Retirement care homes are invariably perceived as closed communities – places where you don’t venture until there is a need to. While it’s understandable, it is also a great shame. People don’t get to know or experience the heart of a care home. The chances are they won’t meet any staff…

Over 55s were the largest demographic sector of the UK population to increase their online usage last year, according to ComScore http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/62338-stats-time-to-reassess-and-redefine-silver-surfers A large proportion of this increase, says the ComScore report, was a direct result of the Olympics and the vast amount of live streaming and ever changing medals boards…

I am pleased to introduce you to a newly-founded association which will be overseeing and supporting retirement community providers, like ourselves. Still regarded as a relatively new concept in the UK, retirement communities have emerged slowly over the last three decades and up until now have been existing as individual entities,…

Dementia now affects one in every three people and is growing. It’s not a condition that is going to suddenly disappear overnight. It’s here to stay. Retirement Villages’ dementia houses are scattered across a handful of our village locations. We see on a daily basis the impact of dementia on an…

The property industry received some welcome news last week with property sales hitting a five-year high, according to HMRC.And even Friday’s gloomy GDP figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) couldn’t pour complete cold water on the construction industry with news that this sector saw output rising by 0.3%. We…

I read the recent findings of the Age UK survey on neighbourliness with astonishment:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/elderhealth/9677690/Lonely-elderly-dont-want-to-impose-on-too-busy-neighbours-study-finds.html It’s difficult to comprehend that seven per cent of the older people polled (equivalent to 721,000 individuals) said they did not know their neighbours. Reasons given by the over 65s interviewed for not getting to know those…

I wanted to share this item with you. If you haven’t read or heard about it before, research has uncovered that heavy snorers are able to pick up higher annual incomes through annuities http://www.ageuk.org.uk/latest-news/snoring-can-boost-retirement-cash Anyone who has sleep apnoea, of which snoring is a symptom, can pick up thousands of pounds…

It is really pleasing to see that health and well being boards are gaining some real momentum behind the scenes and by this time next year they should be established in their own right.The boards will bring together local consumer champions, the local authority and clinical commissioning groups who will jointly…

Congratulations to Esther Rantzen for inspiring and supporting an invaluable initiative for the older generation. Everyone has heard of Childline; now everyone’s favourite campaigner has put her weight behind Silver Line, a phone service for older people who feel lonely and want a voice to chat to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19587903 The system will…

Did you catch Panorama this week? Headlined ‘Old, Drunk and Disorderly?’ it tackled the issue of alcohol abuse among the older generation and made excellent viewing. Joan Bakewell, the government’s former voice for older people, was Panorama’s roving reporter and gave the piece extra resonance because, as Joan pointed out, she…