LEISURE
LIFESTYLE
ADVANTAGES OF RETIRING IN A LIFESTYLE ESTATE According to Statistics South Africa, the number of South
units in the newer villages feature solar panels, solar geysers,
Africans over 60 years old will rise from 4.3 million today to
LED lighting, rainwater harvesting and even double glazing,
7 million by 2030. As people are living longer, their needs are changing and, with that, the way they live their post-employment years. While some will stay in their family homes, a growing number of retirees have their sights set on a unit in a
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Superior lifestyle You can be active in a safe environment. In Evergreen
Noordhoek, for instance, tennis courts and a bowling green
retirement estate or village, says Garry Read,
are in the pipeline, while the Val de Vie village has ample
managing director at Evergreen Lifestyle Villages.
mountain trails, with fishing spots along a 7km stretch of the
Here are 10 key advantages to living your golden years in such developments – particularly
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reducing monthly levies considerably.
Berg River. Lifestyle centres also features dining rooms, bars, bistros and libraries.
in a life rights village. The convenience factor The life rights ownership structure allows you to live
in a unit and use the village’s facilities for the rest of your
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Sense of community Retirement villages offer a sense of community.
Residents come together through book clubs, bridge
life in exchange for a capital investment to the complex’s
evenings, excursions, wine tastings, dance lessons, film
owner, who is responsible for maintaining your home and all
nights, social dinners and other communal activities.
amenities, providing all the benefits of home-ownership with none of the hassles.
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Independent living Today’s pensioners are young at heart and seek set-ups
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Space for nature Many retirement villages have beautiful surroundings.
Evergreen Muizenberg is enveloped by an indigenous garden with benches and walking areas, allowing residents to
that offer the same facilities as conventional residential
recharge in nature. Evergreen Lake Michelle in the Noordhoek
gated estates, so they can live independently as long as they
Valley has a wetland area at its heart, teeming with indigenous
want, but with healthcare assistance nearby when needed.
plants, wildlife and 120 bird species. The village planned for Hilton will have a neighbouring giraffe reserve.
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Access to healthcare Most of Evergreen’s retirement villages, including the
one that is being built in Sitari in Somerset West, offer on-site emergency, primary and personalised home-based
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Working from home Just because you don’t have to work anymore, doesn’t
mean you have to stop. The 2019 Old Mutual Savings Monitor
healthcare services, as well as 24-hour nursing, frail and
suggests that 36% of retirees started a business after
dementia care.
turning 65, while 13% continued to be self-employed. Today’s retirement villages have a strong technology backbone,
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Safety and security
including high-speed internet, making it easy for residents to
Most security retirement villages have electric fences,
work from home.
perimeter walls and CCTV cameras that are monitored 24/7. At Evergreen’s villages, this is enforced with strict access control and around-the-clock patrols.
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Flexibility Retirement villages put residents in a position to
downsize from a standalone home to an apartment in the
Easy on the wallet
same village when the situation warrants it, or even to a
Not only are you relieved of maintenance costs, but
smaller unit.
SILVER DIGEST // SUMMER 2019
