It's fun and healthy living in a Victoria Point retirement village

How your health can benefit from living in a retirement community

According to the Property Council of Australia’s National Overview of the Retirement Village Sector report, the supportive environment and resident funded services found in retirement villages contribute to better mental health, fewer visits to their GP, fewer hospital visits, and earlier hospital discharges than those who don't live in retirement villages.

Residents of retirement villages like Renaissance Victoria Point receive the health benefits of an environment that’s focussed on meeting their needs, both now and in the future.

A community of like-minded peers, a team of staff dedicated to providing services to residents, and access to in-home care and support providers are all things that improve the health and wellbeing of residents - and they're all unique to retirement villages.

Sorting the retirement community myth from the reality

The popular perception of what life is like in a retirement village is sometimes far from reality.

“Don’t you need to be old to live there?”

“I don’t want to lose my independence!”

“Who wants to live amongst a bunch of old people?” 

These are just some of the misconceptions associated with retirees and seniors groups.

Another misapprehension is that retirement villages are the step between the family home and a nursing care facility. Let’s take a moment to debunk this myth.

Analysis of our data from the past 12 years of operating Renaissance Victoria Point shows that only 30% of our residents exit the village to move into higher care. Most take the celestial journey from the comfort of their own homes when the time comes, and those who do require a move to a higher care facility are almost exclusively due to an Alzheimer’s or dementia related illness.

The reasons behind this lower than expected rate are difficult to identify statistically, as naturally many things contribute to good quality of life. But most people would agree that staying healthy and independent are fundamental to enjoying a quality lifestyle in your retirement years.

Being active, socialising, and contributing to your community, along with good access to facilities and services are all recognised as factors that enhance wellbeing - and they're all available to you when you live in a modern retirement village.

Ensuring good health in your retirement 

So, what is good health? And what does it mean to you as you age? Good health, including ideas about how best to achieve and maintain it, are of course different for everyone and influenced by many factors. 

Relationships with health professionals, genetics, life experience, diet, activity, personal relationships and more all play a part in managing our health and contributing to our lifestyle and independence.  Our optimum health experience is also positively impacted by emotional, mental and physical wellbeing.

Senior living communities such as retirement villages intrinsically offer a lifestyle solution that supports this wellbeing.  They usually have community facilities and offer a variety of activities which residents can use whenever they choose.

The benefits of community living in retirement 

Living in community-style accommodation can help alleviate the loneliness and isolation which are so often felt by older people who live alone. The community environment creates an atmosphere where people are active and social.

Often, residents are encouraged and inspired by others to take up new hobbies and activities after moving into a village. Whether you're interested in woodwork, lawn bowls, croquet, card making, mahjong or tap dancing, engaging in any pleasurable, new or social activity can help to promote good health.

There are many positive day-to-day financial benefits of living in a retirement village as well which reduces stress – another plus for good health! Managing a budget is much simpler when household maintenance issues are taken out of the equation by an overall monthly service fee. It may even be possible for you to give up the expense of the family car in a village located close to transport, and with the convenience of a village bus service.

Find out how the Renaissance lifestyle can benefit you

Perhaps it’s time to revisit a retirement village near you and see for yourself how reality differs from your perception. This often also involves doing your own reality check to determine how important good health is to you, and the best way to achieve it.

If you’d like to find out more about the Renaissance lifestyle, we invite you to come along and attend one of our Information Days.

Call Renaissance today on (07) 3820 7700 to find out more about the lifestyle benefits of our outstanding retirement living.