Good description of senior living cooperatives, Diane.

A few other things I might add:

There are some co-ops that are now building being built, and you can get into them and custom design your apartment. Those that have been around for a while require you to be on a waiting list, costing sometimes $200-$500, refundable at any time. The cool thing about the co-ops is that they are self run; i.e., the policies and such are set by committees that are staffed by residents. They generally have one coordinator or manager, and one or more maintenance people. Minimal staffing. In Minnesota they are in Mankato, lots and lots in the Twin Cities; in Winona, and other places. The concept began decades ago in Minnesota so there are probably more here than anywhere else. they are building lots of them in Colorado and many other states. My wife and I hope to relocate to one soon. It’s a bit of a crapshoot as to when you can get into one from being on the waiting list. So if you own your home, once you find a co-op apartment you want, you generally have to move fast to secure it, (no closing costs ) and sell your house as soon as you can as well.

A huge allure for us is that the apartments are generally sold far below market value, and the monthly fee makes your expenses entirely predictable, since you don’t have to worry about repairs and maintenance, property taxes, and such.

Many co-ops will give money toward report replacing kitchen appliances etc.

The apartments are often many different sizes and they vary in quality.

We are SO looking forward to not having to mow the grass on our 5 acres in the country, shovel snow, worry about replacing a roof etc. and having a community of fellow seniors. And being able to simply walk out the door, lock your apartment and travel without worries.

We will be going into a community with at least one good college or university, so that there is some young and vital energy in the town. Good luck with your search!