Aging is a unique journey for every single one of us: we all have different needs and experience different levels of independence. In this episode, Lori Williams discusses the ins and outs of Independent Living, with Kristin Woods from Holiday Retirement. Kristin has worked with some of the biggest names in the senior living industry including Brookdale, where she received training in Dementia Care techniques.  In this episode, Kristin explains the biggest myths about Independent Living, who can apply and the most common fallacies of this type of senior care facility. With a growing senior population, Texas offer a plethora of options but with that it also comes a lot of overwhelming choices: Lori and Kristin explain how Independent Living can improve seniors' quality of life in a huge way and help them find a new purpose after retirement.Kristin also shares the main three things that happen when a senior moves to Independent Living, and the surprising way in which depression can affect seniors' brains! Also, stay tuned until the end to hear about why Independent Living is called the "cruise ship on the ground" and to hear incredible stories of Texas seniors who aren't holding back in their life goals even as they celebrate 107 years of life! Takeaways from this episode: -Pets are welcomed in most Independent Living facilities, including dogs, cats and birds!-Independent Living can really help seniors come out of their isolation and make the most of their 'golden years'. -COVID-19 has limited a lot of activities in senior communities but it has also become a way to learn about residents' hidden talents as more seniors volunteered for daily activities. -Holiday Retirement has 260 senior communities spread across the United States.-Many communities have transportation and all bills included (electricity, water, sewer and sometimes cable TV). -During COVID-19 Holiday Retirement enhanced their cleaning protocols, which resulted in 44% lower infection rates, compared to the national average. -Seniors are more protected against risk living in senior communities as they have people taking care of their grocery shopping, driving them to doctors appointments and having a registered professional ensuring their medication is set correctly. -Senior communities offer both indoor and outdoor options for seniors to stay active and get their daily steps!  Connect to Kristin Woods, Regional Director Of Sales And Marketing at Holiday Retirement:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-woods-46b9939/https://www.holidaytouch.com/https://www.facebook.com/kristin.woods.5682https://www.instagram.com/kristin.woods.1874/ If you wish to suggest a topic, be a guest or want to support the podcast please email Lori@Loriwilliams-seniorservices.com or reach out online: https://www.facebook.com/LoriWilliamsSeniorServices/https://www.instagram.com/theloriwilliams/https://www.linkedin.com/in/theloriwilliams/https://loriwilliams-seniorservices.com/aging-in-style-podcast/