Lifestyle choices: Indiana retirement communities are offering more amenities.

• Author: Horvath, Terri

Indoor swimming pools, tennis courts, planned excursions and activities, lakeside accommodations--amenities like these might remind you of some of the features you look for when contemplating vacation plans. They also are amenities offered by many Indiana retirement communities.

The retirement communities of the '90s are for those who want to "settle back and enjoy retirement and the fellowship and companionship of others," says Bill Bramley, general manager of Summer Trace Retirement Communities in Carmel. He recognizes, as well, that many senior citizens need help, or assisted living, and their relocation to such communities is the best alternative to living completely alone.

Because of these differences in lifestyles, Summer Trace and other retirement centers typically offer three distinct levels of living arrangements:

* Independent apartments. This level of service is designed for those individuals who still cope well with all the aspects of daily living, but want to free themselves from some of the responsibilities. For this group, many retirement communities offer added attractions such as Indianapolis-based Robin Run Village's nine-hole pitch-and-putt golf course and its six fishing ponds. Advantages commonly cited by those choosing this arrangement are convenience and the fellowship of neighbors in their same age bracket.

* Assisted-living arrangements. Some residents may still be able to maneuver in their own quarters, but need some help in such everyday functions as bathing, dressing and medication reminders. At Robin Run, for example, a resident could request assistance for an hour in the morning or an hour in the afternoon, or for as long as needed.

Facilities in Indiana which provide assisted-living services must be licensed by the Indiana State Board of Health as "Residential Care" providers.

* Comprehensive health care. This state-licensing term refers to the ability of the facility to provide long-term nursing care, either for the patient's lifetime or for just a recovery period.

Many retirement communities refer to themselves as life-care or continuing-care communities. Facilities touting this kind of arrangement are designed to allow residents to move from independent apartments into the community's nursing home or into a skilled nursing home should the need arise.

Promotional material from Tanglewood Trace Retirement Center in Mishawaka defines its policy: Services need to cover those who are temporarily ill and...