CASE STUDY 2

Ann Christina, 58, is head of child workforce development at Kent County Council. She lives in Kent during the week and commutes back to her two bed apartment at Lime Tree Village, Rugby, most weekends.

Her Rugby apartment is her base camp – ‘somewhere to keep my possessions safely, somewhere to relax, a retreat’.

Ann has two children, 22 and 30, Her father is alive and so are a number of elderly aunts. Their predicaments had some bearing on her desire to move to a retirement village.

“I have seen two generations of my family do the wrong thing. My grandparents lived in a rural part of Kent. Their retirement plan was to move to a bungalow in Bournemouth. It took them miles away from their support system. They were on an estate of bungalows miles away from the sea and shops and the bus stop. It was ok at 60 but a disaster at 80. My parents went to Falmouth on a hill nowhere near shops or the bus. They repeated the same mistake.

“Decisions made in your 60s have implications for your children when you are in your 80s.

“My retirement decision took into account my children. I have never wanted them to have to look after me or to even feel they have to travel miles to somewhere I have chosen to live.

“My father’s plan is to pay someone to move in with him to look after him when he can’t manage it anymore. He is a very active 88-year-old,” explained Ann. “And I have two elderly aunts in Kent, both in their late 80s, who are virtually housebound. They have made no plans and it’s too late for them to make decisions about their future. It’s down to other people – ie: me, to make those decisions. I want to make the decisions about my future.”

Ann calls her property move ‘future proofing’.

“People have got the age at which they move to somewhere like this wrong - they should be moving in their 50s and 60s so they can just get on with living the rest of their lives.

“I am future proofing my life. I am making a decision now about where I am going to live in my 80s and 90s. People don’t think about it. People talk about a 3rd age but I think there’s a 4th age. The 3rd age is active retirement. The 4th age is the inactive elderly. People don’t plan for the 4th age - they think it won’t happen to them or they don’t think about it at all. Everything is shifting. There is fit retirement and frail retirement.

“I used to worry a lot about how I would manage on my own if something happened to me - not now but in the future. Buying a home at Lime Tree was my way of alleviating this worry and I’ve seen it through. Now I can enjoy looking forward to my retirement.”

Ann is the youngest LTV resident by one or two years. She is one of a relatively small number in the village who go out to work.

She added: “I am 10 years younger than the youngest of my neighbours and a very active woman.

“I accepted before I came here that I would have to deal with death living here but it’s no more than if you watch a soap opera on television.

“You could stay away from death and pretend it’s not going to happen to you or you can face your fears full-on and deal with them alongside other people who are facing the same issues. Death is still going to happen, wherever you are. My neighbours know I won’t be moving here full time for a while yet and some have said ‘we won’t be around when you are’!”

Being pragmatic, Ann said: “People don’t feel they have come here to die. They are being realistic. Coming here is a realistic decision to make. It is a community of people who have made plans for the future rather than just letting things happen or playing the waiting game. We are not fatalists here. We don’t just let it happen, we plan for it.”

It might be a costly exercise for Ann, but it is one she is happy to pay for the peace of mind it gives her. She said: “LTV is my base camp. All my precious things, heirlooms, favourite books are here. I’m not really getting value for money at the moment and I’ve donated my cleaning time to other people because I don’t need it at the moment. But it’s so safe. I am paying £3,500 a year (annual management fee) for that safety but I look on it as paying rent for my security and peace of mind.”