Editorials

VicUrban - Roxburgh Park Update December 2004, "Another Jewel in the Crown of Roxburgh Park"

Many residents of Roxburgh Park would have watched with interest the development of a new estate at the end of Patullos Lane, and those who enjoy a regular walk around Bridgewater’s beautiful lake would be familiar with the continuous activity and development of the site.

Every day, staff at Bridgewater Lake respond to enquiries, explaining the uniqueness and vision behind the estate. What may not be clear is that this new estate has been specifically designed for people over the age of 55.

The centrepiece of the estate, Club Bridgewater, was opened on the 13th November 2004. Even bad weather couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of those attending the official opening. The Honourable Liz Beattie, Member for Yuroke, together with the estate’s founding residents cut the red ribbon to formally open Club Bridgewater. For the founding residents it was a far cry from the early pioneering days of paddocks and gumboots.

A sense of community has been evolving since the first residents arrived at Bridgewater Lake. Club Bridgewater houses just about everything one could ever need to get on with living life to the full and has certainly enhanced the development of a vibrant neighbourhood.

Preceding the official opening, the inaugural Bridgewater Lake Indoor Bowls Tournament was held to christen the new facility. Despite the caliber of talented players in their midst, two of Bridgewater Lake’s very own residents were on the winning team and have the trophies to prove it. Of course, it didn't hurt that the other two players in the team are both state champions!

With the sunshine on Sunday came hoards of very welcome visitors to Bridgewater Lake. Tours were given of Club Bridgewater and Bridgewater Lake’s uniquely adaptable display homes. The response on Sunday was so overwhelming that even the residents stepped up to the plate to assist the staff in proudly showing groups around the estate – even to the extent of showing people through their own homes. The response from visitors was extremely positive with many commenting that they wished they were over 55 so they could move in tomorrow.

Bridgewater Lake is an exciting new development in Roxburgh Park for people over the age of 55. Some of the most experienced minds in care and lifestyle management, have created a community which delivers a place where residents can sow the seeds of their future and grow the life of their dreams.

Residents of Bridgewater Lake are offered the opportunity of accessing as much care and assistance as required to help them get on with life. Whether its assistance after a stay in hospital, right through to 24 hour in home care, Bridgewater Lake’s experienced and reputable health care provider will assist unobtrusively in the convenience and comfort of the home. It’s all part of their belief that people should be able to stay in their home for as long as they like.

Club Bridgewater was officially opened in November and is already the hub of life and community at Bridgewater Lake. It’s a new fashioned building based on an old fashioned adage. That being with your friends and family is what life’s all about.

Housed in this superbly appointed complex is an indoor pool and adjoining spa, indoor bowls, resource centre with internet access and library, fully equipped gymnasium and workshop, theatrette, hairdressing salon, consulting rooms for visiting doctors and other service providers and the main function room with dance-floor, bar and lounge. Club Bridgewater will also be home to a number of special interest groups such as a walking club, craft groups, gardening clubs, a cinema society and the brand new Bridgewater Lake Lawn Bowls Club.

What differentiates Bridgewater Lake from other estates is that they all tend to look the same. Same houses, same street scapes, same old design. At Bridgewater Lake, they celebrate choice and no-where is this better illustrated than in their range of beautifully built homes. There are 17 house designs to choose from in a range of sizes and styles. Future living has already been considered by the incorporation of clever design elements which allow for easy undisruptive changes should residents’ future needs differ from their current.

The staff at Bridgewater Lake are always delighted to have the opportunity to talk with people about this unique concept in retirement living. The estate’s display homes, Club Bridgewater and the adjoining new Bridgewater Aged Care Facility are open daily for inspection.

For many people who have spent a lifetime on the land enjoying rural living, moving into a retirement village and the restrictions imposed on them in regard to space limitation, outlook and suburban location may make the thought of moving into a retirement village unpalatable.

Bridgewater Lake Retirement Estate, located on the fringe of Melbourne’s rural north, is the ideal alternative for country people contemplating downsizing but not wanting to compromise the joy of open spaces and room to move.

Bridgewater Lake is unique within the retirement industry where usually choice and individuality are limited with set designs and predestined village layout.

Already several couples have taken the opportunity of consolidating two and even three Lots of land on the Estate to have homes customised to their own requirements and, so importantly to many men, have a garage and workshop built to the size they require to house precious tools and treasures.

The estate is doted with old majestic gums and parklands with many Lots still available overlooking parklands and lake. Streets are wide and every home is unique and individual.

The jewel in the crown of Bridgewater Lake is Club Bridgewater which features bowling green, pool, spa, theatrette and bar and is a popular meeting place for residents their family and friends.

One of the great things about country life is the sense of community and friendship. This exemplifies life at Bridgewater Lake Retirement Estate.

On the downside of country living can be the lack of access to medical and community services and the tyranny of distance, particularly when it becomes difficult to drive or access public transport. Bridgewater Lake is located only 21kms from Melbourne’s CBD close to both the Metropolitan Ring Road and the Hume Highway. Major medical facilities, community services and shopping complexes are close by and the Estate’s community bus makes it easy to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Bridgewater Lake Retirement Estate truly does offer country living with city convenience and peace of mind.

Roxburgh Park's Bridgewater Lake Estate is set to provide its residents with a unique village experience. Bridgewater Lake Estate is different to most of the retirement villages you'll find in Melbourne for a number of reasons. First of all, the lots on the project site are sold as strata title units which provides a secure title.

The homes at Bridgewater Lake Estate are all stand alone. There are no common walls and the homes are designed internally for people to age in place. That is, people can live a normal life or in fact be nursed at home if that is their choice and the internal design of the house means that they are in total safety.

