Looking to the future “I’ve got total freedom”

Summerset resident, Gavin Archer, made the decision to move into a three-bedroom villa at Summerset Waikanae after spending time thinking about his future. “In my case, the problem was that I felt a bit vulnerable going forward as a single male living by himself. There was no support there. I thought, perhaps it's time to actually look to the future rather than hang on to the past,” said Gavin.

“I had heard about Summerset Waikanae, so I got in the car and drove down here. It was fortunate because the Sales office was a three-bedroom villa, so I could see straight away what a villa looked like. Summerset has full time presence on the site, day and night. I don't have to worry about security. I don't have to worry about anything. The vulnerability is gone, and freedom has actually taken over from that particular emotion.”

While some may choose to downsize to a smaller home when moving into a retirement village, Gavin had a clear idea of what he was looking for. “I wanted my home to have a combination of good light and good wall space. I do art, and I wanted a room to do that in and leave it set up. I do have a problem if I feel confined, so these feelings were quite important to me. However, the village is set in a very nice environment, close to established areas and has great topography surrounding it. It is within walking distance of the beach, it's a great walk. You're walking through lovely bush, the river's right beside you, trickling away over the rocks. Then you break out into the coastal area, and you see a totally different landform and environment. So there's always a vision and a vista to look at.”

Since moving into the village, Gavin not only feels right at home, but he’s made new friends with the like-minded people in the village community. “We all come here on the same basis, we've got the same aspirations, and I find that everyone meshes together very well. I've got some great neighbours, best neighbours I think I've had in the six properties I've actually occupied in my adult life. And that’s a benefit because we all come in together with the same intention of making sure that the next stage of our life is well catered for,” said Gavin.

Knowing that a village centre will be onsite with a wide array of facilities and care options has given Gavin peace of mind about the future.

“If in fact something happens, and I've got to go into a serviced apartment or other parts of the facility, I don't lose the identity of the village, which I’ve grown into, or the people. From that point of view, I've been quite enlightened by the change, knowing that I’ve got stability.”

“I think having that continuum of care is very important. You can look at all the benefits that you can get from it, right? It's your life. It's your well-being. It's your happiness. And I think that's very important. I've got total freedom. It was the right decision for me.”

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