Is Dedham, Essex a good place for older people to live?

[Chatterlyssecret]

I know it’s expensive to live there & a conservation area but is Dedham Essex a good place to live for the elderly?

What are the local public transport options, local shops and can you get supermarket deliveries there, would be something to research. It is a rural location.

I lived there as a child and my grandmother lived there until she went into a home in her 90’s. That was back in the early 90’s and it wasn’t that good then for the elderly, and I’d say it’s likely to have got worse. Public transport wasn’t brilliant then (memories or waiting ages to get the bus back from secondary school) and there are very few shops e.g. a v small co-op, though the butcher was still there when I was there last year. The village is very spread out, and when we persuaded my grandmother to stop driving it became very difficult as the village shops were too far to walk to. Supermarket deliveries help with that of course, but not being able to easily do a top up shop etc is a pain, and can lead to more social isolation. Hospital visits will be difficult (and the hospital on Colchester doesnt have the best reputation).

It’s a lovely place and I think could be good for early active retirement, but not for when more care / help is needed, unless you have local family willing and able to help.