Tags: Ft. Myers, Retirement, Retirement Community, Rosemont, Shellpoint
I recently visited a family member who just moved into Shellpoint Retirement Community. It is a retirement-care solution that has a distinct resort feel to it. Their official mission, taken from their website is,
We are a continuing care retirement community providing independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, and a variety of amenities and support services for people 60 and older.
They claim they are one of the largest lifecare places in the world, but if they mean by acreage, I do not doubt it. The first thing you notice is the sheer size of the place. It has been growing out of an original 1968 location called The Island. The current digs are very posh and modern indeed. Because of the growth, they are able to offer something for almost anyone who is looking to transition to a living situation that can adapt as you age and require more care.
Bird’s-eye view of the newer section. Rosemont, the one I visited, is in the center.
It is located around the Sanibel, Florida area. I was there in the heat and humidity of the Florida mid-summer, so I was particularly impressed the weather had done nothing to suppress the extremely friendly residents I had the chance to speak with. You cannot get far before you run into someone who tells the newbies how much they love living there and then, like clockwork, out spills the vast array of activities available to residents.
I suppose those are always the best testimonials–random encounters with people who live there. It certainly made me think positively of the place. No wonder TV. commercials are always using testimonials! It worked its magic on me in the case of Shellpoint.
I do not play golf, but wish I did, so their golf course looked inviting. As I am not a golfer, I will not make any proclamations if it’s any good or not, but one thing is for sure–golf carts abound in the whole place. It seems to be the preferred method for getting around, golf or no golf. You cannot see the golf course in the bird’s-eye picture above, but it is just off the picture to the east.
Shellpoint is basically a housing and care arrangement that is insurance-based in its cost structure. You pay a certain entrance fee, depending on living unit, and then a monthly amount based on your choice of future care that fits your need. To Shellpoint’s credit, this is all clearly spelled out on their website, and I will provide the link for it at the bottom of this blog post.
Their website is complete and informative, but there is still nothing like visiting a place. I stayed in the Rosemont building in a unit of 2,044 square feet and, while not the largest unit, it was quite impressive. The master bathroom was so large you could literally have played a nice game of duckpin bowling in it. At one point, we realized we were chatting at length in the bathroom instead of moving to the living room…it’s that big!
Walkways abound. This is looking at the main lobby area connecting Oakdale and Rosemont.
Yuki is wondering where the bathroom ends. Skeeter the cat seems impressed.
View from the Rosement unit screened-in porch.
I was able to take a tour of The Island portion, which is older but with a fun Key West sort of feel. Around that older portion is a canal or river, I never did find out exactly which, but residents have kayaks stationed on the banks. I also saw individual garden plots that people use to exercise their green thumb. The plots were clearly taken care of with a lot of love. It was pretty.
Yuki and I had a great time staying at Shellpoint. It really does look like a place that would take the stress out of what to do when you need to move from your current home or living situation to assisted living and then possibly a nursing home. It is all there, so there doesn’t become a break in your lifestyle. In the end, the glowing reviews of current residents I ran into convinced me more than the pretty scenery, but it sure does look nice as well!
Here is the link for the general website, but also one about the pricing. It is rare that a place will so publicly share the cost portion of the program. They have nothing to hide it seems. Good for them!
http://www.shellpoint.org/index.html
http://www.shellpoint.org/pricing/