Your Guide to Senior Living in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Maybe you’re under the assumption that if you’ve seen one senior living community, you’ve seen them all.
But we’re here to address and correct that widespread belief — because every senior living community across the country is as unique as the people who live in them. In fact, even among communities in West Michigan, no two are exactly alike. Senior living communities vary widely in terms of residence styles, services, amenities, levels of care and costs. For example, you may not even know that a Life Plan Community is just one type of senior living option available to you. And explaining that is the best place for us to begin.
Consider This Your Senior Living Primer
To help you on your senior living journey, we’ve put together this guide, dividing it up into five sections for easy reference. Read all the sections in order or jump to the content that interests you most. Here’s what you’ll find:
First, we define exactly what a Life Plan Community is, and why it may be a great senior living option for you. We’ll also shed light on the lifestyle you can enjoy at this type of senior living community, and what makes the lifestyle at Beacon Hill at Eastgate stand out among other Life Plan Communities.
Next, we examine the costs associated with choosing a Life Plan Community. And we take a look at some of the reasons older adults absolutely love living in beautiful Grand Rapids, Michigan. Finally, we touch on the advantages of making your move sooner rather than waiting.
Once you finish, you’ll be perfectly positioned to choose a community that’s right for you or someone you love. You might even discover the best choice for you will be Grand Rapids’ very own Beacon Hill at Eastgate.
1. Understanding Life Plan Communities
If this is an unfamiliar term to you, you might recognize the name Continuing Care Retirement Community, or CCRC. They actually mean the same thing; Life Plan Community is simply the more contemporary phrase. They both describe a senior living community that offers active older adults independent senior living, along with higher levels of care on its campus should they need it one day.
Let’s take a deeper look
To truly understand what this type of community is, it might be more instructive if we deconstruct the term itself. Because when you choose a Life Plan Community:
- You choose a living environment and lifestyle that offer you time-saving services and delightful amenities, so that you can fully enjoy your life, possibly with even more independence than you currently experience in your own home.
- You move in as an active, independent older adult, knowing that if needed, you have a plan that provides you with higher levels of care — typically assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing and rehabilitation — all located within the community.
- You’ll be in a community of people (typically 65 and older) who are keen to continue enjoying their active, carefree and purpose-filled lives just as they always have; your community is like a small town, offering you many amenities to explore and enjoy, with friendly neighbors just outside your door.
Defining the levels of care
When we defined “plan” in Life Plan Community, we mentioned independent living and the levels of care you’ll usually find. These levels include assisted living, memory care, rehabilitation and skilled nursing; not all Life Plan Communities offer all these levels of care, but Beacon Hill does.
- What is independent living? It’s similar to how you live now: You have your own private residence where you enjoy your active, independent life, just as you wish. You also have access to amenities, services, conveniences and opportunities that make every day even better. And you have a community of neighbors who have similar life goals and interests, just outside your door.
- What is assisted living? Assisted Living allows you to maintain as much of your independence as possible, because you’ll have support for your activities of daily living like eating, bathing, mobility and even medication management.
- What is memory care? Memory care provides specific care and personalized attention for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other kinds of dementia-related illnesses in a safe, comfortable and secure environment.
- What is rehabilitation and skilled nursing? This type of care may include a place to receive temporary care after an illness or injury, or long-term nursing for those who need daily, intensive nursing care.
Why you might choose a Life Plan Community
You may think you’d only choose this type of community when you need care. That’s not usually the case. Many people choose this type of community when they’re young and healthy enough to fully enjoy their independent living residence, the friendships they build in their community, and all the community’s services and amenities. The lifestyle you’ll find at a Life Plan Community is quite remarkable — and it’s worth taking a much closer look at everything you can enjoy.
2. Exploring a Life Plan Community’s Lifestyle
Everything we’ve mentioned to this point is consistent with what you’d find at most Life Plan Communities. What really sets each community apart from one another is the lifestyle — from the residence you select to the services and amenities you enjoy.
And at Beacon Hill at Eastgate, you’ll find these differences put this Grand Rapids community head and shoulders above the rest. Here are just a few reasons to help explain why.
Residence options are abundant. If you like choice, you’ll love choosing from Beacon Hill’s 24 different floor plans offering a range of square footage. Whether you select a one- or two-bedroom apartment home, every residence includes all the comforts of home with premiere finishes, plus the amenities of Beacon Hill at Eastgate. . As an added convenience, most utilities are covered by your monthly fee.
Services and amenities aren’t extra. You’ll be happy to know your monthly fee also covers a long list of services and amenities at Beacon Hill. In addition to four delicious dining venues, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a climate-controlled aquatic wellness center, a salon and spa — all on campus — you’ll enjoy so many community features to make your days much more rewarding.
A sampling of services:
- Weekly housekeeping
- Maintenance-free living
- All exterior maintenance, landscaping and grounds upkeep
- Organized transportation and personal transportation
- Concierge services
- Climate-controlled indoor parking
- 24-hour security
- Spiritual care
- Outdoor spaces
- The Studio artists’ space
- Educational opportunities
The lifestyle you’ll find is second to none. At Beacon Hill, you’ll live in a community within a community. Situated on 22 acres at the corner of Plymouth Avenue and Boston Street in the sought-after Eastgate neighborhood, you’re close to Grand Rapids’ shopping, museums and restaurants. Yet you may find that most days you’re perfectly content staying right on campus.
