Columbia is a good place to live at any age; so good, the college town is rated among the best places in America to retire. Citing the city’s affordability, cultural amenities and excellent medical facilities, The Milken Institute ranks Columbia No. 4 on its list of the best small cities for successful aging. “Abundant doctors,” says Forbes magazine in describing the city for its own retirement list. “Good air quality. Good bicycle environment. Good economy.”
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 15.5% of Columbia’s population is 60 or older, up from 12% in 2010. The increase has led to a spate of developments this past decade, bringing new options to town for senior housing, along with ideas for aging in place and lifetime care.
Lenoir Woods
Columbia’s best-known retirement village, Lenoir Woods, is a life plan community where residents can settle in for the rest of their lives. Owned by Lutheran Senior Services of St. Louis, the 30-acre neighborhood in southeast Columbia boasts a wealth of on-site amenities for residents — several dining venues, a movie theater, beauty salon and barbershop, chapel, community garden, dog park, indoor pool, fitness gyms, walking trails and studios for art, ceramics and woodworking, plus a health and wellness clinic, transportation services, housekeeping and home maintenance.
Residents can match their housing options to their evolving needs:
Independent living in patio homes or apartments within the Lenoir Woods retirement community with access to all amenities.
Assisted living apartments offering personalized assistance with daily tasks and medication management, housekeeping and laundry service, a daily dining plan and professional staff available 24 hours a day.
Memory care assisted living apartments in a controlled-access neighborhood designed for early to mid-stage Alzheimer’s and other memory-impaired patients with access to 24-hour licensed nursing care.
Long-term care in skilled nursing care rooms with dining and other appropriate amenities.
Lenoir also offers an annuity program for residents who need to dispose of their former home. Check with Lutheran Senior Services for details.
3710 Lenoir St., 573-876-5800, LSSLiving.org/communities/lenoir-woods-columbia-mo
Cedarhurst of Columbia
In a quiet residential neighborhood of south Columbia, Cedarhurst (formerly Provision Living) offers assisted living and memory care options for seniors. The 11-acre site includes 97 apartments — 63 assisted living and 34 memory care — designed for personalized assistance with daily tasks, round-the-clock caregivers, custom dining, housekeeping and maintenance, plus travel and recreation opportunities.
Amenities include a resident centered life-enrichment program, emergency call system, kitchenettes, a movie theater, a wellness center offering therapy and classes, spa services, beauty salon and barber shop. The pet-friendly facility is landscaped with courtyards, fireplaces and raised garden beds, all a short walk from the popular Twin Lakes recreation Area.
2333 Chapel Hill Road, 573-203-7643, CedarhurstLiving.com/location/cedarhurst-columbia-mo
Choices Galore
Senior living options abound in Columbia with endless variety. Here are a few more possibilities.
Tiger Place
Designed and developed at the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing, Americare’s Tiger Place is on the forefront of “aging in place.” The 54 full-size independent-living apartments come with a slew of services and amenities. As residents’ needs change, Tiger Place brings the correct care to residents so they can stay in place and continue in their regular routines amid the familiar comforts of home.
2910 Bluff Creek Drive, 573-355-5902, AmericareUSA.net/senior-living/mo/columbia/tiger-place
Solstice
Solstice Senior Living is independent apartment living with personalized assistance when needed. Partnerships with home-duty, personal care professionals provide therapy and wellness checks. Solstice is located amid the medical services cluster in east Columbia.
109 N. Keene St., 573-284-7796, SolsticeSeniorLivingColumbia.com
Bedford Walk
The Village of Bedford Walk offers a concierge lifestyle with full service amenities in an active senior community. Housing options include apartments and villa homes.
415 Bailey Drive, 573-203-5656, TheVillageOfBedfordWalk.com
The Terrace
Independent apartment living in a family atmosphere, The Terrace features full amenities, social opportunities and recreation with a full-time round-the-clock staff.
1408 Business Loop 70 W., 573-875-2538, TerraceRetirement.com
