What is a retirement village | Best Retirement Communities

What is a Retirement Village?

Retirement Villages, also known as retirement communities or care villages are relatively new to the New Zealand but are growing quickly, offering a variety of housing types, an extended range of facilities for older people, and attractive settings. Retirement Villages are generally large developments consisting of individual properties which are available to buy, rent or part own. The villages offer independent flats or bungalows, with central leisure facilities such as shops, swimming pools and restaurants. Depending on the provision of the individual village, residents can buy additional care provision as and when they need it, from meals to 24 hour nursing or dementia care.

What is the housing like?

The housing within a retirement village is usually an independent flat or bungalow, but one which essentially which allows people to enjoy the independence, security and privacy that comes with owning their own home and having "their own front door". There is usually no garden to worry about and people are free from the worry of maintaining a traditional home. There are normally terms relating to living in a community setting - some do not allow pets, for example, so be sure to check for any restrictions.

Where will I be living?

Each village an active community in its own right, with its own amenities and facilities. This provides opportunities for plenty of social interaction and an active lifestyle all on one site. There are usually organized activities and events which you can take part in if you wish and many communities have their own leisure centers, shops, surgeries, libraries and so on which are even more useful if you give up driving.

However, there are some points to be aware of. Smooth running can sometimes depend on the tact and skills of themanager. Other residents may try to introduce rules with which you disagree. The guest accommodation may be booked when you need it. In spite of owning your own property, you may find yourself needing to compromise on certain issues.

What care can I receive?

In general, living in a retirement village can give you access to flexible care, tailored to meet your needs at the time. It is vital that you check the provision for more care, before making your decision, as there are some villages which will expect you to find alternative accommodation if your needs cannot be provided for (check for 24 hour nursing or dementia care). Many villages have care homes or dementia homes on site, so although you may need to move from your independent flat, you will still be situated in the same community. This can be a reassurance for couples. It is important that you find out the costs of buying in any care before making your decision about a retirement village, as it can be charged as an hourly rate and costs can mount up easily. 

What should I know before buying a property? 

Keeping equity in a property can be very tempting for many people. It is a good idea to see if you can rent a property prior to purchasing however, to make sure that the community and facilities are right for you. On the assumption you decide to buy a property this would normally be on a "leasehold" basis. Typically, a lease may last for 100 years initially and when you have finished with the flat, the property could then be resold. It is important to check your options for when the property is no longer needed - are you or your family able to rent it out or sell it (most villages do not allow private leasing or private re-selling), or do you have to sell it back to the managing company? If so, how will you be assured of receiving competitive market value?

Equally, whether you are renting or buying, you will be asked to pay service charges. These are either monthly or annual payments to cover all the services provided, including building maintenance, use of village facilities, heating and lighting of communal areas, use of the fitness facilities, upkeep of the grounds, provision of staff etc. This is in addition to any care which you need to buy. These costs along with terms and conditions should be available on request from any prospective retirement village which you are considering.

Does Your Intended Retirement Village Provide Enough Technical Support?

It is important to be able to evaluate different retirement options, but what criteria are the best to use to evaluate if a retirement village has adequate technological facilities to suit your needs?

As the population becomes more 'digitally aware', the demand for current and accessible infrastructure to facilitate the technology is becoming ever greater, and more of a necessity rather than simply a desire. Contrary to what some may think, this demand for current technology is present in the aging population, and will grow in importance over the next decade.

Are you in your sixties, use social media, a 'smart phone', a laptop computer, or an iPad, or all of the above? If you are, you certainly aren't alone; on Facebook the fastest growing demographic segment is women over that age of 55. Additionally, a significant proportion of iPad users aren't the tech-savvy gadget hungry teens, as is commonly believed, but in fact elderly user. This adoption of the iPad over other computers can be attributed to its small size, adding to mobility, appropriate screen size, and most importantly ease of use. With trends such as mobile computing and social media, which are unlikely to go away in a hurry, the infrastructure to support these needs to be available for you when you choose to move in to a retirement village. As such, the following list summarizes three key components that can be used to evaluate whether or not a retirement village meets your requirements.

