Time for some thinking?

Yesterday the newest retirement complex here, Summerset, held an open day at their new spread, so we went up for an hour to have a look around.

 

It helped that their Sales Manager was an old school-mate of Margaret's, due to retire in a few months. The Site Manager was a similar age and very friendly and welcoming. They poured us tea and brought round biscuits and made us welcome. Other tyre-kickers were arriving all the time.

 

We then joined a party touring the facility. There are already several people living there; the construction crews are still completing new sections of units, as well as the community areas.

 

Behind this member of staff are the style of units we saw.

These include swimming pool, spa, gym, bar, and a café open to the public. We saw 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom units, serviced apartments, and were shown a hospital area with plenty of beds. Most units had garages, some double. So there is the usual range from complete independence to total care.

 

All the units face the north, have large double-glazed windows, and are fitted with alarm systems to call for help, complete with battery pack to kick in in emergency power failures. They all have wi-fi and Sky decoders. The rooms have large cupboards, and larger units have two toilets.

 

We collected our copy of the extensive brochure material, and came home to read all the details.

 

So what do we think?

 

We already have some knowledge of older complexes; our number one reservation is the unattractive locations they are set in. Unfortunately the new one is no better. It is at the end of a longish cul-de-sac, some distance from shops and other amenities. Like several other such places, it is in a valley, with uphill walks or longish distances to cope with on foot or on a disability scooter.

 

The big practical advantage of living where we are is our proximity to supermarkets, cinema, bank, shopping, takeaways, cafes, library and so on. So there will have to be some major compensating features to make such a move worthwhile for us.

 

Many aspects of what we saw yesterday were attractive; obviously there has been careful thought and planning, and some experience of  customer feedback taken into account. But as well as the thought of leaving our beautiful little cottage, Margaret is not happy about the lack of a bath! They are happy about pets, but we are unsure that our two moggies would take well to a shift at their advanced age(s) of 18 and 20.

 

However, at my age one is never sure how much longer the gardening will be possible, or how long I will be as mobile as I am now, but for now we are happy to stay in our cottage, close to all amenities, and perhaps get gardening/lawns help if and when needed. But we keep this option open. New units are due for completion by Christmas, and others early next year.