You have moved into the Retirement Village – good! But you are facing challenges settling in, right?

Don’t worry; it’s very common when you move from your independent lifestyle to an assisted one. To help you settle in, we are giving you some pointers that will make this transition easy.

Go with Your Intuition

The first thing you will realise after moving to the retirement village is these communities have a culture, and it’s not spoken about. This is more of a collective feeling instead of specific traits. You need to pay attention to this “gut feeling” when visiting a retirement community.

Its true you might not feel welcome or comfortable during your first day. If you are feeling down, pay attention to what staff and other residents treat you? Do you feel you have found your crowd? Do you imagine genuine friends in future? It will take some time to fit into the retirement village.

Talk to Others

The best way to settle in your new home is to talk to as many neighbours as you can. Be social, not the noisy neighbour. Be friendly, not annoying!

Sure, it won’t feel like a place you would call home right after you move, but after you spend some time with others, you will get the vibe of the village and understand how to adjust.

Get Involved

You have to speak up with the manager to see if there is something you can do, to get yourself involved in the village. Try the restaurant and try different facilities. Just make sure you attend the village life during an open day before actually moving in.

Give it Some Time

It’s important that you give yourself some time and get along with the culture before calling out. Give yourself some time because you will get along with culture as you spend some time in it.

Ensure you know every important detail you need to know before moving in. Connect with the village staff to help you settle in after you have moved in. Just make sure you give yourself some space to reflect.  

Consider the Contract Terms

When it comes to living in a retirement village, you have to assess the arrangements carefully. So, before you sign the contract, make sure you understand the fine print. Retirement villages have different fee structure, and it can change over time due to occupancy times, changes in ownership and fluctuation.

Depending on your arrangement, you will benefit from accessing home equity and defer to a large portion of costs. Therefore, it’s important you speak up with a financial adviser before signing up.

Sustain Yourself

After you have moved into the community, you will continue to pay for power, phone, groceries, etc. But on top of that, you will bear maintenance fee, medical fee, monthly/bi-weekly rent and other charges. So, you make sure you have an income stream to sustain yourself.