WhatHouse? talks to Dr Ed Gladman of Adlington Retirement Living, and hears how a good circle of friends, connections and a sense of belonging are the key priorities for homeowners at an Adlington Retirement property…
Can you tell us what your role at Adlington Retirement Living involves?
Adlington Retirement Living is one of the leading two companies that design, build and operate Integrated Retirement Communities in the UK. The business is family owned, with no external shareholders, so we’re able to make quick decisions, as well as hold onto family values for our teams and for our homeowners.
As the chief executive, I am responsible for delivering our business strategy in a safe and socially responsible manner. A key part of my role is to drive growth. Over the next 25 years, the number of people in England over 85 is predicted to double to 2.6m. We urgently need to address the shortage of appropriate housing for older people, and at Adlington, we aim to do this whilst supporting their independence, well-being and happiness.
Prior to joining Adlington Retirement Living, I worked in the NHS as a hospital doctor specialising in anaesthetics. When I joined the family business in 2017, we had circa 30 employees. Five years on, we’ve grown our team to over 150 with experts from land acquisition, planning, architectural and technical design, to procurement, construction, sales and marketing, legal and of course community operations – all in-house. I work closely with our directors, who are highly experienced in their own disciplines and bring a wealth of industry expertise to lead their teams effectively. I also sit on the board of ARCO (Associated Retirement Community Operators), which sets standards for Integrated Retirement Communities and promotes transparency and fairness in our sector.
Adlington builds apartments specifically for retirees, what do you think are the main concerns for people thinking about buying into this way of living?
As we all get older, many people start to struggle with aspects of their family home such as managing the stairs, organising repairs and maintenance, or staying on top of garden maintenance. I think a lot of people also want to future-proof their retirement so they can get the best out of later life with additional support when they need it.
Our retirement communities are designed to empower the older generation to live a long, happy and healthy life in a safe and secure environment with activities, communal facilities and beautiful private gardens. They’re about much more than the bricks and mortar of our apartments. Although we focus on the quality of our facilities, we know that the most important things that make our customers really feel at home, are having a good circle of friends, connections with like-minded neighbours and a sense of belonging.
Many of our homeowners are fit and healthy but feel reassured knowing that help is on hand if they ever need it, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It also gives peace of mind to their families too. When required, we can put in place optional personal care packages for everything from short-term support after an operation, to more regular, long-term tailored personal care. Our on-site teams work with a local care partner to find the best solution to suit each individual.
How do you support people who want to buy an apartment from you but still have a property to sell before they move in?
At Adlington, we understand that moving home can be daunting, especially for those living in large family homes who may not have moved for many decades and have an emotional tie there. With that in mind, our sales team go out of their way to support new homeowners throughout their move from liaising with estate agents, to making arrangements for moving-in day.
We also offer a complimentary service including a free two-hour consultation with a professional moving advisor, a personal clerk service to help arrange change of utilities, removals and change of address cards, a free handyman service for eight hours and lunch in our restaurant on the day our new homeowners move in.
It’s important that we listen to our customers and take time to understand their personal needs. For those living further afield we offer a ‘Test Drive’ apartment service, that really helps individuals decide if a community is right for them and takes the stress out of making long journeys on the same day.
We also offer a range of moving support services, such as Part Exchange, to help those individuals who wish to move quickly.
Once they’ve moved in, they’re still in safe hands as our on-site management teams are always happy to help.
How do the designs of your schemes work for people who may have limited mobility?
Our average homeowners are in their 70s or 80s, so we design our communities with thoughtful touches to make life easier.
We put a huge amount of work into ensuring that the communal areas are designed in an inclusive manner, conducive to a wide range of physical and social activites for all physical abilites.
All of our interiors have level access throughout and wider than average corridors to accommodate wheelchair users and those who use mobility aids. Discreet handrails in the corridors offer assistance, and each floor has different coloured carpets and front doors to help with orientation.
All our apartments have lightweight free-swing front doors, with their own doorbell and letter box.
In the apartments, a number of features are designed to make life safer and easier, including illuminated en-suite light switches and user-friendly lever taps. We position the electrical sockets at a higher, more user-friendly level, and we design the layouts with wider doorways and wheelchair turning circles. All apartments feature spacious, level access shower rooms with slip resistant flooring and some have a bathroom with optimum height baths and a corner seat.
