Village Life

‘Care apartments’, also sometimes known as care suites, residential care suites, care in a village, serviced apartments and other similar sounding terms are a relatively new type of service. Care apartments allow people who reside in them to live independently with the knowledge that if or when they need to …

Villages are increasingly popular options for those looking for ‘age friendly homes and lifestyles”. There are a number of things you should consider when deciding to move into a retirement village. Your initial investigations should include checking if the village is registered (you can check this on www.retirementvillages.govt.nz)? Does it …

Research shows that most people enjoy a high level of satisfaction when living in a Retirement Village. Villages vary greatly – you’ll notice different sized villages; from very few units to some with hundreds; possibly different types of units within the same complex; newer villages and older villages. You will …

Security, freedom from home maintenance worries, support, companionship and on-site healthcare are just some of the reasons why you might be contemplating the move to a Retirement Village.  But, the implications of buying in a Retirement Village are varied and often seem quite complex.  It’s not the same as buying …

While village living is not for everyone, research shows that, while living in a Retirement Village most people enjoy a high level of satisfaction. If village life is an option you are considering, then there are some things you need to know so that your experience can be positive too. …

An Australian design firm ThomsonAdsett has just been ranked the No. 1 architect in the world for ‘Elderly Living’ by UK magazine Building Design. Their latest World Architecture 100 survey, which covers 1,400 practices around the world, also named ThomsonAdsett as ‘One to Watch’ for 2018. Headed by Chris Straw and David Lane, …

When we are young and carefree, none of us really look towards getting to our twilight years, because we think it’s way off in the distance and we won’t really get old. Getting old is for old people. Then we get past our forties and start wondering how it went …

I recently came back from visiting the United Kingdom for seven weeks. Given New Zealand’s colonial history and the distant family ties I have with the ‘mother’ country,  it was an interesting experience to see first-hand the place where my father’s family lived before choosing to board ship in the …

A recent article in The Press highlighted the issue of “social isolation” in the elderly in Christchurch. The article estimated that at least 7000 elderly people in Christchurch are living in chronically lonely conditions where they sometimes don’t see people for days. This issue is not isolated to Christchurch. Depression …

Like many people the idea of living in a village, initially, seemed to me a little, I don’t know – naff? predictable? middle class? And then it’s very easy to focus on the perceived negatives – little privacy, surrounded by ‘old people’, the ‘sameness’ of the houses, no garden… But …