Owners’ Stories: Why I moved to a retirement village
If you’re wondering whether a retirement village might suit you or someone you know, it helps to hear directly from people who have already made the move. Why did they move? What do they think about it now? What would their advice be to other people thinking about making the move? So, we asked some of our owners to share their thoughts about their decision and the reasons behind it. Here’s what they said.
Please note: We are not sharing these owners’ names in order to preserve their privacy but these stories are taken from genuine interviews conducted with Lynwood Village owners.
I’ve met more people in six months living at Lynwood than in 20 years where I used to live! – Mr C
I started thinking about moving when I became unwell after I retired and I knew that I would need to live somewhere with support. I also wanted modern accommodation, somewhere with no worries about gardening or maintenance, ideally in a community where everything I would need was on my doorstep.
I found Lynwood Village via a Google search. It sounded right and it’s close to my son so I decided it was worth a look. When I first came here I liked the setting of the village with its woodland aspect and I thought it had a good community feeling. I was moving from a town house with three floors and when I was looking at the properties in the village I decided I wanted somewhere with an upstairs so I could carry on going ‘upstairs to bed’. The duplex apartments here have a wonderful suite upstairs, it’s a very large double aspect room with an ensuite shower room, plenty of storage and a balcony so it suits me very well.
I like living in a retirement village because it’s easy to meet people. I’ve met more people in six months living at Lynwood than in 20 years where I used to live! There are so many facilities at hand it’s an easy place to live.
If you’re thinking about moving to a retirement village my advice would be to look closely at the accommodation sizes before you make your decision. I would recommend Lynwood Village, it’s the best of what we saw. There’s always a lot going on and frequent trips out to the shops on the minibus. We have a strong community here and we all want the village to do well.
“I wanted a simpler life, so I moved to Lynwood.” – Mrs B
I had a large house with a big garden and I got to the point where I wanted to downsize and enjoy a simpler life in safe surroundings. A neighbour showed me a leaflet from Lynwood Village which prompted me to start looking at retirement villages. I did look at others while I was deciding but Lynwood had the best facilities and I already knew the local area so it seemed to be the right choice for me. I looked at four properties before choosing mine. I love the views, it’s in a good position, very light and I just liked the feel of the place when I first walked in. My advice to anyone thinking about moving here would be to choose your apartment well. Look at the views!
As well as the excellent facilities we have here, there is help and support at hand if you ever need it, so it’s futureproof no matter what happens. I also like being able to use the restaurant if I don’t feel like cooking! Also I’ve made good friends here, it really does feel like a village.
“If you want company you can just pop downstairs for a coffee!” – Mrs S
When my husband went into a care home I decided I didn’t want to stay in the same house and it was time to move. We had a large house with half an acre of garden which was too much to manage on my own. My daughter found out about Lynwood Village and as it was local to her, and to my old house, it meant I could keep my existing friends and make new ones!
I live in a duplex apartment which has a lovely big room on the top floor with great views over the woodland. I can fit a stairlift in the future if I ever need to and I like having an upstairs. Living in a retirement village means you’ve got help on the spot and you can ring your alarm if there’s an emergency. Also, if you feel like company you can just pop downstairs for a coffee.
I like everything about living in a retirement village and I feel very lucky to live here. I have company if I need it and the lifestyle here suits me to perfection. If you do move here I would recommend talking to the Homemover Specialist team, they were brilliant and very helpful!
“If you want to be alone, you can. If you want to make friends, you can!” – Mr D
I first came to Lynwood when I went for respite at the care centre following a mini stroke a couple of years ago. A little while later I made my mind up to move here. I knew Lynwood before, when the big house was still on this site, and it’s near my doctor’s so I was already familiar with it and know the area well. The house I was living in before I moved was a large five bedroom property with half an acre of land so it was a big downsize and a significant move for me.
Because of my health I wanted a greater sense of security and I was missing my friends. Looking to the future I wanted to take the load off my family, so the move to Lynwood made sense on many fronts. I chose a ground floor property because I’m not keen on stairs. My family liked the apartment I chose, it’s sunny and I love the aspect over the woodland and my outside space.
I enjoy life at our retirement village, there’s always plenty to do and I am making good friends. If you want to be alone, you can and if you want to make friends, you can – it’s really up to you. The facilities are excellent. I use the gym for exercise, the shuttle to Waitrose is very useful and there’s a good community here. I can’t think of a downside and I would highly recommend living here.
“We knew that moving to Lynwood would give us a better quality of life.” – Mrs and Mrs T
It was about three years ago when we started thinking about moving. We had a four bedroom detached house with two garages and a big garden that was becoming too much for us to manage. We had one or two health issues and it just got us thinking that if we were going to make the move we should do it while we could still enjoy a new phase of life.
We lived locally so we already knew about Lynwood. We’d seen adverts in the newspaper and had a friend in the care centre so we decided to come and see it for ourselves. We were looking for security, a welcoming community and support as we got older and that’s exactly what we found here. We felt comfortable as soon as we walked in and knew that living here would offer us a better quality of life.
