How to Live Later-Life to the Full by Jane Slade

Guest Blog: Jane Slade, founder of the retirement property website retiremove.co.uk

Choosing to buy a retirement property within an integrated retirement community can help you live a longer, happier, and healthier life.

You don’t have to take our word for it. 

The largest and most in-depth poll ever conducted of people who live in retirement communities in the UK found that they have healthier, more active, more social, more secure, and happier lives than those who don’t.

The research, carried out in partnership between ProMatura International and ARCO (the Associated Retirement Community Operators) suggested that ridding yourself of the responsibility and worry of running a family home unleashes a new kind of freedom.

Shiplake Meadows, a new development near the charming market town of Henley-on-Thames in South Oxfordshire, offers you opportunity to experience that new-found freedom and enjoy your retirement in ways you may not have imagined. 

For some it could mean spending more time with children and grandchildren; for others it might be having more time for holidays and indulging your passions.

Having the best of both worlds

Shiplake Meadows is set within six-and-a-half-acres of stunning grounds and gardens and ideally located not far from the M4 and railway links to London.

Put simply, homeowners will have the best of both worlds – the peace and quiet of the countryside, minutes from the charming towns of Henley-on-Thames and Marlow with their fabulous restaurants, and just a few minutes from local stations at both Lower Shiplake and Twyford which is on the New Elizabeth Line feeding directly into the bustling capital.

Shiplake Meadows is a delightful enclave of 15 two-bedroom cottages and 40 two and three-bedroom apartments designed for modern independent living. 

More space than other developments

Unusually for a retirement development, its homes are particularly generous when it comes to size with most measuring over 1,000 square feet. There are also ten luxurious penthouses with six offering over 400 square feet of triple balcony space over two levels.

“Our homes are unique in offering more space than most retirement developments,” says Beatrix Lehnert, Director of retirement specialists Probitas. “We feel this is important so owners have more space for entertaining when friends and family visit. All properties have at least two large double bedrooms, with a number also having additional study’s and utility rooms” 

And if you need even more space for friends and family, then there are also two full size guest apartments: one with one bedroom and another with bedrooms.

Along with a variety of stylish homes Shiplake Meadows will evoke a boutique-hotel feel with plenty of fabulous communal facilities – all just a few steps from your front door. 

Boutique-hotel style facilities

There is no fear of suffering isolation or loneliness here. The development’s vibrant community will be focussed around a Clubhouse which will be the central hub of the village.

Here will be an on-site bistro, members lounge and bar, fully equipped gym, pilates/fitness studio, treatment/care suite and al-fresco sun terrace. It’s hard to imagine that all these areas will be part of your home too. “We have some amazing local companies who have chosen to partner with us to provide the food and beverage offer, care services, and physiotherapy and fitness facilities, which many people will already be familiar with” adds Beatrix.

Shiplake Meadows is an integrated retirement community -  somewhere you and your partner can call home and continue to live even if one of you needs extra support and care. 

The operators have thought of everything in this, their first fully integrated retirement scheme, even including a dedicated local taxi service if you are unable to drive. 

“Shiplake Meadows is designed to enhance and inspire a new way of life so you can remain independent and healthy for longer and feel safe and secure,” adds Beatrix. 

Felling safe and secure gives you an added sense of freedom too. You don’t have to worry if you go on holiday or choose to spend a few months abroad. You know your home will be looked after, and you will have no fear of returning to a damp patch on the ceiling, or pots of dead plants on your patio or balcony.

Shiplake Meadows will be more than just a home. It will attract a community of like-minded people with whom you can share interests and passions and devise a new, exciting way of life and give you a fulfilling future, within a wonderful part of the world to live.