Something between retirement village and own house

[roastednuts123]

My parents are looking to move house as they get into their 80s and health issues start appearing. We've looked at retirement villages with them but are put off by the service charges and fees. Ideally we would like something a bit half way between that and their own house but I'm not sure what exists. They are currently looking at new builds but they don't want to be surrounded by young families. I'm hoping that one of you wise women will have some advice or thoughts!

We have loads of McCarthy and Stone developments near us. They are so hard to sell as they keep building new ones. The most recent ones are >£300k for 1 bed flats in a small NE coastal town!
The other option is Anchor you can rent or buy but the resale ones are £40-50k which is much more sensible. These are sheltered accommodation with Wardens. This is where I will be encouraging my Mum to go when (if) she needs to.
We have a few shared ownership schemes too for older people.

There are also parts of the country that attract retired folks. Nice countryside, decent gardens, too distant from any decent schools or too far for work commutes

If it's too far away from schools and workplaces, how do the retired folk manage about shops, banks, doctors, other amenities? Even if they can drive when they move there, they need to keep in mind that there might come a time when they can no longer drive, then they'll be stuck.

My mum is moving to a retirement flat next month. She doesn't need it yet but uts certainly future proof. She didn't want to pay tge frees but when I showed her the fees on a normal flat (and no guarantee of neighbours) she could see it made sense. There is a warden Monday to Friday and the other residents are very active. We actively avoided Mccarthy and stone but this is a one off independent one.

Have they looked at getting a bungalow and paying privately for care when needed?

I would avoid static caravans. Yes, alot of elderly do live there and have a community feel, but there are downsides too. Obviously depending on the location, rules etc

• Only being able to live there 10-12mths of the year. Where do you go for 2mths of the year if your health has declined, can no longer drive or don't want to travel at the set time of the year they want your out?
• Some parks make you upgrade your van every so many years to a newer model
• Nearly every van I've seen has a set of steps and a wooden patio/balcony section to get to the door. Steps are no good if your mobility isn't great.
• Many park home places with pools etc have very limited or no activities off season
• You'd need to spend a great deal to get a winter ready (double glazed/central heating) van that is large enough that you arent falling over each other
• If mobility declines- how do you access the bathroom/shower etc in a van?

I'd also suggest a power of attorney now, for if/when its needed.

Many so called "sheltered" developments around here don't have any services beyond an on-call warden / emergency buttons, communal gardens and a lounge with a coffee morning once a week (but free for residents to use if they fancy company at other times). .... ie you're expected to manage yourself and your affairs apart from in an emergency. Surely they can't charge a fortune for that?

Others have a desk staffed 24 / 7, a coffee shop / cafe, a laundry, activities laid on daily, an in-house handyman, some even have a pool and cinema and perhaps their own care staff, and they ARE expensive.

(In both cases, these independent flats / bungalows with own front doors etc.)

Remember that care needs can increase suddenly and dramatically in the elderly. The whole point of this move is that it will hopefully be their final home.

What about a local authority/housing association Extra Care flat? Here’s an example of a housing association that offers this type of accommodation: https://www.housing21.org.uk/our-properties/extra-care/

It's something to take great care with tbh. We helped Dad move into a 55+ complex 7 years ago. He had his own flat, but there was a full time on site manager and we thought it would be future proof. The reality was that the building was so badly designed that the lift didn't actually fit a stretcher in so if an ambulance was needed, they were stuffed. The manager went from full time to part time to one morning a week, and as flats stayed empty for so long and didn't resell, they started renting to anyone which then brought in noisier tenants. When Dad fell ill last year, it was a nightmare getting care staff in and out to him as the door buzzer wasn't working properly. In hindsight, the McCarthy Stone development in the same town would have been a far better environment as there was a live in warden. And renting is usually a far better option than buying.

Also check that care agencies cover the area well - Dad was in a small market town on the border of two counties and it was a nightmare in terms of getting a care team/district nurses in at all due to location.

I’m going to suggest st Monica round bristol. They are not cheap but they do have 24 hour porters on site as well as lots of other amenities. They certainly used to have a sell back scheme so worth investigating.

My parents have moved to a small house in a small development where there's a covenant on the properties to say that only over 50s can live there. We're so pleased, as it's perfect for them in their late 70s - no renting or services or fees, but a very peaceful community, and only a minute's walk from the shops. Even so, I'm aware that the future is uncertain - DM now has some cognitive decline, and if anything were to happen to DF then I doubt she'd be able to live without any support at all - and that's only happened in the last year or two. If she were to get suddenly worse, or he were to become incapacitated, I think we might be looking at sheltered housing. Hopefully not, and they'll be there for years yet, as it really is lovely.