We chose a large property; it’s really spacious and we overlook the village to the front so we see plenty of life going on out there! I like the feeling of security living here and I say to my friends it’s a bit like living at a hotel. We do a lot more since we moved here but you can do as much or as little as you like – there’s no pressure.
If you’re thinking about moving here, I would say be strict about what you bring with you and don’t bring too much ‘stuff’!
“The people here are so friendly and there’s so much to do!”- Mr and Mrs G
We had been on holiday to an adapted Lodge at Center Parks and found living on one floor with wide doorways and a large wet room so much easier. We also enjoyed the forest setting, with the swimming pool and restaurants on-hand and we wondered if we could find somewhere similar to live permanently. Fortunately our daughter-in-law found Lynwood Village online and once we had been to visit, and seen this lovely flat, we immediately put our house on the market.
We also value the security and facilities here as we age, as do our sons, as they feel we are in a very secure and uplifting environment. We did look at retirement flats, but they did not appeal at all!
After nearly nine months we are still so happy to be here. We arrived in snow in January and with the help of the “unpackers” we settled in very quickly. The people here are so friendly and there’s so much to do. Of course the purpose built flat, with the wet rooms and the wide doorways, is ideal for my husband in his wheelchair and he can access the café and the restaurant, as well as the physio and aquatherapy, all within the building!
We now enjoy the smell of cut grass from our balcony – no garden for us to worry about!
We are grateful to our daughter-in-law for finding Lynwood for us, and to our family for encouraging us to make the move now – while we are young enough to make the most of it for many years to come. Our family are equally grateful that we are in such a safe environment, and a bonus for them is that they don’t even have to change a lightbulb, as there are people here available to do that. And the friends and family we left behind enjoy coming up on a Sunday and having lunch with us in the restaurant – no need for me to cook!
“We moved here for the support but you can also move here and be independent.” – Mrs V
We used to live in Ascot so we already knew the area and we were familiar with the old Lynwood care home, which had a good reputation. Friends of ours had moved into a cottage at Lynwood Village and they were very happy, so when my husband developed Alzheimer’s and we needed to live somewhere with more support we thought of Lynwood.
We moved to Lynwood Village in the November but by February my husband needed so much support that he had to move into the care centre. He’s settled and very well looked after there and I can just walk over and see him whenever I like, I don’t have to travel, which makes things a little easier. When we first moved here I was busy looking after my husband but now he’s in the care centre I have a lot more free time and can get involved in things.
We celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary here and had a party in the Berkshire Suite, which was lovely and the staff helped us organise everything. My husband came along and it was great to see all our family and friends.
I love my apartment! It was ideal for my husband to get around in his wheelchair and it’s ideal for me now as I have space for family to stay, which they often do. We moved here for the support but you can also move here and be independent, as I am. Everyone is very friendly and helpful but there’s no pressure, you can join in as much or as little as you like. There’s always plenty on and a social every other Sunday. I still drive but I also use the minibus shuttle, it’s a good way to meet new people and it’s useful. I love the pool and I sometimes go to the exercise classes too. I think I would say to anyone thinking of moving here to choose an apartment that really suits them – consider it carefully including where it is within the village.
“You don’t need to be lonely or bored in a place like this!” – Mrs O
My life in the village is busy – very social. I didn’t think I was a sociable person until I moved here. I thought I was the kind of person who stayed in, sat on the sofa and read books. I’ve socialised more in 18 months than I have in 20 years! It’s great because you walk out the door and everything’s there. There’s always something to do – someone’s birthday celebration, a themed meal or a trip out.
I’m still very active, I do a lot outside as well as inside the village. I also love that I can swim and use the gym – it doesn’t matter about the weather. I go to the aqua fit classes, gym classes, themed meals, Sunday night socials, quizzes and coffee mornings. You can be as involved as you want to in the village. I edit the Village Life magazine, so I go round interviewing owners so we can all get to know each other better.
I moved here at an age when I was young and fit enough to choose exactly what I wanted and where I wanted to live. I moved to Lynwood Village to secure my future. My parents didn’t do much in their retirement and I didn’t want to be like that. I’m confident about my future and feel I can cope with the infirmity of old age because I’m living here.
I’m one of the younger ones in the village but age doesn’t matter when you’re amongst friends. What’s nice is that you make a lot of friends here – so when your life outside shrinks, you still have a life inside the village. There are a lot of very interesting people who live here so it’s great to get to know them. I have lived in the area for 40 years so I have a lot of friends locally.
I love the nice views and the position of the village. My apartment is on the top floor, looking out onto the trees – it’s peaceful. I have a lovely apartment, but it’s more than that, it’s a community and I have more of a social life because of it. There’s company if I want it. You don’t need to be lonely or bored in a place like this.
It really is such a great life.