A home is a house in a community where you feel like you can be yourself around respectful, social and like-minded individuals.
As we enter the later stages of our life our ability to socialise and connect with the community in our free time expands. At the same time, our friendships have changed. People move away, there is more familial importance and sometimes close friends pass.
The community we once flourished in and engaged with is no longer the same. We no longer have direct access to that same community of respectful, social and like-minded individuals.
That’s why community and caring are built in at every Uniting NSW/ACT retirement and independent living villages. For over 50 years, Uniting has considered the wants and desires of people entering our retirement villages and what community they want to belong in.
Moving into the next phase of your life should be an exciting occasion. Uniting believes that everyone should enjoy the confidence of belonging in the forefront of retirement and independent living community design.
Lucette from Mosman was someone who intimately knew this. For over 40 years she was a real estate agent in the Mosman area and whenever someone asked where they should retire, she always said the same thing,
“The Garrison by Uniting.”
After years of advising others, Lucette was finally looking to downsize and retire from her profession.
“I knew I wanted to upsize my lifestyle whilst downsizing at the same time. From the moment I moved into my own apartment at Uniting, I have fallen in love with the lifestyle.”
Uniting villages let you be yourself around respectful, social and like-minded individuals.
Lucette found the purpose-built apartments to be practical and stylish whilst having plenty of natural light and ventilation, and walls that will allow for the installation of grab rails in the future, if needed. The apartments also include spacious layouts to allow people to entertain guests and to move around easily.
Having room for guests was important for Lucette. One of her first projects when joining the village was to ensure that others could enjoy the area as much as she had.
It all started one day when the village manager asked her if she could help form and activate a social committee. Could she ever! Lucette has been on a social whirl ever since.
“I never realised how many friends I would make!” she says. “As the head of the social committee, I’ve met so many wonderful people doing the most extraordinary things. We’ve taken harbour cruises, had meals, trivia nights, movie afternoons and even chair yoga.”
The social committee is now a big staple of the village. Even during the COVID lockdowns they made sure that they stayed connected and checked in with each other.
One of the first things they did when restrictions eased was hold a party to farewell the village manager. Nancy has been the village manager at The Garrison for many years and felt like family to the residents. Her presence and sunny disposition brought a spirit of caring throughout the village. The residents wanted to have one last party with Nancy and give her the send-off she deserved before she commences with another wonderful Uniting village in Leichhardt.
Nancy, village manager at The Garrison, with Lucette
This is just one of the many ways that Lucette has seen her social network expand and cared for. She now says that it is her true home.
Lucette also enjoys the freedom that retirement living has given her. She came for the ideal home but now believes she has the ideal lifestyle in her retirement.
No longer does she have to worry about mowing the lawns or the letterbox filling up whilst she is away. Uniting’s specialist staff take away the hassle of maintenance for her property and allow her to focus on what truly matters.
Like Lucette, residents have the convenience of choosing their comfort zone in the many leisure spaces of a Uniting retirement and independent living village.
There are spaces to entertain yourself and to entertain your loved ones, whether that be a communal vegetable garden for the green thumbs, the villages’ dedicated clubroom for trivia and crafts, or the outdoor courtyard perfect for BBQs. The village and its staff want to facilitate your interests and keep you enjoying retirement in style.
Our villages are uniquely placed to offer additional opportunities to enhance community life. Our goal is spontaneous opportunities for connection. We always aim to support the creation of as many new friendships and memories as possible.
Everyone deserves to discover new passions in the comfort of their home with a community full of respectful, social and like-minded individuals. We want you to retire happily with easy access to a social network, new friends and other supports whenever you want it. Most Uniting villages even have room for any pets you want to bring along.
Studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom apartments are available across NSW and the ACT to accommodate and compliment a thriving retirement lifestyle, wherever you live.
Our dream is for our broader communities to grow stronger and build on their solid foundations. To realise this, we want to encourage people from all walks of life to come together and contribute to a diverse and vibrant place for connecting.
A Uniting village is the perfect place to find your new home and your new forever friends.
Uniting doesn’t just put a roof over your head, it creates a community.
In that community, we are Uniting People.
Book a tour by calling 1800 864 846 or going to uniting.org/villages.
This is a sponsored article produced in partnership with Uniting.
