Just another day in a retirement village

Up in the morning, leading the 6.00am aqua aerobics in one of the three heated pools is an average morning start for 75 year old Audrey.  On the days there is no aerobics, she’s swimming laps in the pool with others in a leisurely manner, keeping her stiff knees a little more mobile.  She’s been doing it for 8 years, since she moved in, and says she’s met her best friends in the pool in the mornings.

After an invigorating swim she heads back the 200 metres to her two bedroom Independent Villa for a quiet breakfast.  Then, at 9am its up to the rec hall, just 100 metres away in another direction, where a group of people come together for a light stretching class led by a professional instructor.  They do standing and sitting exercises that keep them all supple.

Morning aqua aerobics class 

Then, it’s off to the pottery workshop, jewellery making, or any number of the morning activities that are listed on the weekly newsletter.

“We’re really happy here,” says Audrey of her life in the village.  “One can become involved or not become involved at all… but you get so much out of being involved with others.”

Pottery class

Morning tea is served in the lounge every day, and people make there way there when they want to have some social contact.  There’s no obligation to she says.

Before lunch Audrey might take a quick trip to the local shopping mall.  She still drives herself and anticipates she can continue this for years to come.  But she can also ride on the Village bus that runs four days a week.  If she isn’t headed out, she might meet the Spring Fair group to help with the organisation of what is an annual festival that takes over the grounds with over 600 residents.

The “White Elephant Shop” at the Spring Fair 

Some of the displays at the Spring Fair

Her beloved hobby of knitting has been set-back by repetitive strain from the hobby itself so she’s filling her spare time with social activities while it heals.

Before long it is lunchtime, which she often spends in the Restaurant.  She invites us to join her on our next visit, explaining enthusiastically about the reasonable pricing and fantastic food just a quick walk away.

Then she whiles the afternoon away on the computer, exploring social media and media on the Internet, developing presentations on various topics, planning some travel, or helping others to digitise their photos in the Village.  Audrey has taken a lot of people on the journey to getting online in the Village.  And she is often found putting together the older residents’ life-albums for 90^th or 80^th birthday gifts.  A few years ago she founded the Village’s computer club and has since handed it over for others to run.

Her afternoon is punctuated frequently by 5pm drinkies and she’ll often have friends for dinner, or pops off to the restaurant to meet some others for a meal.

Then it’s time for a stroll through the village.  She likes to walk in the evening, before bed.

Life in the Village might sound overly peaceful to some, too structured to others.  But to those craving companionship like Audrey was eight years ago, it is everything she had hoped and plenty more.

Audrey is 75 and has been living at AVEO Durack for eight years.  She arrived at the Village, moving from Warwick to take up a large, 2 bedroom comfortable Villa with two private courtyard gardens that are lush with stags, ferns, rockery gardens and succulents.  Within 6 months of moving in she had two knee replacements, and found living at the Village the best way to have retained her independence through such a challenging period of immobility.  She had the hydrotherapy pools just a minute away, the physios and doctors in the Village, and the ability to order meals to be delivered to her independent unit any time she couldn’t or didn’t feel like cooking.

And she rues anyone who makes a judgement of Village life based on its older residents that are seen  to have mobility challenges.  “Our village is full of very active residents she says that get out and about.  We do things all the time.  Many people still work every day, or several days a week.  People are always heading off overseas for holidays.  And so many people volunteer to lead group activities,  doing the things they love.”

Have you ever contemplated living in a Village and wondered what life would be like on a daily basis?  

This article is sponsored by Aveo retirement villages. For more information on your lifestyle options take a look at the Aveo website or call 13 28 36. Please note this article was written independently by the Starts at 60 team.