Study reveals a link between retirement village living and life expectancy

We’ve all heard the claims about how great the lifestyle of a retirement village is for us and our health.

But could living in a retirement village make you live for longer?

Well, according to a new study by the International Longevity Centre, it can.

The study examined residents at the Whiteley Village to determine whether retirement village residents were living longer than the national average.

It turns out, they do.

According to a report published about the study, female residents who moved to the village between the ages of 65 and 69 received a “substantial boost to their longevity” compared to the wider population.

In fact, the study founds that at one point in time, female residents at the village were, on average, living for almost five years longer than the national average life expectancy.

So, what about the male residents?

While the study didn’t find “sufficient statistical evidence” to say male residents were living longer than the national average, there was “certainly evidence that the majority lived at least as long on average”.

“Being a resident in Whiteley seems to nullify the usual higher mortality rates experienced by members of the lower socioeconomic classes,” the report states.

“The only exception to the improvements in the expected mortality rates was for the shortest lived males. However, the report postulates that such males had made lifestyle choices (e.g. smoking) that had led to underlying health impairments which could not be fully mitigated by the benefits achieved through the social interaction and on-site health support provided by Whiteley.”

The report conclude that retirement villages could actually help governments reduce the inequality in life expectancy in lower socio-economic groups.

International Longevity Centre UK chief executive Baroness Sally Greengross said the residential care sector was responding to the needs of the rapidly ageing society.

“I hope that policymakers and the social care sector can take heart in knowing that, whilst socio-economic inequalities in life expectancy sadly still exist, the right housing with care community might be able to ameliorate the effects of deprivation and address those inequalities in later life,” she said.

While the study focused on the UK, there is evidence to show that average age of retirement village residents is increasing.

The 2016 Retirement Living Census, produced by the Property Council of Australia and PwC, found the average age of retirement village residents has increased to 80.

In fact, 31% of retirement village residents in Australia are over the age of 85.

The average age of residents moving into a retirement village also increased to 75 and the average number of years a person lives in a village has increased to seven years.

Modern retirement villages have moved away from the traditional model and into more lifestyle and health focused models which contain everything from gyms to heated pools, lawn bowls and various activities including yoga and meditation – all things that could help increase longevity.

What do you think about this? Do you think living in a retirement village could help someone live longer?