Retirement Villages are becoming more standard at the present time with the amount of baby boomers retiring. It is critical to distinguish involving a few terms applied to this view
Wikipedia describes a retirement habitat as a multi-residence housing facility that is planned for older people. The common pattern situation is that every person or couple in the home has an apartment-style room or suite of rooms. And other facilities are provided inside the building. Frequently this includes services for meals, meeting, recreation, and some form of health or hospice care. The level of care these facilities varies enormously. Housing in retirement homes can be paid for on a rental basis, like an apartment, or can be purchased in perpetuity on the same basis like a condominium.
Essentially, a retirement home differs from a nursing habitat predominantly in the extent of medical care provided. On the other hand, retirement villages and retirement communities, unlike retirement homes, offer separate and autonomous homes for residents plus more.
A retirement community or retirement villages, is an imprecise, generic term that covers many varieties of housing for retirees and seniors. They are especially designed or geared for people who no longer work,or restricted to those over a certain age. A retirement Village differs from a retirement home that is often a solitary building or small complex where no "common areas" for socializing exist.
Allot of retirement villages are planned for that reason, and have particular services catering to the wishes and wishes of retirees, including extensive amenities like clubhouses, swimming pools, arts and crafts, boating, trails, golf courses, active adult retail and on-site medical facilities.
Other facilities include no or incredibly few common services. An Age-restricted community by and large requires at least one household resident to be 55 plus years of age or older (occasionally 50+ or 60+ years of age).
There are in reality three wide-ranging categories of retirement communities
1. ACTIVE communities (the whole residential units, no long-term healthcare facilities - also known as "independent living communities"
2. ACTIVE/SUPPORTIVE communities (a combination of residential and healthcare facilities - also recognized as "continuing care retirement communities" - CCRC)
3. SUPPORTIVE communities (all long term healthcare units, similar to assisted living facilities or nursing homes)
Because more and more healthier and younger people are retiring now the central focus I believe is on the active communities or independent living.
Retirement Villages are often built in temperate climates, and are widespread in many countries.
A number of publishers have produced lists of the 100 top retirement communities or 100 top places (or towns) to retire. Nevertheless, these lists are not comprehensive and regularly outdated. Furthermore, most of these lists are concentrated on actual Retirement Villages in their prospective countries. And, most of these retirement villages are directed towards high income earners (the elderly and the rich).
Scores of countries are experiencing the same phenomena with the elderly these days. Take for instance, New Zealand with approximately half a million people over the age of 65 in a 2001 census. I would envision today in 2010 there are like over a million people greater than the age of 65. Add this number to worldwide consensus and you have an enormous sum of people in this age grouping. This is principally due to the baby boomer period and healthy lifestyles.
The increase in retirement villages as an accommodation
Standard of living and care option is definitely a response to this shifting demographic profile. The village aspect is obviously a quest for an alternative to old age homes of the past.
Community and affordable accommodation within essentials of protection rank very well amongst people's aspirations.
For illustration in the United Kingdom retirement villages are becoming more and more prevalent. According to a recent BBC story (Aug 2009) there are almost 25,000 people across the UK at present living in a retirement village model
Nurses, caregivers and visiting doctors are an integral component of lots of village operations, while community centers, bowling greens, a swimming pool and billiard tables are a universal recreational feature.
I have done some extensive travel searching for a good location for me to retire. My main concern was regarding expenses since I have a small pension to live on. Initially, I was interersted in the region around Lake Chapala situated 45 km southeast of Guadalajara, Mexico. Ideal weather and great culture but since of the influx of foreigners the cost to live there is almost the equivalent as it is my own country. I passed on this option.
I also thought of Arizona and Florida as I was a snow bird for a some years. I passed on this choice because of the cost issue also.
In the end, I decided on Colombia. I traveled to Colombia to try my retirement there. I went to Bogotá, Medellin and Cali. I found that my pension went a long way there. I treasured the country and its population, but I had trouble learning Spanish and this made it arduous to get on with my daily tasks.
Subsequently one day I was talking to man who talked about the Philippines. He mentioned the low cost of living in the Philippines and the fact that most Philippinos can speak English. He went on to say that the English language was on all signs, menus and legal documents. In Colombia I had a difficult time just opening up my cable account.
One day, shortly after meeting this man I made up my mind, sold all my possessions and trotted off to the Philippines. At long last, I found my home where life is relaxed and affordable.
Here is a sample budget of my cost of living in the Philippines:
Housing (rental of a luxury three-bedroom apartment): $250 monthly
Utilities (including, phone, Internet, and cable television): $100 montly
Maid (twice a week): $10
Cook (twice a week): $10
Groceries: $150
Water $12 a month
I lease a new Yamaha scooter for $125 a month. Gas is around $20 a month.
A beer is around 60 cents in the store and $1 in the bar.
1 kilo Italian style tomatoes in the market 12 cents
1 kilo fresh water fish in the marketplace $140 1 kilo
Clothing: $20 a month. No need to wear shoes or slacks here. Most of us wear shorts and sandals
Entertainment (two people dining out eight times a month at top restaurants or other activity): $200. I take my girlfriend out to a place she likes and it costs me $4 for the two of us. I take her to an upscale restaurant and she doesn't like it. My costs for dinning out is around $30 total.
Health care (four $30 visits to a physician per year for two people, divided by 12 months): $20
Author Will Irwin who is at present writing his next book 'The Coming Real Estate Boom in the Philippines' says one of the most inexpensive places to retire is the Philippines.
He goes on to note that there are a few 'secret' locations in the Philippines which are developing fast with new retirement villages for expats. Mr. Irwin explains that this is an investment opportunity overlooked by many due to the lack of media publicity.
According to Mr. Irwin one of the best places to retire abroad has to be the Philippines for the reason that it is developing fast at this moment. Consequently opportunities are rich for expats and investors, specially in Samar and Tablas (Romblon). This is the one of the best places to retire overseas because of the low cost of living while the surroundings are as beautifull as Boracay which has 1 million visitors per year.