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Today’s active retirees want financial and physical security, comprehensive health care and a carefree lifestyle.
Sixty is the new 40. We’re living much longer, we’re healthier and more active later in life. Retirement is not synonymous with old age – it’s just another phase of life with its own joys and freedoms.
What do retirees want?
Worldwide, retirees are being asked, not told, what they want. They want to be an integral part of the greater community, as participants not spectators.
Val de Vie picked up on this trend and included a retirement lifestyle village on its estate. “Including Val de Vie Evergreen in Val de Vie Estate’s diverse range of products and amenities on offer gives families the option of remaining in the Valley of Life in any stage of their lives and being part of a growing community,” says Ryk Neethling, marketing director, Val de Vie Estate.
Retirees want to live independently but want to know that they will have access to quality care when they need it. They also want to feel secure, so living within a gated community with world-class security systems provides that all-important carefree lifestyle.
“At Val de Vie Evergreen, the ultimate carefree retirement lifestyle is ensured by providing retirees the option of living on an established residential development with an existing focus on an active, outdoor lifestyle in a secure environment. A team of dedicated on-site professionals will furthermore take care of all day-today aspects of estate living and allow for residents to retire in comfort with complete peace of mind,” says Ryk.
Health care
Quality health care is a priority, and there are different care models countrywide. Increasingly, though, there’s a strong move towards an active ageing philosophy, supported by personalized home-based and primary health care. Staying at home for as long as possible is what everybody wants. Many retirement estates also offer specialised treatment, 24-hour nursing as well as recuperative and palliative care.
Purchase models
Retirement homes worldwide offer different purchase models: sectional title, share block and life rights.
With the sectional title model, the purchaser obtains ownership of a unit or residence by means of a title deed registered with the Deeds Registry. The developer carries no responsibility for the ongoing maintenance once the development has been built – that rests with the residents.
In a share block retirement scheme, owners get shares in the company that owns the residence and are issued a share certificate.
Internationally, the life rights model is the most popular, particularly in the US. “It’s a relatively new concept for South Africans,” says Arthur Case, CEO, Evergreen Lifestyle, “but it’s gaining traction swiftly because of its undoubted benefits for retirees. Retirees want to leave behind the maintenance and responsibilities of a house, and this model is tailormade for that. Evergreen Lifestyle Villages offer a great quality of life.” With life rights, you don’t purchase a unit, but you and your spouse have a legal right to occupy the property for a lifetime.
Inclusive and exclusive
Retirees want to be part of a broader community, but also want to live independently in their own homes.
Increasingly, a village within a village – where facilities are open to all residents and interaction between young and not so young is the natural order of the day – is proving to be the desired way of living.