Plant the seeds of friendship:
Finding the time for a
chat can be just as important for wellbeing as lifting
a weight. Summer offers plenty of chances to enjoy
a spot of low impact socialising. From weeding the
garden beds alongside a fellow green thumb to turning
the meat at the weekly community cook-up, there are
lots of ways to pep up your people skills this season.
Some villages like Highvale even have a dog club, where
pooch-owners can gather to walk and indulge in their
favourite topic.
Life, be in it:
Study after study shows that keeping
active and engaged is the key to a happy life. Highvale
Village Manager, Lauren Simpson, sees the benefits of
an active lifestyle on a daily basis.
“You can see it in the way the residents interact with
each other, you can see they’re very content and happy,
compared with people who don’t have that opportunity.
It’s really important to get out and about and not isolate
yourself, which is why we provide a great range of
activities to suit lots of different interests.”
From regular day trips and group excursions organised
with other retirement villages in the network, to simple
DIY fun in the form of a regular weekly barbeque,
Highvale places a strong emphasis on regular social
interactions among its residents.
“We have a great group of residents here – they’ll
encourage each other to come along to things,” says
Lauren. “When they know someone’s been a bit down or
hasn’t been too well, they’ll invite them to come along to
something that might be suitable. For instance, there’s
a group who meet once a week for a cuppa and a chat
– it’s very relaxed, and sometimes it can be as simple as
getting out and being with other people.”
For residents in the Serviced Apartments, there’s no
shortage of things to do. The village provides a host
of activities, including exercise classes inside the
manor to ensure that nobody misses out. “We also
have sculpture classes with a teacher who brings all
the materials with him,” says Lauren. “They work on
a project over the month and then they put them on
display for us. We have a lot of crafty people here, so
that’s quite popular!”
Lauren is a firm advocate for the benefits of retirement
living, particularly the Serviced Apartments offering.
Time and again she sees new residents blossom as
they embrace village life.
“A lot of the time, mum or dad is home alone and they
become quite isolated, not finding it easy to travel to
see friends or family. Often after the parent has moved
in with us, I am approached by one of their children
who tell me that their mum is looking fantastic, she’s
never been happier and she has made so many friends
already.”
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