It’s a Saturday afternoon and we’re having friends over for a braai. The weather is glorious and you simply have to sit, be still and embrace the feel-good atmosphere of like-mindedness amongst a group of people who have come a long way together. We’re all in our 50s and 60s and at different stages of our lives.

John and Sarah are grandparents to two beautiful girls already. Zazzi and Bulela’s youngest child is in matric and their eldest one has finished his studies and is leaving for the UK soon. Dave and Hannah recently retired.

After a round or two of sundowners, Sarah asked the question: “So, guys, what are you looking for in a Retirement Village?”

Silence…

Zazzi excused himself to go and check on the braai, Bulela had to take a call, Dave went to top up the snacks and John had to charge his phone. That left Hannah and Sarah chatting about Retirement Villages. Eventually, the conversation was all about dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

When Dave returned, he said that a retirement village is not for him! He felt that he is too young to hang around old people and that he wouldn’t like to go into a “home”.

As I listened to my friends, it struck me again that after all these years of knowing one another, we never speak of retirement decisions. The uncomfortable conversations are in hiatus. All of us perceive retirement and retirement villages differently. Some of us can’t even comprehend that we are in the last quarter of our lives. We are all healthy and live good, independent lives but perceive “that stage” as not belonging to us.

I don’t blame Dave for his remark as previously retirement villages were perceived as old age homes where irresponsible adult children leave their elderly parents in the hands of unqualified staff. Headline news of elderly people being abandoned without food and care and left to their own devices in these old age homes, are etched into our memories. The fear of landing there is real.

So what changed and what is in it for all of us in our 50s, 60s, and beyond?

Property Developers realised that there is a stigma attached to old age homes. They listened, observed, and saw there is a gap in the market for the 50+ generation to live their best lives. They developed gated, security, Lifestyle Estates geared to the needs of people who no longer want the inconvenience of living in suburbs where they have to spend their hard-earned money and time on stepping up security and home maintenance when they could be doing the things that they always wanted to do but never had the time, because of work responsibilities.

This generation of people wants to explore, have fun, meet other like-minded people where they are, and when the time comes, have all the facilities in place for assistance. They do not want to burden their children with packing up a family home and having to make decisions on their elderly parents’ behalf, leaving them with no choices.

A property developer who understands the needs of the 50+ generation is the Westacre Property Group.

Westacre Homes PTY (LTD) was established in 2005 off the back of a successful family business dating back to 1998 when Dion Potgieter joined Westacre Projects under the guidance of his father Okkie Potgieter. The group has been synonymous with gated villages in the Helderberg, Somerset West area and has become renowned for its highly sort after gated villages with their signature quality builds.

The Westacre Property Group developed The Somerset Lifestyle and Retirement Village in Somerset West.

• Residents living at The Somerset receive 24-Hour care and assistance with activities of daily living.

• The Somerset is ideally located, which opens up a world of opportunity and daily adventure.

• The Somerset has put state-of-the-art security measures in place to ensure the utmost peace of mind.
• The Somerset Clubhouse is the stylish, spacious, social hub of The Somerset and has a gym, library, conference room, and chapel

• Pet friendly – we welcome your furry friends

• Minutes away from the Cape Winelands

• 20 minutes from Cape Town International Airport

• 30 minutes to buzzing Cape Town

• World Class Health Care Centre

• One of the Top 10 Retirement & Lifestyle Villages in South Africa, as surveyed by NW Wealth

• Managed by Macadamia Properties: Property agents that specialise in establishing professional management practices for retirement and lifestyle estates. 

• Offers a choice of Life Right Apartments, Life Right Cottages andFreestanding Freehold homes with varying views and layouts

• Situated at the foot of the Hottentots Holland Mountains with spectacular wraparound views

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