Retirement Village Lifestyle

IntroductionThe retirement village industry sells dream lifestyles through glossy sales brochures that promote a multitude of facilities, amenities and services. This article discusses the implications of the active ageing dream and argues that the notions of 'active and productive ageing' fail to capture the increasingly commodified nature of retirement village life. We argue that active ageing in a retirement village comes at an economic and social cost, and that non-participation entails penalties that can result in social exclusion and isolation. The article is based on a case study of one retirement village on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. We outline the nature and growth of the retirement industry in Australia and the value and limitations of current understandings of active and productive ageing. We show how active ageing is enmeshed in practices of commodification and how productive ageing requires theorising through a socio-economic lens to understand how residents end up participating in the for-profit activities of the retirement industry and the limits of current retirement village options.The commercial retirement village concept in Australia is broadly based on the United States system of retirement communities (Manicaros and Stimson 1999: 33). Currently, few studies focus on the socio-economic conditions of ageing and none focus on Australian retirement villages. There are large knowledge gaps in the field of social gerontology (Minichiello et al. 1988: 24, 26-9) and there is a paucity of Australian literature in the field (Asquith 2009: 255, 266-67).In Australia retirement villages are age-segregated 'communities' developed in urban locations and offer similar facilities to small community villages and towns (Manicaros and Stimson 1999:33-6). Australian resident-funded retirement villages are those where owners/ managers operate according to prevailing market principles and legislation (McGovern and Baltins 2002: 23-46). While a degree of variation exists within the modern commercial retirement village industry, there are many similarities in structure and operation. In Australia there are two categories of retirement villages: not-for-profit, no frills villages operated by religious and/ or charitable organisations and/or municipal councils and commercially owned self-funded villages. The latter village-type dominates the retirement housing market. This article focuses solely on commercially owned and managed retirement villages. They are open to all retirees, age pensioners and self-funded, although access depends on the affordability of the house and monthly village fees (Lederbauer 2014: 38-45).Commercial retirement villages usually comprise between 100 to 280 housing units and the age of entry varies from 55 to 65 years. These villages offer contract agreements ranging from leasehold, lease/loan, lease/ licence or a form of freehold (strata) title, usually for 99 years (McGovern and Baltins 2002: 39-41). Housing designs vary, ranging from freestanding villas to duplexes and apartments. Retirement village fees include the up-front purchase price, monthly village fees, which incorporate all operating costs, and finally, the exit fee, which varies between villages and ranges from 30-49% of either the original purchase or the current market price. Retirement villages and boutique resorts, containing a wide range of facilities, amenities, services, resident organised activities and entertainment can be regarded as 'one-stop' villages (Lederbauer 2014: 80-3).Commercial villages on the Sunshine Coast can be one of three types: i) up market villages and boutique resorts with 5-star facilities, ii) benchmark villages with community-standard accommodation and the potential for subsidisation from government funding or charitable organisations, and iii) basic villages with no frills accommodation, few on-site facilities and largely subsidised through government funding or charitable agencies. …