Retirement villages, a relatively new development in the UK, are proving
popular with older people as places to live, according to research for the
Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Attracted by having ‘your own front door’ in homes
especially designed for later life and with on-site care and support available
day and night, older people also have more opportunities to make friends and to
lead an active life.
The research also found evidence that retirement villages were good news for
local communities, by helping health and social care providers to deliver health
and community services more efficiently. On-site care and support in retirement
villages can lead to fewer hospital admissions and promote earlier discharge,
generating cost savings for acute hospital trusts.
Moreover, as older people move into homes specially developed for them,
significant numbers of family homes, previously under-occupied, can become
available to ease housing shortages. Retirement villages can also stimulate
local economies by creating jobs and by residents’ support of local shops and
facilities.
The study, by Karen Croucher, Research Fellow at the Centre for Housing Policy,
University of York, also looked at how retirement villages can be made
affordable to older people with different levels of income. Some schemes were
addressing the issue of affordability by offering properties that could be
rented, part-owned or bought outright. Research has found evidence of older
people willing to forgo home-ownership, not only to release equity to fund their
care needs, but also to free themselves from the responsibilities of owning a
property.
As yet there are only a few retirement villages in the UK, examples being
Hartrigg Oaks in York, Westbury Fields in Bristol, and Ryfields in Warrington.
They usually have more than 100 dwellings, allowing certain economies of scale,
and for the provision of amenities such as cafés, fitness suites, and craft
rooms. Older people living in the wider community can often access these
amenities too.
Karen Croucher said: « The study shows that retirement villages have great
potential to expand the choices of living arrangements for older people as well
as having benefits not just confined to those who live there. But perhaps the
strongest messages are from the residents of retirement villages themselves as
studies consistently show high levels of satisfaction with the combination of
independence, security, support and companionship that the schemes offer. »
For further information, please contact:
Karen Croucher: 01904 321480 (office) | klc1@york.ac.uk
Issued by Sue Everard, JRF Press Office: 01904 615958 | sue.everard@jrf.org.uk
All of the above text is a press release provided by the quoted organization.
globalagingtimes.com accepts no responsibility for their accuracy.
