SENIOR LIVING SPECIAL

SENIOR LIVING

LUXURY ACCOMMODATION IN LONDON AND BEYOND

Film critics in residence

LifeCare Residences. We care about living life.

The private cinema at Battersea Place is hugely popular with residents. As well as screening the latest movies, it shows live events including opera performances, tennis at Wimbledon and international football. It is also the perfect venue for talks from experts on everything from history to wellbeing.

Truly, it is the vibrant resident community that makes Battersea Place an exceptional retirement choice. That and the wealth of amenities and luxurious hotel-inspired facilities, all just minutes from the best walks along the Thames, one of the greatest parks in London and the finest shops and boutiques of Chelsea.

Lifestyle and wellbeing are at the heart of our offering, and award-winning care is available should you need it. All adding up to an enriching environment for you and peace of mind for your family.

For further details, or to arrange a visit, please contact Angela Roberts on T. 020 7205 4643 or E. aroberts@batterseaplace.co.uk.

TAKING THE LEAD

A WARM WELCOME AWAITS WELL-BEHAVED PETS AT MANY OF TODAY'S LUXURY RETIREMENT HOMES, WRITES JANE SLADE

One of the greatest health benefits in later life is the companionship of a pet. So much so that even some of London’s top hotels, including the newly revamped Lanesborough, offer a pet butler service, special menus and pet-sitting.

Having said that, managing a dog or cat in London is not straightforward. Busy roads and lack of proximity to open spaces mean canine chums have to be kept on leads, and cats not allowed outside at all. And you should avoid buying a noisy, yappy fluffball if you want to be popular with the neighbours.

Just as well then, that London’s quality retirement communities welcome ‘wellbehaved’ pets with open arms and recognise that they’re vital if they are to attract animalloving home hunters.

Leonie Paskin, 67, would have never moved into Elysian Residence’s art-deco development, The Landsby in Stanmore, if she hadn’t been allowed to bring her longhaired dachshund Bertie.

“It was the first question I asked,” says the retired NHS worker. She even chose an apartment with Bertie in mind. “I was worried he might find it harder than me to adapt to moving from a big house and garden to an apartment, which is why I chose one with a long balcony he can run up and down.”

Elysian allows pets in communal areas – except the restaurant – and staff can arrange dog walking and visits to the groomers.

Widow Caroline Hamilton, 82, is particularly fortunate to be living in Battersea Place. The nine-storey retirement development stands opposite Battersea Park: an ideal playground for her mixed-breed pooch Lola.

It’s also ideal for Caroline, who gets plenty of exercise too. She not only walks her own pet four times a day, but takes her neighbours’ dogs, Willow, Biscuit and Bella.

“It helps me keep fit,” she says, five years after moving from a large marital home and garden in Kew to her seventh floor apartment. “I would never have come

CREATURE COMFORTS Opening page, clockwise from top

left: Albert Suites residents can enjoy complimentary magazines; The Twynams in Eastleigh is ideally located for trips into London; four-legged friends are often welcome in today's retirement communities; Loveday Notting Hill boasts a relaxing garden Above: Caroline Hamilton and her beloved dog Lola live an active, sociable life at Battersea Place

PET PROJECT

Above: Leonie and her dachshund Bertie are enjoying their new home Right: Cats – like Linda's beautiful Roxy – are very welcome in The Twynams' pet-friendly accommodation here if I couldn’t have brought Lola.”

Caroline, who ran the annual Dolls House Festival in Kensington Town Hall for 20 years, has found several dog-friendly restaurants nearby and made useful contacts on her walks. “I found a very good window cleaner!” she says. “Dogs break the ice.”

Angela Wallace, head of marketing at LifeCare Residences, which has three retirement villages, Battersea Place in London, Grove Place in Hampshire and Somerleigh Court in Dorchester, explains that pooches are pampered as much as the residents. “New four-legged friends are given a welcome gift on arrival to help them settle into their new home. We can also help with finding dog sitters when the owners go on holiday, but often find that other residents – in the true spirit of community – will take on dog care if a fellow neighbour is away.”

Riverstone, which has just launched its first community for over-65s in Kensington – within striking distance of Holland Park and Kensington Gardens – is a haven for pets.

“As an owner of two black labradors, I know the benefits of being greeted with joy every morning,” says non-executive director Dr Natalie-Jane Macdonald. “And the wellbeing that comes from regularly exercising my dogs.”

