I was watching a video yesterday produced by Consumer Affairs Victoria which featured a couple’s reflection on joining a retirement village. Among their first comments they said, “It took a bit of getting used to because everyone is old. We discovered everyone is old.”
It always fascinates me when people say things like that because, regardless of our own chronological age, we always seem to perceive ‘other people’ as ‘old’ – not ourselves.
And ‘old’ is seen as something to be avoided at all costs. Despite taking the decision to join a ‘retirement village’ – which by definition is a community of residents who have retired and who are therefore going to be at least in their 60s but also in their 70s, 80s and 90s – this couple seems surprised.
They seem to be saying, gosh, we didn’t realise we were going to be surrounded by ‘old’ people! Now, setting aside a whole other argument about ageism and the fact that plenty of people have great lives or ordinary lives at any age….. it does raise a question that surfaces regularly for both residents and operators: is there a right age to join a village?
Don’t leave it too late
Every resident and many operators say that ‘you should not leave it too late’. But what do they mean?
In essence they are talking about two of the substantial benefits that villages offer – benefits that go to the core of what retirement villages offer.
The first substantial benefit is the relief from stress that most new residents feel, having done something definitive and concrete to create a clear pathway for the future.
By taking positive action to downsize from the family home, they usually leave the physical, emotional and financial pressures of their previous life behind them. All the research shows that for most residents this is a significant stress circuit breaker.
The second big benefit is the fact that villages are communities and they can be very welcoming and supportive. If you join the village while still socially active and able to participate, then you are likely to find a very rewarding environment that includes new friends and new activities. And as you age in the village you will have a well-developed support mechanism established.
If you are joining a ‘lifestyle’ village in an ‘active lifestyle’ location or even just a village offering a wide range of active community facilities, it’s obviously in your best interests to be more active in order for you to be able to enjoy them.
The age question
Now, I still haven’t addressed that age question and that’s because I don’t believe it is about any chronological age. Rather, it should be the ‘vitality’ factor that decides when is the right time to join a village.
If you have the energy or vitality to make the decision to move and then to actively join in the village community, you are likely to have the best outcome.
If you leave it until events force you to move from your home – often unplanned events or unexpected health problems – you will be feeling less confident, less in control and the transition will be significantly harder. Both physically and emotionally.
Sadly, people who find themselves entering the village in these circumstances will often not have the strength to fully participate in their new community, build the relationships and establish that new lifestyle.
As I have said before, health is a major factor. A health incident is in fact a major catalyst for people joining a village – usually involving one member of a couple, typically the male. His health may be in decline but his partner may have 10 to 15 years of vital life in front of her and she can have the optimum benefit of village living. (Incidentally, the couple in the Consumer Affairs video – Kathleen and Lionel – decided to make the move after Lionel had a stroke and was no longer able to drive.)
Age and stage
What does the research suggest? The 2013 McCrindle Baynes survey of 1,040 residents who had joined a village in the past 24 months, found 26 per cent were under 70 years of age; and all up, 47 per cent were less than 75 years of age. Still relatively young.
The old adage that age is a state of mind would appear to hold true here. Vital people have the greatest opportunity to reap the rewards that village communities offer, irrespective of age. And with life expectancy is now tracking to 90 plus, we have lots of time to remain ‘vital’.
Discussion1 Comment
What is not mentioned in the article is that downsizing and moving in itself, is exhausting. So it is best to move while one doesn’t have to rely on others to do the hard work and can still manage on one’s own.
A second point is that it is true to say that one still needs to have vitality, but this vitality, if one is still “young” is used outside of the Village. One’s family, social life, volunteering and hobbies are still carried out outside of village life and the time one gets involved in the latter is once some of that vitality has dissipated.