Estate Living November 2016 Digital Issue | Page 46

AGEING IN PLACE, & NATURALLY OCCURRING RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES
Staying in the house you’ve always lived in until you die is not a new concept – but it is being
reinvented. Technology and innovative businesses make it possible for people to enjoy many of
the advantages of retirement villages right at home.
The development of interactive communication devices for medical and other emergencies by
providers such as BeSafe offers a real sense of security to older people living alone. They can
be used to check in every day, indicating that the user is well, or to call for help in the case of a
medical or other emergency. In fact, they can be used by people of any age. These gadgets are
particularly popular outside residential estates for people who need to negotiate dark areas
between the garage and the front door, or for people who jog, walk dogs or cycle, whether alone
or in small groups.
When looking at ageing in place, it make sense to look at naturally occurring retirement
communities (NORCs) - a term originally coined in North America. NORCs happen when the
people living in a suburb, neighbourhood or even a block of flats all age together. One day you
wake up and the whole street is sporting grey hair! These NORCs represent a great opportunity
for service suppliers to tweak the offerings of the existing environment by supplying, say, home
care, security, cleaning services, interactive security systems, and perhaps