Village Life: Independence, Loneliness, and Quality of Life in Retirement Villages with Extra Care

The underlying philosophy behind extra care as a concept when it comes to housing with care is that it offers an alternative to residential care, providing a home for life. This report surveyed residents in retirement villages that offer extra care support in order to explore three other objectives of extra care housing that have emerged: • It can promote greater independence and provide greater choice in planning for later life than would otherwise be available. • The communal environment has the potential to reduce social isolation, particularly for residents who move from more rural or remote homes. • It can also promote residents’ quality of life, enhancing it compared to what they would experience either in the general community or in another residential care setting. We examined the motivations behind why people decided to move into their retirement villages, how they found them, and how their experiences might reflect the concepts of independence and control.