The concierge teams, who look after 190 one, two-and-three-bedroom apartments kindly source local vets, pet sitters, grooming and walkers for their four-legged residents.

And at Auriens Chelsea, a high-end rental-only retirement community with a restaurant, cinema, swimming pool and spa, is well located next door to a specialist boutique and grooming salon. The Pet Pavilion has eight outlets for dogs and cats in the capital’s smartest postcodes, and are designed for those who want to spoil their pooches and create Instagrammable photos. Grooming packages include luxury finishing cologne spritz as well as ultrasound teethcleaning and eye-brightening treatment.

“Pets are very welcome at Auriens in the private apartments but aren’t allowed in public spaces,” explains chief marketing officer Brett Perkins. “We don’t have any yet, but we ’re fully prepared with the Pet Pavilion next door in Chelsea Farmers Market.” elysianresidences.com; lifecareresidences.co.uk; riverstoneliving.com; auriens.com Jane Slade is the founder of the retirement property and care home website, retiremove.co.uk

FOR ALL YOUR TOMORROWS...

Opulence dignity

FORMER ROYAL HOUSEHOLD STAFF, AN EX-SAVOY CHEF AND EVEN ADELE’S DIETICIAN OFFER A NEW APPROACH TO LUXURY CARE, WRITES JANE SLADE

Some might argue that the older we get, the more luxury we deserve. The capital’s care sector certainly agrees, judging by the comfort and opulence prioritised in their homes.

The trend now is to refashion the carehome concept, meaning the words ‘care home/nursing home’ aren’t mentioned at all.

No one is doing that with more conviction than dementia specialists Loveday. Loveday’s homes are stunning places with airy, spacious communal areas, bedrooms with en-suite shower rooms and balconies, and restaurants with private dining areas. They more resemble boutique hotels or country clubs, with fashion shows and music recitals included in the entertainment mix. And that’s precisely the idea.

Former hotel businessman Laurence Geller is putting hospitality centre stage in his revolutionary care concept, along with supporting cutting-edge clinical trials to fi nd a cure for dementia.

Geller plans to have 12 Loveday homes in London’s prime hotspots priced from an eyewatering £5,000 a week. “Top-end nursing homes are no longer just for end-of-life care,” he argues. Some 33 per cent of residents at Chelsea Loveday have been there for more than four and a half years: a powerful statistic when the average life expectancy of a UK care-home resident is just 12 months.

The choice of activities, large communal areas, bespoke menus and fi ne wines make them very desirable place for families too – it’s important to consider them.

Many of the catering sta have worked in pukka hotels (the group’s head chef is exSavoy) and several for the Royal Household, so are used to exceeding the expectations of demanding customers. London is leading the way in combining

TAKING CARE

Above: Draycott's team of specialist nurses and dedicated carers oversee residents' care with weekly reviews to avoid unnecessary hospital visits

hospitality with dementia care.

Britain faces a dementia epidemic with numbers affected forecast to rise from 800,000 to 1.2m in England by 2040. But combining medical treatments with a stunning environment is key to extending people’s lives, according to Geller: “our job is to keep people alive as long as possible”.

Another dementia care specialist reflecting this ethos is Signature Senior Living which has 36 homes in and around the capital, including Hendon Hall in North London, a former hotel where England’s victorious World Cup football team stayed in 1966.

An unusual property for a care home perhaps, but Signature has ensured the listed building’s historic and sporting heritage is reflected in the stunning décor. Facilities include an entertainment hall, gardens, and restaurant which serves nutritious culinary delights devised by 2015 Masterchef winner, Jane Devonshire. Signature Wandsworth even has a sky bar with views over London.

Down the road, the Albert Suites which occupies a wing of the nine-storey Battersea Place Retirement village, is similarly luxurious but more focused on respite, convalescence and re-enablement.

“The Albert Suites are designed to help people get back on their feet after cardiac surgery, a stroke, or other health condition,” explains director of care Helene Cross.

Physio is key to fast-tracking a patient’s recovery here. “We work closely with physicians, and physios,” says Cross.

Albert Suites won Best New Care Home at the National Care Home awards in 2019. Stylishly modern, it has a restaurant, physio gym, indoor pool and private terrace. No whiff of cooked cabbage, just a joyful, bright atmosphere where clients can feel at home.

