Retirement Village

I Like the Sound of  Retirement Village'

When retirement time does come, if we' re lucky we can explore the possibility of living in our dream community - commonly known as the retirement village.

We start with a video presentation; the camera pans out over the lake with trees and mountains in the background.  How would you like to join the select few who share Nature' s Best Kept Secret & Come for a free weekend on us and experience the difference living in a retirement village can make!

You' ve really got to hand it to marketing.

The Sound of it

A large part of the attraction of the retirement village lies in the fact that it implies the nicer, upbeat and positive aspects of life. Isn' t that what retirement is supposed to be, or at least what we would hope it to be?

If we go step by step we can examine those qualities of life and sketch a viable retirement village right where we are. Natural settings are a plus, as are spacious grounds and access to trees and water. You may have noticed that in the promotional piece above people are made to feel special, asked to dream or consider possibility and directed to do something to get what they see as valuable.

The same process is transferable to less exclusive offerings. The practical application of space reflects in the density of dwellings; a friendly approach and homelike setting creates possibilities of pleasurable living. The secret lure of the retirement village is in the village aspect, where you are a respected citizen and valued member of the community.

Bringing it Home

Now, to bring the village atmosphere home is the challenge. It is not a forced transition where seniors are automatically held in high esteem. Rather, it is an organic transformation or realization that these elder human beings of a particular place are of value to the group, having lots of life experience and good qualities. The retirement village is that time and place where they reflect those qualities within the framework of a social village.

A retirement village need not have all the bells and whistles, but it should provide you, or your loved ones, with a homey feeling even when they are not really home. It needs to be decent, yet affordable and most importantly it should be a good fit to who you are. If you were a high-flying socialite in your day, your retirement village should be along the same lines. If you were happy as a homebody, then you should choose another  village' accordingly.

(c)  Senior Housing - Tyler's Articles 2006