60 + property - why?

Fizzy11 wrote: »

The problem is that some of the developments have it written to the lease that they can't stay in the properties if they need carers.

That would be worrying, as where would they go ? A care home seems the only option, even if they are fully aware but just need a little help.
I'd hate the old people's ghetto idea because it rubs in the fact that you are getting on; especially when neighbours start dying off.


Having said that, this estate, built in the late 60s/early 70s is becoming like that, as most original owners have stayed put. However, next door (neighbour died) has been bought by a developer and I hope it doesn't get sold to a rowdy twenty something family with a number of out of control children.

mumps wrote: »

We have a family friend who bought one of these, we had doubts at the time for all the reasons mentioned above. Her flat is very nice and she has french windows onto the garden and has always maintained the small garden that is hers. She has been very active, goes to the local church and goes to pensioners lunches there twice a week, goes out other days with friends she has made and also goes to the theatre regularly. It doesn't appeal to me much but she now has dementia and is very frail, no way would she have managed at home if she had stayed in her previous bungalow. She is in her 90s now and I think it is probably the lesser of two evils, she would have been moved into a care home a few years ago if she hadn't had the support she gets where she lives now.

Personally I think 60s is too young to be thinking of these places but maybe late 70s or early 80s would give you 10 or 15 more years of living independently. I suppose it depends on alot of things, for this lady losing her husband made moving to somewhere she felt safer was probably a big part of it.

The charges do seem high but in her development the residents took over running it themselves, they sold the flat the manager used to live in which gave them a nice "fighting fund" to start off with and for the more able ones the jobs of running the place with a paid 9 - 5 manager seems to keep them active.

If I was on my own and old and lonely I would buy a McCarthy and Stone place like a shot. Well worth the management fees.

I have a friend who's been renting one of these properties since early 60s. For them, it's the security of tenure and future-proofing which appealed. They've never been in a position to buy, and never really had security of tenure, always living in someone else's home. You can understand the appeal!

I am 65 and about to start house hunting. I too don't feel "ready" for a retirement home but then I can still drive and am in good health.

I have in the past been a manger in a sheltered retirement housing complex. I can see both the positives and negatives.

It really all depends on our health of course and whether or not we can find housing that is appropriate for our changing needs.

That blissful country cottage with its cute little nooks and crannies and higgedly piggedly staircase situated at the end of a quiet country lane might be idyllic when you are a robust 60 year old but it won't be appropriate when you are a frail and vulnerable 80 year old.

My parents made this mistake. I begged them to move whilst they still could but my mum ended up having to go into care and dad into sheltered accommodation purely because their home did not meet their changing needs. If they had moved into more suitable accommodation they could have retained their independence for longer.

For many of us a retirement complex will tick all the boxes when our health declines and our needs become more complex, whether it be privately owned or rented. In a rented retirement you will enjoy security of tenure and will not be thrown out because the landlord needs to sell.

I guess it all boils down to health needs and timing.

From my experience I would think, that as long you remain in good nick then perhaps mid 70s onwards is the time to think about moving into suitable accommodation to meet your later years. Obviously if you have a health condition now which could prove of concern then probably better sooner than later.

It may not have to be on an actual complex but it should be near to amenities for when you no longer drive, and the property itself should be easy to run and manage, with good level access, a bathroom and kitchen large enough to take a wheelchair or Zimmer frame and a carer, corridors and door frames wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair. If it has stairs then they should be straight and wide enough to take a stair lift.

Domestic lifts that can accommodate a wheelchair are now much more freely available and more affordable so they may well become more popular than stair lifts in the future.

Technology is improving all the time and in the next couple of decades it will become much easier and cheaper to age proof our homes so perhaps we might be able to maintain our independence for a good few years yet.

Murphybear wrote: »

My 70 year old friend is buying a 2 bedroomed house in a small development for the over 55s. It has a communal garden and maintenance costs £75 per month which includes maintaining the garden, outside of house and insurance. She wanted one of these properties to be nearer people her own age. She didn't want young people with children and I think this is the biggest appeal.

Everyone's different but...that's the very last thing that I would want. I really would not want to live in an old people's ghetto.

We see the mums taking their littlies to nursery in the morning, we have a quick 'hello' with the schoolkids coming back in the afternoons. All ages.

Your friend is really no age at all yet. I've read that 70 is the new 40. We can give her a decade, but we still don't feel we want to live apart from the younger people around us.

My first husband and I moved to a 2-bed bungalow back in 1990 and it was one of the best things we ever did. As LL says, it's a good idea to make any changes while you still can. The work that has been done here over the last few years has made it as user-friendly as possible. Easy access, bathroom and kitchen are the most important areas to look at.