Once the decision has been made to move or downsize into a retirement property, many people’s main consideration when choosing their preferred type of accommodation will be about the benefits for themselves and their families.

Retirement properties offer older people the chance to retain their independence for longer, reduce their financial outgoings and deliver significant health benefits.

These benefits are strengthened when the property in question is designed on the ‘extra-care’ model, as recommended by the Department of Health (DoH).

With the number of 85-year-olds expected to double by 2026, the DoH estimates that in the next 20 years, an additional 1.7m people will have a potential care need. About 25 per cent of residents entering extra-care go on to experience improvements in their health due, in part, to easy access to onsite flexible care that adapts to their changing needs.

There is also easy access to communal facilities, encouraging people to meet other people, make friends and socialise. With one of the biggest causes of ill-health among older people being depression linked to loneliness, this feeling of being part of a community means there is a much lower probability of this occurring in an extra-care environment.

Those living in extra-care properties on average spend less time in hospital than those of equivalent age living in standard retirement properties, meaning pressure on the NHS is also naturally reduced.

Should a person develop health or care needs while living in an extra-care environment, help can be delivered more quickly and effectively. With a standard level of support built into the service charge, additional help, such as personal care services, can be added if a person finds themselves in need of it.

And it is not just personal independence that is maintained but also financial independence if you are buying a retirement property. With each resident owning the home they live in, this in turn enables them to protect their equity.

Overall, extra-care living offers a number of benefits for both residents and their families, as well as society as a whole, reducing the risks around personal, financial or health-related concerns in the future.