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As the years fly by, you may find yourself wondering where would be the best place to live in your retirement. For some people there’s no question, they want to stay in their family home surrounded by memories with everything they know close by. For others, they may be looking for a simpler, more stress-free life for their senior years. We look at two retirement living options available, including the considerations for staying in the family home versus living in a retirement village.
Choosing to spend your senior years in your family home means that you stay in an environment you know and love. A place where you’ve built a lifetime of memories and have your rituals and routines. You will be surrounded by everything you know, a neighbourhood you’re familiar with and close to the social networks you’ve built over many years.
If you’re someone who values your independence and you have established routines that are important you, then this may be the right choice. Staying in the family works best for those with strong family and social networks, as loneliness and isolation is a higher risk for those ageing in their own home.
Staying in the family home means upkeep of home repairs and gardening.
Retirement villages are the most common and well-known retirement living option in Australia. A major feature of this style of retirement living option is the sense of community, with residents creating an informal support network and social groups. Increasingly, retirement villages also offer access to flexible care and support. This will give peace of mind, knowing that should your needs change in the future you can receive suitable care. Having the right support also means that you can stay safely in your home for longer.
Retirement villages are especially popular with both singles and couples aged over 65 years, who want more security and support while living independently. You can have an active social life and go travelling without worrying about day-to-day property maintenance or gardening needs that are taken care of by village staff.
Designed to provide safe and secure homes as we age, retirement villages should have no, or very few steps in the home (or the village), corridors and doorways are wider, bathrooms are adapted for mobility devices and each home is fitted out with a 24-hour emergency call button.
There are several different types of retirement villages, and each offers a different range of accommodation choices from single family homes, townhouses, villas, and apartments.
Retirement villages can also have an array of amenities ranging from gyms, heated indoor swimming pools and billiards rooms through to tennis courts, bowling greens and more. Many offer services such as cleaning and laundry services, and transportation, as well as a diversity of sporting and social activities and facilities.
In many villages, small pets are welcome and residents love inviting family and friends to visit.
With so much choice, it is important to educate yourself on what each village offers and what suits your lifestyle. Be sure to visit a number of them before making a decision.
The vast majority of village homes are leasehold, meaning you do not own them. So, just like buying an apartment or townhouse, it is important that you read your contract and seek independent advice to review the contract before you sign on the dotted line.
Having a complete understanding of upfront, ongoing and outgoing village costs is also important. One of the attributes of retirement villages that many people find attractive is the certainty it offers. From the day you move in, you will know the outgoing payment you will receive. In uncertain times, you may find it comforting to know where you stand financially. If that is you, a retirement village could be for you.
It’s important to consider how your care needs will be supported as you get older. Many retirement villages offer some form of onsite care, while others are co-located within an aged care home. While you may not need care now, you may in the future and the type of care and support provided in your retirement village will determine if you can remain living in your home or if you will need to move to a residential aged care facility.
When Gordon Crawford moved into Tarragal Glen Retirement Village, he discovered a caring community that he wasn’t expecting. Without having to worry about maintaining a large home, Gordon now has time to enjoy life more and take up old and new hobbies.
“I loved that I was able to take up table tennis after a gap of 40 years and have now also embraced snooker for the first time ever!” says Gordon. “We enjoy social events such as BBQ Night where occasionally we have live music. Coffee Corner, Lunch Box, Drinks at four.
For Chris and Judy Restom, residents at The Verge at Burleigh, they hadn’t considered moving to a retirement village when they decided to downsize from their large home, but it ended up being the perfect solution.
“We are socially more active now than we were in our house. I reckon that’s good when people get older. Too many people have Nanas and Pops sitting alone in their room, contemplating their navels because there’s nothing to do. It’s very dispiriting.”
