To attract new residents in today’s market, retirement communities need to flaunt their “Fs,” says Suzanne Black.

Black, AARP’s North Carolina associate director, points to what experts on aging call the “three Fs”: fun, food and fellowship. They are key elements to the desired lifestyle of today’s retirement-age population, she said.

Add to those another “F” – fitness – and you have the fundamental amenities successful retirement communities are offering these days.

“Today’s consumer expectations are at the level of luxury travel and cruises. We want to match that lifestyle,” said Zane Bennett, executive director of Wilmington’s Plantation Village, a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) established in1988 and expanded in recent years.

One aspect of Plantation Village’s efforts to meet those expectations is through its food service.

“We have an executive chef and a pastry chef. We are really competing with country clubs and high-end restaurants,” Bennett said, noting that Plantation Village’s kitchen partners with Feast Down East to obtain farm-fresh produce and is one of only a handful of local commercial kitchens to serve certified Angus beef.

Executive Chef John Balderson provides a menu that changes regularly but retains favorite selections such as filet, crab cake and catch of the day. Pastry Chef Jessica O’Mara prepares five or six different desserts each day, Bennett added.

As part of its 2015-16 expansion and remodeling, Plantation Village added a bar to its Magnolia Room dining facility. Having a restaurant-style is “a must,” according to Bennett.

“We now have beer on draft,” he said. “You would not have seen this [at CCRCs] even a few years ago.”

Two Wilmington retirement communities that opened in 2015 also tout their food service options.

“It’s important that there is more than one dining option,” said Jerry Cooper, director of marketing for Liberty Senior Living. He listed food service options at Liberty’s new Carolina Bay at Autumn Hall community: a white-linen and wait-staff dining room, a pub and a market grill. 

Cambridge Village residents can choose a food service format that fits their mood or needs, according to the new community’s director of marketing, Beverly Booth.

The main dining room has an extensive menu that changes seasonally and offers daily specials, Booth said. Then there’s a pub, which posts the same menu but has a more casual atmosphere. In the clubhouse is a café, where residents can order food to eat there or take out.

Opportunities to congregate around food and drink help build a sense of community at these retirement properties, but wide-ranging activities connect residents with shared interests. 

At all three, those activities include hobby-related classes and centers, educational programs through Osher Lifelong Learning Center and other sources, physical activities – such as Carolina Bay’s biking club and Plantation Village’s water aerobics classes – and access to entertainment, both on campus and off, with transportation provided.

Demand for on-campus events means there must be space to hold them. Plantation Village has a new 375-person auditorium, complete with a stage. As part of its Phase Two expansion, Cambridge Village will build a multi-purpose events space. That’s where classes, lectures and the village’s monthly event series will take place. 

Those events give residents an opportunity to participate and invite family and friends to see what Cambridge Village is all about, Booth said.

“There will be a murder mystery dinner, a dinner dance, a wine tasting and art show, a casino night,” she said. “Last year, we picked a different charity for each event. This year we picked one charity, so all events benefit Good Shepherd Center. This ties into what our residents want: They want to give back to the community; they don’t just want to be entertained.”

Today’s retirement community population is not retiring from the world, Cooper said.

“I think folks are looking for a very active community, with activities taking pace within the community and connection to the larger community as well,” he said. “Folks moving into newer communities [like Carolina Bay] are choosing it for the lifestyle.” 

Many of Plantation Village’s resident events and activities are initiated and run by residents themselves, Bennett said.

“It would be a mistake to think [staff members] are in the driver’s seat. Residents are active contributors,” he said, pointing to Plantation Village’s volunteer-led library as an example. “We are here to provide supportive spaces and services, then get out of the way,” he said. “Residents ask: ‘What clubs can I be in? What committees can I serve on?’ They are making decisions and helping influence life here.”

To maintain the active lifestyle they prize, today’s retirees need to remain healthy and fit.

“We have found the wellness program, working into a healthy lifestyle is extremely important,” Cooper said. “We have a wellness director and two personal trainers. Our tai chi, meditation and yoga classes have been extremely well received. There’s a high participation rate in our wellness activities.”

Booth said that Cambridge Village’s fitness center was an important element in the property’s design.

“Having that on the campus and part of our rent format is a huge bonus for people,” she said. “They testify to how much their health has improved. That’s a big part of what comes to mind as far as amenities we offer.”

Carolina Bay and Cambridge Village encourage their residents to take advantage of the walking/biking opportunities around their Eastwood Road locations. Plantation Village has its own walking trails in addition to its fitness center.

When residents do get sick or find their health declining, they can move easily into assisted living or skilled nursing arrangements, thanks to Carolina Bay’s own health care facilities and – in the case of Plantation Village and Cambridge Village – to agreements with the Davis Community to provide a continuum of care. Cambridge Village will have assisted living-type service in 30 units when its Phase Two is complete.

Black, of AARP, cautions that only 5 percent of older adults choose – or can afford – to live in retirement communities.

“The trend is staying in your own home with people coming in to your home to keep you there,” she said.

Still, CCRCs and other comprehensive retirement communities have a significant audience to which they can market their amenities. Black points to statistics that show North Carolina as third in the nation in terms of in-migration and migration of residents within the state who might well choose the Wilmington area for retirement. 

Currently, her organization is working with the city of Wilmington to earn an Age-Friendly Community designation, meaning that infrastructure is in place to keep seniors active and healthy. Such a designation may be in the cards for New Hanover County as well, she said.