Can they afford the fees? If they can I'd really recommend moving into a retirement village. DM moved in in her early 80s

It's run by a Housing Association and has a mixture of bought and rented.

There is a restaurant (which is useful as DM can't cook), a coffee shop, garden and entertainment.

There is care that can be bought in and the carers are based in the village so they get to know them well. This is very reassuring.

The reality was that the building was so badly designed that the lift didn't actually fit a stretcher in so if an ambulance was needed, they were stuffed. Why were they stuffed? Most houses don’t have a lift that fits a stretcher, and not all of them have straight stairs. They must have solved the problem

@Bluebells1970
Most places including care homes can't get a stretcher in their lifts
Ambulance crews are quite used to this I'm afraid.

I visited a retirement development in Stanmore (North West London area) recently. It's called Landsby appartments and Art Deco in style.

Truly like a five star hotel with a smart restaurant, classes to go to, a library and deferential, efficient staff. Elegant communal lounges too.

The apartment I saw was so beautifully designed.

There were no hints of a care home whatsoever

There are apartments still for sale as the prices and service charges are huge.

If money was no object this is the place I would aim to live in as an older person.

Following this with interest. Just wondering, does there tend to be a waiting list for the rented properties (thinking particularly of Anchor)?

I echo the cautions about moving to a rural area. Gradually or suddenly not being able to drive could be a real issue if public transport is poor. My DH had to surrender his licence for medical reasons very suddenly at the tender age of 68 and I don't drive. Fortunately we live in a town with reasonable public transport.

Yes there does tend to be a waiting list, but it can move quicker than you think, by the nature of sheltered housing being for the elderly flats do become available regularly as (sadly) people die or move on into more assisted living/homes. It varies of course depending on the popularity of the individual scheme, there's one in our town centre that always has vacancies because it's in an unpopular location on a busy/noisy street and is an older building, and there's one with a really long list because it's brand new and attractive and in the leafier/more expensive part of town. It can also depend how flexible you are, my elderly relative was told when they applied for their scheme (in another part of the country) that they'd be waiting 2 years+ for their preferred type of flat (they wanted 2 beds with a garden view) but when they changed their mind and were happy to for a 1 bed with a street view they were moved into and settled within 6 months, so it can move quickly. That was a few years back pre-pandemic, things may have changed since. Said elderly relative does now constantly moan that their scheme is getting "cluttered up" with loads of "young people" (by which she means people in their 60s!) as they are attracted by the 'all-in' / controlled/protected rent and this means 'true elderly folk who are in need' can't get in any more, but I do take that with a bit of a pinch of salt TBH!

Thanks maxelly that's useful to know.

If they aren't in a hurry to move one thing I'd consider is a flat in a sheltered housing complex. I know they are criticised on here because they can be hard to sell, but the flip side of that is that they can be cheap to buy compared to other flats of a similar size in the area. I have relatives in a sheltered housing complex and I've noticed the flats that need to have a lot of work done on them seem to be the hardest to shift and could potentially be bought at a discount. If there is no hurry to move in your parents may be able to buy a flat at a good price and do the work at their leisure prior to moving in.

I was going to suggest something a bit similar to this.
My grandma is planning to move somewhere where she will have a freehold over a bungalow, and there is an option to pay for services (meals delivered, cleaning, and also personal care etc) and there is a "typical" residential home on the site where she could eventually move into if she needed higher levels of care.
I believe there is a cost for general maintenance and gardening of the site as a whole.

I've had two elderly relatives move into bungalows on cul-de-sacs surrounded by other bungalows. No age restrictions, but the other residents tend to be at a similar life stage rather than young families. It works ok and care can be bought in when needed - one had space for a big freezer and had the Wiltshire Farm Foods delivered when she couldn't cook any longer.

It does, however, mean all the responsibilities that come with house ownership - and this is what one of them ended up finding overwhelming and moved into residential care. Bungalows are often detached or semi and come with biggish gardens which need to be maintained. So organising a gardener, cleaner, needing some kind of reliable handyman to sort out maintenance issues. They tend to have parking and assume the person drives so check bus routes and local taxi services. Both technically had/have buses available but with a 10 minute walk to the bus stop which becomes impractical after a certain point.

I'm a bit late to this one, but in our town there are a few flats in the McCarthy and Stone complex available to rent. We're exploring this option as in a similar position to you. Did you find anything suitable OP?

I would say a small bungalow in an area with lots of other bungalows and a community of elderly neighbors is your only option. Unfortunately they come at a price are they are getting more sought after but they do hold their value.

I know someone who sold her house and rented a flat nearby, but paid for a cleaner, gardener etc

I also knew someone who moved to a bungalow in the grounds of a care home, where they could buy in to some of the care home services, as required