Wellbeing in Retirement Living

With a growing and ageing population, it isn’t a surprise that the retirement living sector is expanding to meet this demand. The housing market is already stretched, and this is overlaid by the need to provide housing suitable for an ageing population.

Successful retirement developments address the need to provide an environment that actively encourages wellbeing through social hubs on site; such as clubhouses, restaurants, wellbeing centres and swimming pools, etc. These facilities, which promote social wellbeing, are then combined with onsite health and domiciliary care services and supporting technology.

This technology provides comfort and reassurance through 24-hour alarm call systems, site wide messaging, medicine reminders, appointment and facilities booking, bed sensors and automatic lighting, staff log in, access control and site events calendars. All managed through technology and applications from within the dwelling.

Successful developments should aim to provide a flexible and tailored environment to be able to provide just the right amount of help and support that people not only require now, but will also require as their needs change with age.

David Medcraft, Technical Partner at TFT, is currently part of a team working on all development phases of Great Alne Park, a luxury retirement village in Warwickshire,which has just celebrated the launch of its clubhouse.