Retirement

Ahhhhhh, retirement. No more punching the time clock, fighting the rush-hour traffic, dealing with office politics, or waiting endlessly for that two-week vacation to roll around. You’re finally free from decades of the workday world. But what to do with all that time? Well, if you’re living or wintering in Tucson, your choices are almost infinite. Stroll through the many historic neighborhoods and parks, or hike or bike along the rivers and washes. Play golf or tennis every day of the year if you want. Visit the many museums and art galleries around town. Explore fascinating attractions like Tucson Botanical Gardens, Pima Air and Space Museum, or Colossal Cave. Mingle with the wildlife at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum or Reid Park Zoo. Go to a nearby senior center and make new friends. Volunteer at a local hospital or school. No wonder AARP The Magazine ranked Tucson number one on its list of Best Places to Live!

Overview

If you really want to get into the lifestyle of an active older adult, consider one of the many retirement communities for which Tucson is famous. They offer carefree living (as in “leave the driving and cooking to us”). Take your meals in elegant dining rooms, leave the housecleaning to the maids, forget about any household repairs or yard work, and simply hop on the van for weekly trips to the grocery store. But beyond that, they have activities galore—swimming; walking; playing shuffleboard, billiards, or cards; dancing; learning crafts; putting on the green; working out in the exercise room; taking a group excursion; or just finding a good book in the library—and lots of neighbors to share them with. All of this awaits you in one of Tucson’s retirement apartment communities.

Or maybe you like the idea of having lots of activities and people to share them with but still want to own your own home. In that case, the Tucson area is a mecca of retirement communities and subdivisions. The Del Webb Corporation, famous for its Sun City (near Phoenix), created similar communities here, including Sun City Vistoso and Sunflower. And don’t forget about Green Valley just south of Tucson. It’s a huge community with most subdivisions exclusively for older adults. (And heaven if you’re a golfer.)

Still another option is adult communities that feature manufactured or prebuilt homes where you buy the house, lot, and a carport or garage as a package, and pay home owner fees for maintenance of the common areas and facilities. You’re still a homeowner, but the cost is usually less than buying in a regular senior subdivision.

There’s even another alternative for adults who like the active lifestyle—­living or wintering in your mobile home or RV. Tucson has many mobile communities exclusively for adults, complete with lots of activities and amenities to fill up your days and evenings. And if you don’t own your own home on wheels, you can usually rent one of theirs.

Many seniors can no longer live independently, and Tucson has a number of residential options for them. For example, some of the independent-living apartments covered in this chapter also offer assisted living, in-home care, or other related services. So you can choose to live in a retirement apartment and still get some daily help. There are many adult-care homes and nursing homes available here as well.

Whatever lifestyle you’re in search of—independent or assisted or just some ideas on how to spend your time constructively—be sure to read the Resource Roundup section of the chapter. We present some important resources for older adults—places to contact for everything from Meals on Wheels to exercise classes and from nursing homes to in-home care.