Senior Living Apartments in Springfield, IL

If you have the financial means, rent and other fees in a senior apartment are typically covered by your personal finances. However, there are some low-income housing support resources like Housing Choice Vouchers that may help with senior apartment costs.

Rent in a senior apartment is not covered by public assistance options such as Medicare and Medicaid. However, public insurance benefits like these may offer some relief from financial burdens of home health care costs, should you ever need in-home care.

Illinois senior apartments are limited to tenants aged 55 and older, as required by the Illinois Administrative Code.^[03] However, families and children of seniors may be able to live in senior apartments, as long as residents verify that at least one member of their household meets the age minimum.

Illinois tenants’ rights

In Illinois rental properties, including senior apartments, you’re entitled to certain standards in your apartment. Landlord obligations to tenants include the following:^[04]

• Compliance with local building codes for health and safety standards
• Maintenance and necessary repairs
• Keeping of individual unit fit for habitation
• Informing tenants of rental increase in advance of making the increase (seven days prior for a week-to-week lease, 30 days prior for a month-to-month lease)

Illinois tenants’ obligations

As a tenant, you will have your own responsibilities to uphold. Illinois tenant obligations include the following:^[04]

• On-time payment of rent
• Payment of utility bills if required in the lease agreement
• Keeping of the living unit clean and undamaged
• Refraining from altering the apartment or unit without first receiving landlord approval
• Providing landlord with proper notice of a move, or else forfeiture of security deposit

ADA compliance for Springfield senior apartments

Multifamily communities, such as senior apartments, are required to maintain compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This entails making reasonable accommodations and modifications for individuals who have disabilities. Federal law also protects individuals with disabilities from being denied residency.

ADA reasonable accommodations

Reasonable accommodations require making adjustments to apartment policies so that tenants with disabilities are able to be included in any activities or amenities that the rest of the tenants are offered. Accommodations may require the apartment property manager to offer tenants with disabilities the following:

• Convenient parking
• Monthly rent due date adjusted to correspond to tenant’s disability payments
• Equal access to the property’s communal areas or activities

ADA modifications

Modifications often include making alterations to the property and apartment unit that make it more accessible to tenants with disabilities. Alterations may include installing things like the following:

• Wheelchair ramp
• Hands-free entrances and exits
• Bathroom handrails

The costs of these modifications are the property owner’s responsibility, rather than the responsibility of the tenant who needs them.^[05]

Illinois Department of Health – Springfield locations

[1] IDH home page

[2] 535 W. Jefferson St.

Springfield, IL 62761

Phone: 217-782-4977

[3] 825 N. Rutledge St.

Springfield, IL 62702

Phone: 217-782-6562

[4] 422 S. Fifth St.

Springfield, IL 62701

Phone: 217-558-0560

COVID-19 regulations for Springfield senior apartments

There are currently no COVID-19 regulations in place for senior apartments in Springfield.

Springfield senior apartments offer you some of the perks of independent living at a more manageable cost. Senior apartments generally provide more amenities and services than most all-ages apartment communities. Like most senior living communities, senior apartments provide a low-maintenance home life, where you can relinquish the worries of lawn care and routine repairs.

Community amenities

In your Springfield senior apartment, you can take advantage of community-wide amenities that make your daily routine rich without any additional fees. Community amenities in Springfield senior apartment communities typically include some or all of the following:

• Swimming pools
• Fitness centers
• Recreational areas, such as game rooms or activity centers
• TV and movie lounges
• Outdoor courtyards
• Salon and barber services
• Planned social activities
• On-site management staff
• Home maintenance services
• Private storage units

Private amenities

Regardless of the senior apartment community you choose, you’ll enjoy a private apartment with everything you need for a cozy living space, such as the following:

• Full kitchens
• Private balconies or patios
• High-speed internet
• Wheelchair accessibility
• Bathtubs
• Walk-in closets
• Heating and central air conditioning

Springfield luxury senior apartments

When seeking the right Springfield senior apartment, you’ll have options for various floor plan sizes, number of bedrooms, high rise or ground floor preferences, locations, and more. You’ll also find some luxury senior apartment options in Springfield, which offer the same amenities as any other senior apartment community, plus a few that are more lavish, such as the following:

• Concierge services
• Dining and meal services
• Housekeeping services
• Fitness classes

Luxury senior apartments offer a few more time-saving amenities than standard senior apartments, but are less care-centered and insulated than independent living communities, creating a happy medium between the two lifestyle types.

