Retirement Communities Development Education and Training
Learn how to work with retirement community development
Retirement community developers use a variety of skills to provide a comfortable, functional and exciting place for seniors to live. Training for senior living community developers begins with an education in designing and planning retirement housing developments. Developers must design facilities that accommodate the needs of the seniors who live in active retirement communities.Additional project management and contractor courses can also be helpful, as retirement communities development encompasses the worlds of design, construction and medicine. Due to the special needs of seniors, retirement communities development education and training is often a combination of:
1. Colleges that offer courses in community planning and design.
2. Courses in real estate topics, including real estate development.
3. Seminars that address the common issues of a senior community development.
Consider how you will address medical needs in retirement housing development
A retirement housing development can be categorized in three ways: as an active retirement community, assisted living, or full-time care. These categories scribe the type of medical care that should be offered to residents through community resources.
Try: Many state organizations, such as the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, provide information, training, and event that relate to issues of seniors and those especially living independently at a retirement community. Assisted Living Federation of America Conference and Expo provides many educational opportunities for community developers and assisted living staff to learn about the lifestyle and medical needs of retiring seniors.
Study urban and regional planning to work as retirement village developers
Urban and regional planning courses help students learn how to design for small areas, as well as protect a property's environmental assets. Urban planners also learn how to lay out communities in a way that facilitates access to amenities. This same education can be applied to retirement community developments on a smaller scale.
Try: The University of Illinois offers a degree program in urban planning that also supports education towards regional and community planning. San Jose State University is another school that offers a bachelor's and master's degree program in urban and regional planning.
Attend seminars on topics related to senior community development
There are many seminars held through organizations for retirement community development professionals. Commonly addressed issues include finding the right site for a community, knowing how to use the surrounding environment to your advantage, and adding features to the development that make it easier for seniors to navigate.
Try: Ultimate Moves provides a seminar on how helping seniors transition into retirement communities. The class is organized for all types of groups, including developers and management companies. Lorman Educational Services offers an on-demand webinar that focuses on the challenges of senior residential design.
- Those working as retirement developers are not just designers and real estate experts. Most developers also need a strong team of accountants and financial consultants to see a community from start to finish.
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