So, I'm already there... Living in Liberty Village in Peru. Love every part of it.
To save time, "What Calico said"...
We really like our community. In our case, after living in an age restricted community (over 55) for more than 15 years, we moved to our CCRC in 2004... this is a slow down, but as such, very much appreciated. Gone the go-go days of parties, shuffleboard, pool, classes, bowling, bocce, card games, music sessions , pot lucks, pontoon boat day trips, and dozens of other activities. Gone the wine tasting, karaoke, trips to Daytona or Cedar Key and the nights of going to the Villages for block parties.
It's a time for settling down, without the cares of maintenance, social activities responsibilities and general upkeep.
It's a feeling of safety... We live in a regular 1600 sf home, but can easily transition to an apartment, assisted living, nursing home or Alzheimer unit... all within our own comfortable community of people.
While retirement is a phase, within those years are changes. Not too put a too fine point on this, a big difference between the 55-65 age group, and the 75 to 85 age group. We've been in both, so some experience. Of course there are exceptions but our experience says most in our current age group are thankful for a slowdown.
Total independence comes with risk, as we age. Transitioning on a planned schedule, to a CCRC is easier to do when we're healthy. Too often, the move is not scheduled, but forced, as in a broken hip, or other debilitating health problems. At that point, integrating into another community... with a handicap that requires care, is difficult.
Of course, looking into the future is not a given, but neither are there any guarantees that wishes become reality. When comparing your own future to those that are discussed on ER, the hope is for independence at age 88... the reality may be quite different. Even at age 70, our outlook was for more activity... nearing 80, more subdued. Neither DW nor I have ever regretted our move to Liberty Village.
For anyone who may not be familiar with a full service CCRC, a search for Liberty Village will bring up many of the 17 different communities in the parent organization. Typical of many CCRC's here's a FAQ of what you might expect with regard to lifestyle, facilities, rules and regulations as well as an overview of costs. Some of the details that aren't obvious from a quick visit to a facility.
Villas, Apartments, Assisted Living, and Nursing Home.
http://www.simplythefinest.net/faqs.php
Just an opinion...we often look to our parents, or older friends or relatives as a guideline or a possible model for our own future. At the same time, we must be mindful of statistics... somewhere in between, a decision that can be made for the later years.