60 + property - why?

teddysmum wrote: »

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.

I was a sheltered housing warden and it would be a cold day in hell before I would move into such a scheme. Years back they were popular because many had wardens living on site. Then the live in warden became replaced by a dedicated warden then the dedicated warden became replaced by mobile wardens. Not many old style live in wardens/managers left these days!
Don't get me wrong. I loved my job. But I replaced a live in warden (though with 35 hours dedicated to the tenants). Those times are gone. That scheme now has 4 hours per day shared with a massive scheme up the road.
These days you can get warden call systems in your own home as well as visiting support. The main benefit of these places is the communal areas where you can socialise with others of the same age. That might be a plus for some but it would be a negative for me. While you do get some surprisingly active tenants (I could tell some tales!) you also get a lot who peer through net curtains all day taking an unhealthy interest in everyone else's business with all the gossip and backbiting that goes with it.:rotfl:

boliston wrote: »

I think these schemes can work for certain types of people - I'm not particularly sociable so would possibly not benefit so much but a lot of older people love the social aspect of this type of community.

There are good and bad aspects of the traditional live in "warden" but it can be quite a heavy cost to the service charge budget, especially as the rent on their apartment has to be covered as well as their salary. Another factor is that a live in warden can never feel truly "off duty" if they "live above the shop" so to speak, so I would imagine finding suitable candidates prepared to live this lifestyle is not so easy these days.

Yes I wouldn't fancy living in myself. But a lot of my tenants had moved in on that basis because it gave them a feeling of security. But these days there aren't that many live in wardens/managers left - partly due to cost plus maybe it is more difficult to find live in staff. Some tenants felt a bit cheated when I replaced the live in warden who had retired due to ill health. But at least I was full time - which enabled me to provide a quality service including the organisation of a full timetable of social events.
I resigned when they said they wanted to cut my hours while doubling the responsibility. The scheme now gets just 4 hours per day on weekdays alternating morning and afternoon. But those 4 hours also provide cover for a large higher dependency scheme a mile or so away. So inevitably the person gets called away to that and does not come back. Plus of course every other day the 'morning call' is made from the other scheme which means in reality tenants don't see anyone that day and families and agencies also struggle to make contact.. Social events are of course a thing of the past.
A while back I did enquire about a peripatetic 'scheme manager' post with another agency. I was expected to contact around 70 clients a day across a wide area. In most cases, that would be restricted to the 'Are you still alive?' morning call. Travelling time, paperwork and liaison with other agencies etc meant that very few clients would get any face to face contact.

kittie wrote: »

Ten days on my one saga cruise was enough and an eye opener. Many of the (very nice) ladies that I spoke to were from McCarthy and stone properties, ....:D

12 months cruising, might be a better / cheaper option?

JuneBow wrote: »

I am thinking about a retirement property near me even though I am not yet 60.

What makes it a retirement property? Is it just a clause that only older people can buy? Or are there also service charges for grounds maintenance etc? Beware of hidden costs
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/goodlife/11510002/Should-you-really-buy-a-retirement-property.html

Did anyone see those programmes where they put older people from a residential home with young kids and found it improved the residents' mental and physical health? I think it might do the opposite for me ha ha, but the point was made that elderly people mixing exclusively with elderly people is generally not a good thing. That's what would worry me about moving to a retirement set up.
I quite like the idea of community though - especially as I have no close family and am not getting any younger. I go through spates of researching them. This is quite an interesting site
http://www.diggersanddreamers.org.uk/
The proposed Community for Youthful Retirees sounds interesting!
http://www.diggersanddreamers.org.uk/noticeboards/people/message-of-day
But many housing projects seem to be inner city and that's not for me. Plus others are of the nut cutlet yoghurt knitting co-op variety and that's not for me either.