RETIREMENT VILLAGES are becoming more all the rage at the present time with the amount of baby boomers retiring. It is valuable to discriminate between a few terms applied to this idea

Wikipedia describes a retirement villages as a multi-residence lodging facility that is planned for older people. The standard pattern scenario is that  person or couple in the dwelling has an apartment-style room or suite of rooms. And other amenities are provided within the building. Normally this includes facilities for meals, meeting, sport, and some form of health or hospice care. The level of care these facilities varies a great deal. Lodging in retirement homes can be paid for on a rental basis, comparable to an apartment, or can be purchased in perpetuity on the same basis as a condominium.

Really, a retirement residence differs from a nursing home principally in the degree of medical care provided. On the other hand, retirement villages and retirement communities, unlike retirement homes, offer separate and autonomous homes for residents plus more.

A retirement community or retirement villages, is an incredibly broad, generic term that covers many varieties of housing for retirees and seniors.  They are especially designed or geared for people who no longer work,or restricted to those over a certain age. A retirement Village differs from a retirement home that is frequently a solitary building or small complex where no "common areas" for socializing is present.

Many retirement villages are planned for that purpose, and have particular facilities catering to the needs and desires of retirees, including wide-ranging amenities like clubhouses, swimming pools, arts and crafts, boating, trails, golf courses, active adult retail and on-site medical services.

Other facilities have no or exceptionally little common amenities. An Age-controlled community normally requires at least one household occupier to be 55 plus years of age or older (occasionally 50+ or 60+ years of age).
 

There are in fact three broad categories of retirement communities

    1.  ACTIVE communities (the whole residential units, no long-term health-care facilities - also known as "independent living communities"

    2.  ACTIVE/SUPPORTIVE communities (a combination of residential and health-care facilities - also recognized as "continuing care retirement communities" - CCRC)

    3.  SUPPORTIVE communities (all long term health-care units, resembling assisted living facilities or nursing homes)

Because more and more healthier and younger people are retiring in our time the major focus I believe is on the active communities or independent living.

Retirement Villages are frequently built in warm climates, and are widespread in countless countries. 

A number of publishers have produced lists of the 100 top retirement communities or 100 best places (or towns) to retire. Nevertheless, these lists are not complete and often out-of-date.  Also, most of these lists are centered on particular Retirement Villages in their prospective countries.  Also, many of these retirement villages are geared towards high income earners (the elderly and the rich).

Scores of countries are experiencing the same phenomena with the elderly these days.  Take for example, New Zealand with about half a million people over the age of 65 in a 2001 census.  I would imagine today in 2010 there are like over a million people in excess of the age of 65.  Add this number to worldwide consensus and you have an enormous amount of people in this age group.  This is principally due to the baby boomer era and healthy lifestyles.

The development in retirement villages as an accommodation
Standard of living and care option is unquestionably a response to this changing demographic profile. The village element is plainly a search for an alternative to old age homes of the past.
Community and inexpensive accommodation within fundamentals of protection rank highly with people's aspirations.

For example in the United Kingdom retirement villages are becoming more and more common.  According to a recent BBC report (Aug 2009) there are about 25,000 people across the UK nowadays living within a retirement village model.

Nurses, caregivers and visiting doctors are an fundamental part of many village operations, while community centers, bowling greens, a swimming pool and billiard tables are a customary recreational feature.

I have traveled allot searching for a decent location for me to retire.  My main concern was regarding expenses since I have a small pension to live on.  I was first interested in the section close to Lake Chapala situated 45 km southeast of Guadalajara, Mexico.  Great weather and great culture but because of the invasion of foreigners the cost to live there is nearly the equivalent as it is my own country.  I passed on this option.

I also thought of Arizona and Florida as I was a snow bird for a some years.  I passed on this choice because of the expenditure issue also.

In the end, I decided on Colombia.  I traveled to Colombia to try my retirement there.  I tried Bogotá, Medellin and Cali.  I found that my pension went a long way there.  I treasured the country and its inhabitants, but I had trouble learning Spanish and this made it challenging to get on with my day by day responsibilities.

Then one day I was chatting to man who told me about the Philippines.  He mentioned the low cost of living in the Philippines and the fact that most Filipinos can speak English.  He went on to say that the English language was on all signs, menus and legal documents.  In Colombia I had a difficult time just opening up my cable account.

One day, shortly after meeting this man I made up my mind, sold all my belongings and trotted off to the Philippines.  At long last, I found my home where life is undemanding and inexpensive.


Below is a sample budget of my cost of living in the Philippines:

    Housing (rental of a luxury three-bedroom apartment): $250 monthly
    Utilities (including, phone, Internet, and cable television): $100 monthly
    Maid (twice a week): $10
    Cook (twice a week): $10
    Groceries: $150
    Water $12 a month
    I lease a new Yamaha scooter for $125 a month.  Gas is around $20 a month.
    A beer is around 60 cents in the store and $1 in the bar.
    1 kilo Italian style tomatoes in the market 12 cents
    1 kilo fresh water fish in the market $140 1 kilo
    Clothing: $20 a month.  No need to wear shoes or slacks here. 
    Most of us wear shorts and sandals

    Entertainment (two people dining out eight times a month at top restaurants or other entertainment): $200.  I take my girlfriend out to a place she likes and it costs me $4 for the two of us.  I take her to an expensive restaurant and she doesn't like it.  My costs for dinning out is around $30 total.

    Health care (four $30 visits to a doctor per year for two people, divided by 12 months): $20

Author Will Irwin who is currently writing his next book 'The Coming Real Estate Boom in the Philippines' explains that one of the most reasonable places to retire is the Philippines.

He goes on to note that there are a few 'secret' places in the Philippines which are developing quickly with new retirement villages for expats.

According to Mr. Irwin  one of the best places to retire overseas has to be the Philippines since it is developing fast at this moment. This is the one of the greatest places to retire overseas because of the low cost of living while the surroundings are as beautiful as Boracay which has 1 million visitors per year.

Living in a retirement village in the Philippines seems like a very good choice nowadays.

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