Making New Friends in Your Retirement Community
Now that you’ve chosen the retirement community that offers you the lifestyle, amenities, and services you hoped for, you might be wondering how you can become a part of daily life at the community. Connecting with neighbors is a crucial part of the transition to retirement living and can positively contribute to your overall health. Recent studies have demonstrated that social connections can lower the risk of dementia, heart disease, anxiety, depression, and more!
Making new friends in a new community can feel overwhelming or intimidating. While neighbors in retirement communities are certainly friendly and welcoming, you might feel more confident with a game plan for strategies to meet new people and begin building relationships. Here are our tips to making new friends in your retirement community.
Take One Hobby Outside Your Apartment
Retirement communities have lovely homes for residents, but they also feature shared community spaces that are designed to create opportunities for neighbors to meet and start conversations. Choose one daily task you already do, like reading the newspaper or having an afternoon cup of tea, and take the task out of your home and into one of the shared spaces in the community. You might find others reading in the library or strike up a conversation over tea in the garden.
Alter Meal Times
Meeting neighbors is easier in onsite dining venues. But, since most of us are creatures of habit, you might end up seeing the same people if you go to a meal at the same time of day. Try grabbing breakfast 30 minutes later or dinner 20 minutes earlier to see some new faces and new opportunities to say hi to a neighbor.
Attend Events and Activities
Retirement communities are busy places with events, activities, and trips happening regularly. Take advantage of this opportunity! You’ll have fun and will be around other neighbors who have similar interests, which can make it easier to build meaningful relationships. Highlight events on your community calendar and keep it easily accessible so that you always know what’s happening that day.
Invite Others In
Once you meet neighbors who are interesting and who you have something in common with, consider deepening your friendship by inviting them to your home for coffee mid-morning or for a cocktail after dinner. It doesn’t have to feel fancy to be effective, so don’t stress out about what you’re serving. Instead, just brew a pot of coffee and set out a few pastries (or open a bottle of wine and set out a charcuterie board).
Reach Out for Support
If you’re struggling to find new connections or you’re feeling a bit lonely or isolated, reach out to the staff at your retirement community. The Life Enrichment (activities and events) department is a great place to start, as they are experts in connecting residents who have similar interests. You can also talk to any other staff member you feel comfortable with and they can offer some tips to get you on the road to meeting new people.
Curious about what life is like in a vibrant retirement community? We’d love to tell you more about The Glen. Contact us to set up your visit.