Hi everyone, I've been reading about retirement villages for my parents and wondering if any of you had any experience with them?
From what I understand, you could have your own apartment and keep your independence etc but then have acess to the help and support that is needed
My mother in law lived in an assisted living flat and they had a lounge, coffee mornings etc. I believe the retirement villages are great with hairdressers etc. Worth looking into. Xxxxx
Hi freezingspark,
Sorry I can't help you with any personal experience of these villages which seem to work well in the US but are a fairly new thing here. From what I've read, they are pretty good places for the elderly to live in but there's apparently a potential financial implication after death. You might care to have a look at this bbc.co.uk/news/business-348... to give you a balanced view of the good and the bad points. It's an older report from the BBC (2015) and there were apparently, at that time, concerns over 'exit' fees for some next of kin. I don't know if more recent legislation has ironed those out.
Best wishes.
Yes, they are great BUT the charges are usually very high and tend to increase rapidly so make sure they have enough money to last for the rest of their lives or they may have to move again.
These retirement villages are well equipt for the younger retired, very modern but not necessarily the answer for less active elderly, sick or frail. Communal living is not what everyone wants, so please investigate whether that meets the needs of your parents and also their future needs if they become less active. Of course the other issue to consider is location and cost. Monthly charges can soon eat away any savings and income, leaving family to foot the bill in some circumstances, beware the get out clauses when your relative passes away. This seems very negative, sorry but these schemes do not fit all .
Such a good point about communal living...i definitely feel it is good in some ways and then annoying in others. One of those things that needs a serious sit-down conversation with my parents. Thanks for your reply!
You are welcome
Thanks for all your replies! I hadn't even considered the cost that much, kind of presumed it would just be like renting normally (stupidly). I will definitely do some more research.
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