Relocating: the whys and the 'where to's"

The question 'should I still be living here?' seems to come with the territory of getting older. If we don't ask it of ourselves, someone else is likely to raise it. This workshop is an opportunity to tease out the factors to consider in answering that question - or rather, the two questions:

why might you move?

where might you move to?

This workshop is an opportunity to explore both questions in a systematic way and in the company of others who are also puzzling about where and what to call home, for now, for the future - to enter into the fascinating and relatively recent field: environments for ageing.

A recent survey listed some 40 reasons a person might have for moving house (or staying put) as they got older. Reasons included such things as simple as liking change, or the neighbourhood changing, the garden being too big, wanting to be nearer family or medical services - all sensible considerations. We will spend some time thinking about how you might balance these often competing 'yes/no's'

Then there is the question: where to move to. We are not thinking here about the geographical location, that is usually a matter of personal preference. What is more interesting - and, as it turns out, more important - is to consider the kind of social environment you want to move into. Indeed, one of principal reasons people cite for not moving is that they like their neighbourhood and neighbours.

What is interesting is the expanding range of new 'neighbourhoods' being invented for older people. Besides the familiar Australian retirement village, which seems to be fading in popularity, this workshop will introduce you to some options to consider:

  • a group of friends creating their own communal 'village' either in separate houses or shared accommodation;
  • 'apartments for life' which started in the Netherlands and is being taken up in Sydney;
  • the Beacon Hill Village model where older residents form an association that provides the services they need as they age in their own homes.

There are also new developments in residential aged care which we will talk about.

In this changing landscape of ageing, the options for where we might live - what kind of house, what kind of neighbourhood - are changing too. This workshop is an excellent place to think realistically and optimistically about new environments for ageing.