ADVANTAGES OF RETIRING IN A LIFESTYLE ESTATE

According to Statistics South Africa, the number of South Africans over 60 years old will rise from 4.3 million today to 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 retirement estate or village, says Garry Read, managing director at Evergreen Lifestyle Villages. Here are 10 key advantages to living your golden years in such developments – particularly in a life rights village.

1. 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 life in exchange for a capital investment to the complex’s owner, who is responsible for maintaining your home and all amenities, providing all the benefits of home-ownership with none of the hassles.

2. Independent living

Today’s pensioners are young at heart and seek set-ups that offer the same facilities as conventional residential gated estates, so they can live independently as long as they want, but with healthcare assistance nearby when needed.

3. 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 healthcare services, as well as 24-hour nursing, frail and dementia care.

4. Safety and security

Most security retirement villages have electric fences, 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. units in the newer villages feature solar panels, solar geysers, LED lighting, rainwater harvesting and even double glazing, reducing monthly levies considerably.

6. Superior lifestyle

You can be active in a safe environment. In Evergreen Noordhoek, for instance, tennis courts and a bowling green are in the pipeline, while the Val de Vie village has ample mountain trails, with fishing spots along a 7km stretch of the Berg River. Lifestyle centres also features dining rooms, bars, bistros and libraries.

7. Sense of community

Retirement villages offer a sense of community. Residents come together through book clubs, bridge evenings, excursions, wine tastings, dance lessons, film nights, social dinners and other communal activities.

8. 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 recharge in nature. Evergreen Lake Michelle in the Noordhoek Valley has a wetland area at its heart, teeming with indigenous plants, wildlife and 120 bird species. The village planned for Hilton will have a neighbouring giraffe reserve.

9. 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 suggests that 36% of retirees started a business after turning 65, while 13% continued to be self-employed. Today’s retirement villages have a strong technology backbone, including high-speed internet, making it easy for residents to work from home.

10. Flexibility

Retirement villages put residents in a position to downsize from a standalone home to an apartment in the same village when the situation warrants it, or even to a smaller unit.