Seniors exercise options

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When Raymond and Anita McFarlane, both in their 70s, moved into a retirement community a dozen years ago, it wasn't because they craved a slower pace or had medical needs.

"We wanted to stay active both physically and mentally," Mr. McFarlane says. "We looked around and discovered Leisure World. It has 100 different activities, a golf course, a fitness center."

Leisure World in Silver Spring is an active adult community, meaning it is age-restricted to people age 55 and older. It is one type of a growing number of senior housing options, including senior apartments, independent living communities, continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs), assisted living residences and nursing homes.

Sound complicated?

It can be difficult to navigate the senior housing market, says Don Redfoot, a senior policy adviser with AARP.

"On the one hand, we're seeing more and more innovation and choice. The downside is there's a lot to find out about," Mr. Redfoot says. "There is no one best choice. It's so individual."

Senior apartments and independent living communities along with active adult communities generally don't provide medical and care assistance, while the CCRCs, assisted living residences and nursing homes do, says Ken Preede, vice president for the American Seniors Housing Association, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit organization.

"[An active adult community] is like a cruise ship on land," Mr. Preede says. "There are coordinated activities, ... and you can be as active or inactive as you want to be."

Mr. Preede says active adult communities and other senior communities are a growing market.

"The number of senior apartments and independent living communities has increased by almost 10 percent in the last eight years," he says. "You can't find another real estate type with that kind of growth."