Making a move into retirement living is rarely straightforward, however beneficial it may be.
What will the village be like? Will I fit in? Will I make friends? Can I go out and see my friends?
Retirement villages arrange a variety of social and recreational activities tailored for older adults, such as fitness groups, art and crafts, morning teas, happy hours, card games, billiards, tennis, pickleball, table tennis, yoga and more.
When you move into a retirement village, you may find that your days suddenly become busier with new opportunities to socialise and make like-minded friends. This means that life becomes more active and fulfilling and you will feel less isolated. While these options are available when you want them, you can also choose to live a more private life if you prefer.
However, if you want to go out of the retirement community to see former workmates, friends, that is fine, and it is if you want to invite them into the home.
No retirement village is the same, however it is likely there may be amenities such as communal dining areas, libraries, gyms, bowling greens and swimming pools that you can use on a daily basis. For example, you could find that your mornings are spent in an exercise class, you may then choose a book from the library to curl up with in the afternoon and then catch up with neighbours for happy hour in the evening. Most people don’t have access to this range of choice when living in their family home.
The bigger the retirement living community, the more likely there are more events, more clubs to choose from. Often a village operator will let you organise something, providing it has support.