Something else unique to Beacon Hill is our West End expansion, which will add 103 new independent senior living residences, new and larger community grounds, new common spaces and so much more.
With four restaurant venues, walking paths, gardens, wellness classes, educational opportunities, cultural and entertainment spaces, and a community of interesting residents to meet, you’ll want for nothing except the free time to take it all in. And with our maintenance-free lifestyle, you’ll certainly have more time to enjoy doing whatever make you happiest.
3. Examining the Costs of a Life Plan Community
Perhaps at this point you’re wondering what a lifestyle like we’ve described above would cost. To become a resident of a Life Plan Community like Beacon Hill, you’ll typically be asked to pay two fees: a one-time partially refundable entrance fee and a recurring monthly fee.
- The community requires that you pay an entrance fee when you first move into the community. It’s a one-time, upfront fee that essentially secures your place in the community for the rest of your life. The entrance fee is typically partially refundable, meaning it is an investment that will return to your estate.
- The community also charges you a monthly fee that covers services and amenities, maintenance of your residence and upkeep of the entire community. This fee also helps to pay for future care, if you ever need it.
It’s important to note that a percentage of your entrance fee and monthly service fee may be tax-deductible. Talk with your financial advisor to take full advantage of any tax benefits.
Understanding the value of a Life Plan Community
As you consider everything you get at a community like Beacon Hill versus what you pay, it may be beneficial to consider the difference between the cost of something, and the value of it.
The cost is the expense you incur when you acquire a product or service, while the value is the benefit or worth you perceive. Typical costs you’d incur when you live in your own home include things like housing, food, utilities, entertainment and transportation. At a community, all those bills are covered as part of your monthly fee at a Life Plan Community. Your monthly fee also pays for much more, such as maintenance, use of every amenity and service, and so on. That represents a significant value, all in one monthly fee.
Plus, you have the added peace of mind knowing you have access to on-site health care if you ever need it. Many people who move into a Life Plan Community discover that once they move in, they simply can’t put a value on their overall health, happiness and well-being.
4. Living Your Retirement Lifestyle in Grand Rapids
You may already be familiar with Grand Rapids and its renowned quality of life, outdoor recreation, live music venues, museums, restaurants, family-friendly vibe and more (it earned recognition as one of CNN’s Best Towns to Visit in 2024).
Whether you’re a longtime local or new to the city, you’ll find Michigan’s second-largest city has lots of hidden gems to discover. Chances are good you won’t run out of things to do in Grand Rapids.
Grab a bite and a beer.
Its 40-plus breweries serve a thirsty population of just under 200,000 people and earned the city the nickname Beer City. Many of its breweries boast remarkable cuisine in addition to its beers, but Grand Rapids is also home to one of America’s finest culinary schools — and its graduates often stay local to open their own restaurants in Grand Rapids. Some must-try restaurants include Butcher’s Union, Forty Acres Soul Kitchen, The Sovengard, Reserve Wine & Food, and Roam by San Chez.
Feed your other senses, too.
Grand Rapids is a culturally rich city with many attractions worth spending serious time visiting. That includes the Frederik Meijer Gardens, the Grand Rapids Art Museum, the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum and the Grand Rapids Public Museum. The city boasts more than 100 live music venues, the family-favorite John Ball Zoo, the Grand Rapids Symphony, even a children’s museum. If that’s not enough, a riverfront amphitheater and a professional soccer stadium are slated to open on the banks of the Grand River in 2026.
5. Making The Case for Moving Sooner
We want to make one important point about timing. You may ask yourself or your loved ones when the best time is to make your move. The truth is, only you know when the time is right — and you want to make the decision while the choice is still yours to make.
We call this the cost of waiting. There’s an obvious financial cost, of course, if you’re living at home but need to bring in care. You’ll have to find that care, and you’ll be paying market rates for it, possibly out of pocket.
But there are other costs to consider. There’s a social cost, when you move too late, you miss out on building more meaningful friendships. You’re also missing out on the opportunities, amenities, services and so much more that contribute to a fuller, more enjoyable and independent life.
An unforeseen health crisis could cause a change in your living situation. Instead of you choosing where you want to live, your children or your spouse must decide for you — that’s a medical cost. Also, by the time you’ve decided on where you want to move, the community may not have the residence you want available for you. That’s a capacity cost.
So yes, waiting comes with a cost. Choosing to take control now gives you both power and peace of mind and helps you mitigate the costs of waiting.
A Final Note Before You Start Your Search
If you’re getting serious about finding a Life Plan Community for yourself or someone you love, but you’re not sure exactly where to begin, download our Guide to Senior Living. It’s a handy workbook packed with questions to ask yourself, things to consider before you start to visit different types of communities, and questions you’ll want to ask during your visits.
We invite you to come for a personal tour of Beacon Hill. And bring your completed worksheet with you when you come. We have experienced, empathetic and extraordinarily helpful senior living counselors who would be happy to review it with you, answer questions and guide you as you embark on your senior living journey.
If you find this article informative and you’re ready to embrace the power of now, we invite you to reach out to us any time. We make it easy to do: Simply call us any time on 616-608-8254. We’d be happy to schedule your personal tour or arrange a visit with one of our senior living counselors. Of course, if you read this article and still have questions, we can help you there, too: Just contact us through our easy online form and we’ll get right back with you!