Health care for seniors in Springfield

Springfield is home to several reputable hospitals and medical centers where you can receive exceptional person-centered care.

Transportation for seniors in Springfield

Downtown Springfield is pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly, and it has a good public transportation system. If you intend to live in a senior apartment close to the city center, getting around and taking care of errands with no vehicle should be manageable. Farther out from the city center, however, you’ll be more likely to require a car.

Springfield’s public transit system is called Sangamon Mass Transit District, or SMTD, and it operates fixed-route bus services. The buses run Monday through Saturday, with daytime routes from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and nighttime routes until 10 p.m. All SMTD buses are ADA compliant, but for those whose disabilities cause them to need additional accommodations, the SMTD offers Access Sangamon rides. Seniors wishing to use Access Sangamon are required to apply for the service.

Walk Score gives Springfield the following transportation scores, out of 100:^[07]

Senior activities in Springfield

Perhaps most famous for being the home of Abraham Lincoln, Springfield is rich in American history and so much more. Springfield boasts the Route 66 Twin Drive In movie theater, and its own Frank Lloyd Wright house. You’ll have many arts and entertainment options, outdoor activities and scenic nature centers to choose from, as well as local dining, shopping, and more.

Springfield outdoors

Springfield’s Midwestern locale offers a mild climate, with more good weather days than bad ones. Lake Springfield is a popular destination, especially for boating, kayaking, fishing, or just having a nice refreshing dip in the cool fresh water.

Springfield has a number of vast parks, ideal for walking, hiking, and bicycling — and you can take your pup along too. Several of Springfield’s most popular parks include the following:

• Adams Wildlife Sanctuary
• Riverside Park
• Sangamon Valley Bike Trail
• Lincoln Memorial Garden and Nature Center
• Stuart Park Dog Run
• Veterans Memorial Pool

If golf is your favorite way to unwind and be in nature, you’ve got several courses to choose from in Springfield.

• Brookhills Golf Club
• Bergen Park Golf Course
• Lincoln Greens Golf Course
• Pasfield Golf Course
• Piper Glen Golf Club
• The Oaks Golf Course

Historic Springfield

In Springfield, you’ll see Honest Abe on almost every street corner. If you love a little challenge and want to explore the city at the same time, pick up an Explorer Passport and participate in Abe’s Hat Hunt. Or, you can visit one of the many historic sites in Springfield, such as the home or tomb of Abraham Lincoln, or one of the other sites commemorating significant periods in his presidency.

• Lincoln’s New Salem
• The Lincoln Home
• Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
• Old State Capitol
• Lincoln’s Tomb

Springfield Shopping and Dining

Springfield has much to offer in the way of retail therapy, and a myriad of food and dining choices. Springfield’s has an incredible list of locally owned and operated restaurants — so you can eat the flavors of the city and support small businesses while you do. Springfield has its own famous dishes — all of them delicious, none of them lean! Try the Springfield horseshoe sandwich on thick-cut Texas toast, the cozy dog, Springfield chilli, and more. If sweets are more your thing, stop in to Pease’s Candy at BUNN Gourmet for fine, locally made chocolates or The Cake Shoppe for the famous Mary Todd Lincoln cake.

Between meals, you can shop till you drop at Springfield’s many local shops, including boutiques, record shops, vintage and consignment stores, flea markets, and souvenir shops. Pop in for a locally made libation at one of Springfield’s many bars and wineries.