Plan to live independently longer
With people living longer, planning where you will live in later years is now more important than ever before.
Figures from the Office of National Statistics suggest that the number of people who are over 90 has nearly trebled in the last 30 years; while a separate report from the ONS suggests average life expectancy in Britain has risen slightly.
With that in mind, Aspen Retirement is encouraging people to plan ahead and think not just about their current housing requirements but their future needs too.
The company, currently selling apartments at Eastbank Court in Worcester, says that along with the design, quality and spaciousness of both the property and any communal facilities, key factors to consider when choosing where to live in later years include:
Is it near facilities that are important to you?
How will the development be managed?
What is the developer’s resale history? Do their properties generally hold their value?
What help can they offer you to sell the home you’re moving from?
Are service charges easy to understand? Is it clear what’s included in the fee?
Liz Herring, sales and marketing manager for Aspen, says: “The majority of our customers are in their 80s and in our experience most people looking for somewhere to live in their retirement tend to leave it until they have to move. By then it may be too late and it can be traumatic for them.
“Our advice for retirees and those family members helping them to downsize would be “buy for 10 years’ time not for today”, so that they won’t have to move again. There are different levels of support available and they need to decide what’s best in the long run. Moving now to a development that offers the potential for ‘extra care’, perhaps getting up, bathing or going to bed, either now or at a later date could negate the need to move to a costly residential care home further down the line.”
Eastbank Court is one such location and offers a choice of one and two-bedroom apartments, with prices from £192,000.
Facilities at the development include a restaurant, piano room with licensed bar, library, activities room, plus hair salon and treatment room.
A growing programme of activities includes craft classes, armchair aerobics - enabling people to keep fit - and games of Scrabble in the library to exercise the mind. A ‘knit ‘n’ natter’ session takes place once a week, plus there are regular coffee mornings and chances to enjoy a spot of afternoon tea. Bingo is played once a fortnight and there are monthly trips to the theatre.
Located on Eastbank Drive, Northwick, only two miles from Worcester city centre, Eastbank Court enjoys a quiet residential setting with a post office, shop and chemist close by.
For more information see aspenretirement.co.uk/developments/eastbank-court.
