Retirement communities can play an active role in how aged care is delivered and ultimately keep people out of hospital longer.
That’s the key takeaway from a recent report in the UK.
The study, co-authored by Associated Retirement Community Operators (ARCO) and the County Councils Network, sought to understand the health and wellbeing impact of a move into a retirement village.
And the findings are quite interesting.
For instance, the study showed new residents’ unplanned hospital stays reduced from 8-14 days to around about 1-2 days.
New residents were also shown by be 75% more physically active, have 23% less anxiety and 87% said they never or hardly ever felt lonely after moving into a retirement community.
“Lockdown has demonstrated the reality of what a lot of elderly people are living with, in terms of the negative impact that loneliness and isolation has. It’s given many people an insight into that situation,” says Dr Ed Gladman, MD of Adlington Retirement Living.
“I think some people have a perception of retirement communities, sitting around and doing nothing. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
“We offer the best of both worlds. Our Homeowners can enjoy the privacy of their own peaceful and spacious apartment, but there’s also a thriving community that they can dip into whenever they want to.”
It’s important to note the UK retirement system is a little different to the Australian one – only 0.6% of over-65s in the UK live in a retirement community there compared to around a tenth here – but there are some lessons we can use here in Australia.
COVID lockdown have been an eye-opener for all of us, and if they’ve proven one thing it’s the importance of staying active and connected.
These are both benefits a retirement village delivers.