There are 26 specific features in the design and the construction of the house that separate Bridgewater homes from normal house construction. These features include wide doors, wide corridors, emergency call system, special door handles and tape ware, slip resistive floors, wheelchair access and much more. At the Bridgewater Lake development you are not buying a house, you are buying a lifestyle .

More and more housing is being developed to meet the needs of older Australians, who are seeking fair and affordable access to high-quality homes and aged-care services. Joanna Gerantidis reports on a growing market segment -

For any adult person who is still in the prime time of their life, having to talk with peers about anything in relation to retirement may bring mixed emotions.

Daunting as it can be for some, 'retirement' is as inevitable as the dawning of each day. And for that matter, so is the evolution of retirement homes and retirement villages. Importantly, housing construction for aged residents is becoming a specialised niche market.

Executive Director of Bridgewater Lake, Karen Tripney, explained that aged-care services are an important step in improving the quality of life for older Australians.

"Aging in place" relates to the provision of responsive and flexible care in line with each individual's changing care needs in a familiar and appropriate environment" says Karen.

"Great emphasis is now being given to ageing in place with the provision of more in-house support services to allow people to stay in their own home or unit for longer as their needs increase, and to defer or avoid the need to move into facilities offering higher levels of care".

"Home ownership is a conduit to greater possibilities of self-determination for an older person's future lifestyle choice. Independence, flexibility, consumer and lifestyle choices are now key values and priorities for older Australians. The main contributing factors are increased longevity, changing family relationships, new forms of identity formation and social expectations, greater social mobility and diversity".

Ageing in place depends more upon attachments to location rather than the family home. Older people are now accepting of this change. There is a strong belief that the building and constructions sectors will enjoy growing markets in projects for aged residents in not just large-scale centres, but in private homes designed to cater to the needs of the elderly.

"The baby boomers are certainly more discerning, live more active lifestyles into retirement, do not have the extended family support, are not adverse to spending their children's inheritance and will demand and independent stand of living which previous generations have not aspired to.

To build homes with consideration for ageing and the ability for care to be delivered into these homes would certainly be a huge marketable aspect for the of 55s. I also believe that 'cluster' building with consideration for ageing in place would attract a market. Isolation is one of the most debilitating aspects of living in the community for some elderly people".

Bridgewater Lake Retirement Estate is development for over 55s in Roxburgh Park, 21 kilometres north of Melbourne's CBD.

"At Bridgewater Lake Estate (BLE) we have residents ranging from mid 50 to 90s", Karen says.

"The younger residents have moved to us as a lifestyle change. They enjoy the resort-style living. Some still work, entertain and travel extensively. Our residents who are between the mid-60s and mid-70s are still extremely active but preparing for the time when they may require assistance, want to cut down on the upkeep and maintenance aspect of their homes, and are preparing for the contingency of one of them being left alone".

Interestingly, a survey of our residents have shown that a majority have actually moved into large homes upon retirement. BLE is unique in the industry, in that our homes are designed to enable ongoing care".

Karen says that through the BLE project has been able to custom-design homes for its clients. Most retirement villages have a set building model that potential residents must conform to in terms of the design packages in the complex.

"We have customised homes for our residents, with some commissioning us to builder larger, more expansive homes (35 sqs and more). We are also attracting purchasers from rural areas who would find the confines of a regular retirement village too restrictive".

"There is a misconception that older people wish to downsize - they often want to downsize the work involved in a home, not the actual home itself".

Some of the more salient design/architectural/building elements that differentiate a conventional home from one built for older residents include the need to accommodate future health and mobility aids. For example, rather than have grab rails in place from the outset, there is additional blocking behind walls in bathrooms and toilets to allow for safe installation of rails at a later stage.

To allow for the possibility of a wheelchair, doorways and passageways are made wider for a flow-through effect in kitchens, so a person can manoeuvre around and not get "boxed in". All handles are levers rather than knobs, which ware difficult for arthritic hands.

According to Karen, if a home is a double story, it is important that the main living, master bedroom and disability-friendly bathroom/ensuite are on the ground floor so that the second story becomes a guest area. Natural light is extremely important because older people can find it difficult to distinguish light and shade. Similarly, floor surfaces are extremely important.

Wet areas are fitted with slip-resistant materials. "One must be mindful with carpets in regard to pile, which can impact on the ability of a person in a wheelchair to propel themselves around the home" Karen says.

"I believe the future of house design for the more senior market will automatically include these features just as homes designed for the first home buyer have criteria to target that market, as do homes for the growing family. Homes for those entering the next phase of their life should be a normal progression without the stigma of growing old".

Karen believes the building industry will slowly but surely acknowledge that housing for the ageing is an important market. The greatest issue her organisation has encountered is that some trades are not taking on board design requirements and are reverting to standard design principles.

"We have used the same builder since the inception of the estate. Our one foray with another builder proved to be unsuccessful as they could not understand our specific design requirements.

"Some of the consequences if we fail adapt to the needs of aged populations and that our older populations will become more discerning, cashed up and demanding. These older people are the 'us' of the future!"

It's never too late to take up sport according to Hume Leader's Grassroots Gold senior winners, Bridgewater Lake Bowls Club.

The newly established Roxburgh Park club - which picked a $1000 Rebel Sport voucher for sporting equipment thanks to Leader, Rebel Sport and RACV in the annual competition - brings together residents of Bridgewater Lake Retirement Estate and members of Hume U3A.

The club won the paper's seniors category with a poem written by Wendy Laing.

Club secretary Lynette Atkinson said retirement was a good time to start sport and leisure activities and that the funds would help the club.