Choosing a Retirement Village

Retirement Village Checklist

Important questions:
• What size of complex do you prefer?
• Where do you want to live?
• Do you need to live close to family and friends?
• Do you need the village to be near to a shopping centre? Public transport? Doctor? Hospital? Community centre? Library?
• Do you need transport provided by the village to shops? Library?
• Do you want a new unit or would a refurbished one be fine?
• Would you prefer the village to be on flat land?
• Would you prefer a small intimate village, an average size one with better facilities or a large one with a complete range of facilities and services?
• What size of unit do you require? Do you want to be able to have friends and family stay overnight?
• Do you need a garage? Or extra storage?
• Do you need visitor carparks?
• What style of unit – a separate villa? A serviced unit in a row of similar units on one level? An apartment type unit in a high rise building?
• Do you want to be able to have guests to stay? How many? For how long?
• Does the unit need to be facing the sun?
• What degree of privacy do you prefer? Some retirement villages encourage residents to participate in community living while others provide a greater level of independent living.
• Do you need a quiet village away from busy roads?
• What level of security do you seek? Some retirement villages are gated communities with security staff controlling ingress.
• What services are important to you – onsite Manager? Maintenance? Housekeeping? Cleaning? Homecare? Assistance with medication? What costs are you prepared to pay?
• Do you need healthcare services available? An onsite nurse? Doctor visits? Short term care? What cost is acceptable?
• What weekly fees can you afford? What annual increase is acceptable?
• What happens if you are away from your unit for an extended time, say, on an overseas holiday?
• Is the running of the village important to you?
• Is there a range of recreational activities like tennis, bowls, swimming pool, snooker, painting, crafts, golf?
• Do you want to cultivate a small garden? And lawn? Do you want the village to do all the routine garden maintenance? Is there an extra fee for this?
• What happens if you need increased level of care? Do you want a rest home facility in the retirement village? A geriatric hospital?