1) Wireless Network Access

Having appropriate wireless access points enables a large area to be serviced by a single network. The advantage of having a good wireless system is that no matter where in a complex you are, you will always be connected to the network, and through it the internet. The set-up, from a user's perspective, is simply to input a password when connecting to the network for the first time, after which it will remember the details and connect automatically. This should require no ongoing inputs, and should enable an internet connection on all appropriately fitted mobile devices. When evaluating a wireless network system, ensure that there is blanket coverage over the entire complex, and no that blind spots occur.

2) Staff

Let's face it, no one likes when their computer isn't doing what they want it to do. When choosing your retirement destination, be sure that the staff are knowledgeable in how to address any technical queries that you may have. While initial support may simply be to direct your query to someone more experienced in technical problems, it is good to know that all staff have been trained in how to address this situations accurately and efficiently. If the staff can fix your problem themselves, even better.

3) Power Points

While a seemingly trivial and nonsensical point, particularly in a short list, the issue of power points is one that needs to be considered. With our growing attachment to electronic devices, we have a growing number of devices to charge. As such, be sure that your facilities have an appropriate number of power sockets, so you aren't reaching for double-adaptor ever time you want to charge your iPad.

This issue of technological facilities in retirement villages is one that is important to consider when choosing a retirement destination, particularly for those who have come to enjoy their relationship with their gadgets. As such, I anticipate that the topic will gain much attention over the coming years, and will be an import consideration for years to come. Hopefully these criteria may assist in evaluating retirement villages

Best Retirement Communities

Retirement seems to have finally occurred and you couldn't be happier. Forget about waking up early to go to work, forget about stressing about work, now you have all the time to accomplish everything you genuinely wish to do. Needless to say you will find things to consider for instance money but you most likely have thought about as well as prepared for this way before now. An additional concern usually comes up just before retirement is if you'll continue to live inside your existing house or perhaps it is time for you to relocate to an over 60 community or possibly think about some retirement villages.

Which are the downsides regarding retirement villages?

Just like any final decision you need to ponder the possible risks which may happen when you move whether you are retired or not. Maybe the greatest disadvantage of living inside a retirement village or even a retirement house is the price. Although a retirement village isn't as costly as an elderly care facility it may be somewhat pricey due to the services which it offers. Some of the communities could be regarded as assisted living or independent living therefore you are fully aware of just how much services are offered. So it is crucial to take a look around to make certain that your final choices are one which you are able to live with in financial terms. Lots of that also is determined by the services which you purchase at the retirement village, not every one of them are exactly the same, a number of them offer more services than the others.

Many people don't like restrictions particularly when it comes to their own life style or where they live, regrettably with retirement villages or even communities there generally is rules regarding such things as the upkeep of your apartment or home. The majority of polices exist to help keep up the look and feel of the community which ultimately benefits everybody that lives there.

What are the advantages of a retirement village?

Because the human population in general is becoming older the business associated with retirement villages and also communities possess truly flourished. The variety of locations offered and the types of services which they provide differ significantly which can be great due to the fact that not all seniors or retired people require the exact same type of living accommodations.

Nobody wants to be solely by themselves on a daily basis and at a retirement village it is possible to find men and women your own age to hang out with. A lot of these communities also provide get-togethers and things to do where one can meet other folks and enjoy their company. Staying around friends can also be very healthy for seniors as it is for the majority of people.

Residing in a safe and secure neighborhood is one thing that many of us desire and it's also more essential once we become older. Retirement communities will often have plenty of security that can definitely provide the reassurance that you don't need to bother about being robbed or assaulted.

Additionally you don't have to worry about repairing things when they are broken in your residence. The majority of senior living locations offer that service. This can be a real comfort any time things go awry. 

Prior to making any choices about moving to a retirement village be sure the advantages exceed the potential issues that you may confront.