Estate Living Magazine Retirement Living - Issue 40 April 2019 | Page 26

P R O P E R T Y
&
I N V E S T M E N T
ACTIVE
AGEING
Forget the old age homes of the past.
Today’s mature lifestyle estates offer residents an active retirement with customised healthcare options.
Today’s retirement estates are very far removed from the ‘old age
homes’ of the past. In modern retirement villages and estates,
residents have access to a wide variety of services and a broad
range of lifestyle and healthcare options – from a luxurious home
or a cosy cottage to hands-on care from qualified nurses. Whether
you’re in the market for a post-retirement place for yourself, or for
your parents, here’s a look at the types of options you’ll find.
Independent living
Mature lifestyle estates or villages are designed to provide ease of
access as well as a healthy lifestyle. They’re often located in good
climates, surrounded by natural beauty (think beaches, forests, etc.)
and in close proximity to transport routes, shopping centres and
leisure facilities. The new Quadrant Gardens (quadrantgardens.
co.za) in Cape Town’s Claremont is a fine example of this, situated
next to Kingsbury Hospital and down the road from Cavendish
Square. Mount Edgecombe Retirement Village (merv.co.za) is
another: located within KwaZulu-Natal’s lush Kindlewood Estate,
it’s close to Cornubia Mall, Gateway Theatre of Shopping and the
lovely uMhlanga beaches. It’s also close to uMhlanga Hospital, and
– crucially – it has its own care centre. Many mature lifestyle villages
offer this sweet spot of estate living, combined with healthcare
facilities that are either very nearby, or on site and on call. The
thinking here is that you don’t have to travel for your healthcare;
instead your healthcare comes to you.
Daily care at home
Much as you might try to live an ‘active ageing’ lifestyle, your health
might reach a point where you need closer and more regular care.
Cottage residents at Deansgate Retirement Village (deansgate.
co.za) in Craighall Park, Johannesburg, are visited every weekday
by a fully qualified nursing sister, and once a week by a doctor. This