Retirement villages boom

The growth of retirement villages will allow more older people to stay independent, it was claimed today.

Age Action said that many older people were attracted to the prospect of living in a secure community with access to 24-hour medical facilities.

“The idea of moving out of a large house into something smaller allows you to remain independent.

"You’re still in control of your life and you can come and go as you please,” said spokesman Gerry Scully.

New retirement villages are now under construction in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Mayo, Waterford and Westmeath.

Mr Scully said retirement villages catered for many older people who needed medical care but did not want to move into a nursing home.

“Too often, older people go into a nursing home too soon. It’s much more institutionalised and the cost can be prohibitive,” he said.

However, he emphasised that retirement villages were not the solution for all elderly people. Most want to remain in their original homes as long as possible, and others with severe health problems need the continuous care offered by a nursing home.

The current boom in retirement villages is being driven by the growing elderly population and the generous tax relief, which offers investors the chance to claim back 90% of the cost. Older people buy the houses with the proceeds of their original home or take out a long-term lease.

Anya Llewellyn, a sales manager with Mowlan Enterprises, said her company had sold 30 semi-detached bungalows for €165,000 to people aged over 55 at its retirement village in Kilmainham Woods in Meath.

“Our target market would be retired couples, expatriates coming back to Ireland and people from Dublin who want a more relaxed pace of life,” she said.

The older people in the village are provided with a 24-hour callout service from the separate nursing home on site, and also have access to meals, bingo, exercise classes, arts and hairdressing facilities at the daycare centre.

“They are living with people the same age as themselves and with the same values as themselves. It’s a safe, secure, friendly place. A lot of them are widows or widowers and they like the companionship,” said Ms Llewellyn.

Independent TD Dr Jerry Cowley, who founded a retirement village for older people at Mulranny in Co Mayo, said it was important to encourage public as well as private retirement villages.

“Retirement villages can be a powerful economic regenerator. I think they should be everywhere and owned by the community so that nobody is making money from older people. We have an opportunity now to get it right,” he said.

The community-owned model will be the basis for one of the most ambitious schemes. Developers in Monivea, a small rural area in Galway, are planning a 100-bedroom community care centre and 122 one- and two-bedroom retirement homes.

There will also be a hotel and leisure centre, a cinema, a library, a doctor’s surgery, a restaurant and a credit union.