As the world becomes more progressive and fast-paced, it leaves limited time for personal lives, leading to individuals becoming more self-centric.
Age brings with it a slowing down of the pace of life and certain limitations due to health, affecting our choices, our perspective on life, and how we would like to live it. After labouring your entire lives, you look forward to the retirement years, when you can finally live at your own pace and according to your liking. This natural change is, at times, diametrically opposite to the lives of the young generation, often leading to stressful situations in the family. Thankfully, there are other retirement options as well.
Retirement villages aim to fill this gap and meet the need in society to serve elders and away from the typical family system. A home away from home, living in a community of peers, and enjoying the fruits of your labour in retirement are all significant reasons to live in a retirement village.
Why should old retirees live in a retirement community?
There are several factors that could drive the choice of living in a retirement community. Here are some factors that make sense:
- Home life can get lonely: However loving and caring the children might be, there is only so much time they can spend with you while working hard to live their lives and earn a living. Time spent together depends on their schedules, leaving you ample time alone with no one to interact with or care for your needs. Add to this the generational gap, which may make you feel out of place and create a market for companionship with your age group. Seeking out friends regularly is neither practical nor feasible. Retirement villages offer community living with other seniors with similar life choices as you, all under one roof.
- Security and care: While your home might be fitted with the latest security systems like cameras and alarms, it can still be vulnerable. Add to this the stress and effort of checking whenever someone is at the door, or you hear a strange noise. Homes are also not senior-friendly, with polished, slippery floors, accident-prone bathrooms, and stairs with no fittings, etc., to provide support. Accidents at home are possible when you are home alone with no one to assist or provide aid. On the other hand, retirement living in Australia is planned and designed to make the residents’ lives as secure and safe as possible, with round-the-clock security and caretakers.
- Loss of Independence: As age progresses, you become more and more reliant on others for basic needs, affecting your independence. The passing of decision-making to the next generation is a natural biological process where they run their home as per their perspective. Not only may this be difficult to accept for someone who has been the head of the family, but it also makes you dependent on them for needs like meals, commuting, visiting the washroom, etc. Assisted living in retirement villages is thoughtfully organised, considering all your needs without you having to ask for it or help in moving around and travelling. Retirement living has options for you to choose from, befitting your requirements, which are organised per your requirements mentioned at the time of admission.
- Social circle: Living at home as a senior brings limitations to all the activities that earlier used to be regular and seamless. This includes meeting and visiting friends who might live far away and similarly depend on their families to move around. Living in retirement villages with your peer group expands your social circle without stressing over how to meet or spend time with your friends. The retirement villages have myriad activities, games, outings, workshops, and more to enjoy as a community. You will never feel isolated, alone, or constricted again, retaining your independence and quality of life.
- Free of responsibilities: Retirement living in Australia brings freedom from daily chores and obligations you must fulfil while living at home. These years are meant to be a time for yourself, pursuing and enjoying the activities you have always wanted to pursue but could not due to your responsibilities towards your home and family. Retirement villages free you of all the chores, with professionally trained staff to maintain and maintain the living quarters and the grounds. The retirement villages take care of services like laundry, housekeeping, meal planning, and cooking.
The benefits of living in a retirement community include the choice to live a well-deserved life of pampering and being taken care of without any worries, without compromising your independence or being dependent on or bound by someone’s schedules and moods.