offer Senior Living
• 39 of them offer Assisted Living
• 26 of them offer Alzheimer's Care
• 23 of them offer Respite
• 4 of them offer Continuing Care (CCRC)