Over the river at Auriens Chelsea, the emphasis is more on active aging, rejuvenation and living forever. Well almost. Running alongside an innovative programme of age-reversal techniques initiated by Pop star Adele’s dietician Aidan Goggins, author of The Sirtfood Diet, is Draycott Care.

“Our USP is that we’re nurse-led,” explains director of care Angela Molyneux. Draycott has been around for 25 years, and in 2016 became part of the Auriens group.

Draycott has a team of specialist nurses and five dedicated carers based at Auriens Chelsea, with the aim of enabling residents to remain in their homes. “Nurses oversee all the care,” adds Molyneux. “We review clients every week like a hospital ward.”

Early infection detection is key. “Detecting signs early means we can stop conditions worsening and prevent hospital visits.” Until that is, people sadly develop dementia and can no longer live at home. Fortunately, there are options to live out their days in comfort. lovedayandco.com; signature-carehomes.co.uk; draycottnursing.co.uk

LUXURY LIVING Clockwise from below

left: the award-winning Albert Suites has a stylish restaurant; Auriens Chelsea puts an emphasis on active ageing and rejuvenation; Albert Suites has elegant interiors designed to make its residents feel truly at home

Town & COUNTRY

ENJOY CULTURE IN TOWN AND RETURN TO THE QUIET OF THE COUNTRY. JANE SLADE DISCOVERS HOMES OFFERING THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

You don’t have to live in in the centre of the action to enjoy London’s many attractions.

In fact, many new retirement communities are being built a short train ride away, o ering the best of all worlds to those seeking undulating green fi elds as well as fast access to the capital’s entertainment and gastronomic scene.

In Surrey, Lifestory has launched Cobham Bowers, a development of apartments for the over-60s to buy or rent just o the A3 in Cobham. Retirement Villages is building Mayford Grange near Woking, and in Chertsey, Rangeford aims to complete Homewood Grove, a 116-home village for the over 60s, next year.

Further afi eld – just an hour and 20 minutes by train – is The Twynams in Eastleigh which is proving a haven for intellectual dynamos like Linda Norris.

Linda, 80, spent 20 years in politics and from 2015-2016 was the Mayor of Southampton. She may be retired but still loves the cut and thrust of political life.

“I like to interfere,” she says. Having moved from a three-bedroom house with garden in April, she and her 12-year-old feline companion Roxy, now live in the heart of 32 acres of Hampshire countryside.

The Twynams is not only a nature-lovers’ paradise, and part of Bishopstoke Park retirement village, it's also well-connected.

Eastleigh station is close by, making it ideal for trips into London. But Linda also loves entertaining friends at home. “I have everything I could wish for here. A restaurant, gym and pool where I do aqua aerobics and a balcony which Roxy loves.

“There’s also a lovely cattery down the road where Roxy goes when I go to the Body Holiday in St Lucia for a few weeks each year.” Eastleigh is also close to Southampton airport and Southampton Port, which has four cruise terminals.

Music-lover Sue Thomas, is looking forward to popping up to the Royal Albert Hall for Proms concerts, having just moved into Elysian Residences’ spectacular Wildernesse estate in Sevenoaks in Kent.

Sue, 65, is living the dream being a mere 35-minute train journey from London’s art galleries and concert halls, while calling home a gorgeous heritage apartment with views of a rose garden and 24 acres of grounds. “I’m looking forward to dipping into the city and returning home to tranquillity, wildlife, fl owers and peace,” she says.

The retired musician (Sue plays both the piano and harp, and is a patron of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra) is also looking forward to recitals on the Bechstein grand piano in Wildernesse’s grand foyer.

Already she has explored the grounds, walking her puppy Rosie twice a day and indulging in activities and facilities such as the spa, restaurant, swimming pool and library. “I have such confi dence living here and feel safe. And it’s lovely that my grandchildren can access all areas too, so will want to come and visit.” L thetwynams.com; elysianresidences.com; lifestory.group; rangefordvillages.co.uk; retirementvillages.co.uk

COUNTRY GLAMOUR

Opposite: Set in 24 acres of verdant grounds, Elysian Residence's dreamy rural Wildernesse estate in Kent is just 35 minutes from the capital Above: The Twynams in the Bishopstoke Park retirement village boasts a restaurant, gym and pool – and is 80 minutes from London by train