Why I love living in a retirement village
Written for Stuff by Brian Colegate - Retirement village resident in Paraparaumu
There has been a lot of commentary and talk about retirement villages lately, but not much from those people like me living in villages.
Critics often paint a dire picture of retirement village living, imply older New Zealanders like me are hood-winked into contracts and denied basic liberties.
That certainly doesn’t tally with my experiences as a resident or those of the many others I interviewed for a book published last year.
I lost my wife five years ago, and I was living alone in a three-bedroom house and decided to offer it to my daughter and her family. She graciously declined as she didn’t want to move, she also said, “But you never know what is around the corner, Dad.” That got me thinking about how me living alone in a big house would become a worry for my family.
I involved them in the process of looking for the right village for me, and their only concern was ensuring that my general lifestyle would not be jeopardised.
I didn’t have difficulties understanding my Occupation Right Agreement (ORA) when I moved into a retirement village three years ago, and I still don’t.
Yes, the main complaint about retirement villages is the financial formula, but that’s something you take into account before you make the decision to move in. I knew about the lack of capital gains and deferred management fees, and so did my family.
But I came in with eyes wide open. I wasn’t simply buying into a unit, I was buying into something much bigger, freedom from carrying out exterior maintenance, safety and security, companionship and wellbeing. I knew exactly what charges there would be and when I get my monthly invoice, there are no surprises.
The main complaint about retirement villages is the financial formula but that’s something you take into account before you make the decision to move in.
The process is transparent. You are obliged to engage a solicitor to support you in the process and ensure you fully understand what you are signing up to. Ideally, family members will be involved in that process too.
I do agree the complaints process for retirement villages needs to be tightened up – but that’s happening.
I wrote a book because I saw there was lots of information available for people thinking of moving into a retirement village, in brochures or the internet. However, I thought it would be useful to have all the facts together in a hard copy that potential residents and their family could read together, and which also reflected residents’ experiences.
I interviewed people living in retirement villages run by a range of different operators in the Wellington region and beyond. I sent out more than 180 questionnaires and received 90 responses.
Of these, 83 people said they liked living in retirement villages, four said it was “great” and three that it was “okay”. No maintenance worries, companionship, security and health care featured strongly as benefits – many people commented: “Don’t leave it too late”.
Security speaks for itself and a lot of people have commented to me, in the wake of the pandemic, that they are so glad they moved to a supportive village community ahead of that.
Many people, who are still very active like me, start out in villages living in a villa. Later, they might move to an apartment or a serviced apartment where they can have their cleaning done and meals delivered.
That certainly doesn’t tally with my experiences as a resident or those of the many others I interviewed for a book published last year.
I lost my wife five years ago, and I was living alone in a three-bedroom house and decided to offer it to my daughter and her family. She graciously declined as she didn’t want to move, she also said, “But you never know what is around the corner, Dad.” That got me thinking about how me living alone in a big house would become a worry for my family.
I involved them in the process of looking for the right village for me, and their only concern was ensuring that my general lifestyle would not be jeopardised.
I didn’t have difficulties understanding my Occupation Right Agreement (ORA) when I moved into a retirement village three years ago, and I still don’t.
Yes, the main complaint about retirement villages is the financial formula, but that’s something you take into account before you make the decision to move in. I knew about the lack of capital gains and deferred management fees, and so did my family.
But I came in with eyes wide open. I wasn’t simply buying into a unit, I was buying into something much bigger, freedom from carrying out exterior maintenance, safety and security, companionship and wellbeing. I knew exactly what charges there would be and when I get my monthly invoice, there are no surprises.
The main complaint about retirement villages is the financial formula but that’s something you take into account before you make the decision to move in.
The process is transparent. You are obliged to engage a solicitor to support you in the process and ensure you fully understand what you are signing up to. Ideally, family members will be involved in that process too.
I do agree the complaints process for retirement villages needs to be tightened up – but that’s happening.
I wrote a book because I saw there was lots of information available for people thinking of moving into a retirement village, in brochures or the internet. However, I thought it would be useful to have all the facts together in a hard copy that potential residents and their family could read together, and which also reflected residents’ experiences.
I interviewed people living in retirement villages run by a range of different operators in the Wellington region and beyond. I sent out more than 180 questionnaires and received 90 responses.
Of these, 83 people said they liked living in retirement villages, four said it was “great” and three that it was “okay”. No maintenance worries, companionship, security and health care featured strongly as benefits – many people commented: “Don’t leave it too late”.
Security speaks for itself and a lot of people have commented to me, in the wake of the pandemic, that they are so glad they moved to a supportive village community ahead of that.
Many people, who are still very active like me, start out in villages living in a villa. Later, they might move to an apartment or a serviced apartment where they can have their cleaning done and meals delivered.
Ultimately, they may need to move into a care facility with hospital-level service. All those options are available in my village, so you can make choices that meet your changing needs while remaining in the same community.
At the present time, I am coordinating a project involving 117 villagers who live alone, addressing activities, which they are or may be interested in.
The range of activities is wide, covering board games, crafts, entertainment, sporting activities, health and wellbeing. The outdoor field of play includes croquet, petanque and outdoor bowls.
On the social scene, there is a weekly happy hour in the village leisure centre from 4.30 to 6.00 pm, followed by a fortnightly residents’ dinner in the village restaurant. We had over a hundred villagers attend the last dinner.
For many people, moving to a retirement village brings peace of mind for them and for their children – and you can’t put a price on that.
Former public servant Brian Colegate lives in a retirement village in Paraparaumu. A former Kapiti Coast District Councillor, he has written two books including Retirement Villages - Residents’ Verdict, published in July 2020.