The fitted kitchens in our apartments have fully integrated appliances at optimum working heights. Kitchen windows have electric openers to avoid any awkward reaching, and the undercounter cupboards have pull-out wirework racking and ‘magic corner’ carousels to provide useful storage in would-be, hard-to-reach corners. We also offer the option of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Many of our competitors don’t offer the three-bedroom option but many homeowners like to use this space as a separate dining room, or study.
All apartments have either private patios or walk-out balconies as standard, and our communities are always surrounded by beautifully manicured and maintained gardens, with raised planting beds, allowing homeowners to participate in some gardening if they want to.
The gardens are designed with seating areas, easy to navigate pathways and a summer house to enjoy, so there are plenty of opportunities for a chat over coffee, a relaxing stroll, or a quiet moment of reflection. There’s also a secure, larger than average, internal scooter and bicycle store, with charging stations and a car park offering private parking with disabled bays and electric charging points.
How do you think the view of retirement has changed for this generation, are they looking for something different to their own parents, for example?
Independent Retirement Communities are still a relatively new concept in the UK, unlike the US, Canada and New Zealand, where they are much more established and accepted as an aspirational stage of retirement.
In the UK, there’s still some confusion around the difference between an Integrated Retirement Community and a care home, and sadly a high proportion of the general public think of an ‘old people’s home’ when they imagine a retirement community.
At the moment, many people live in accommodation which becomes increasingly less appropriate for them in later life, as their health and social needs change. This often leads to a crisis point where they are forced to move because home is no longer safe, perhaps following a fall or illness.
Integrated Retirement Communities offer people a way to retain their independence for as long as possible, choosing where they want to live with the safety net of care options being readily available if they are needed in the future. They also keep older people engaged with wider society which is key to tackling loneliness and isolation in later years.
As soon as somebody comes to visit one of our communities, it’s easy to overcome any preconceptions as seeing our homeowners enjoying making the most of their retirement, speaks for itself.
Our homeowners often comment that they feel like they’re on holiday and that their retirement community feels like a country club or a five-star hotel. That’s partly down to the high-quality building and facilities, and partly down to our hand-picked team, many of whom have a hospitality background.
When somebody buys a new home from you they also buy into a community with other retired people, what benefits does this provide?
Community is key to our homeowners’ enjoying life to the full. We offer all sorts of social activities from art classes and sewing groups to exercise and dance classes. We also arrange talks and special events such as barbeques, tea dances and live music performances.
With homeowners ranging from 55 to over 100 years old, our long-term objective is to keep everybody independent and socially active for as long as possible, so we offer a broad spectrum of entertainment. Homeowners are also introduced to clubs and societies within the local community.
I think our homeowners appreciate the fact that they can enjoy the best of both worlds. There’s no obligation to join in any of the activities. If you want to stay in your apartment or go out and do your own thing, you can absolutely do that, but it’s nice to have the alternative if you want it.
I recently spoke to some of the homeowners who moved into The Woodlands in Heaton Mersey this summer and they told me what a wonderful group of friends they have now. One said she has a better social life now than she had in her forties!
Retirement communities can have an incredibly positive impact on both the physical and mental health of homeowners. Various reports have shown that they reduce unplanned hospital stays and that homeowners are more physically active, have reduced levels of anxiety, and show reduced levels of isolation and loneliness.
We carried out a survey of our homeowners recently and were really pleased to find that 100% would recommend living in an Adlington retirement community to their friends or family. Across our existing properties, we currently have over 900 happy homeowners.
Can you tell us what other services for residents are included at your schemes?
Our Adlington Management Services team members provide a consistent, outstanding service. They are responsible for the practical aspects of running a retirement community, such as maintaining the building, and for the more emotional aspects of support. That part of their role is all about creating a caring, supportive environment and positively contributing to the health, happiness, and well-being of our homeowners. They make sure that every homeowners’ experience exceeds their expectations.
The communal facilities play an important part in our homeowners’ everyday lives. Those are the spaces where people can socialise, meet friends and family, and enjoy the company of like-minded neighbours. They include a homeowners’ lounge, a separate coffee bar and a restaurant that’s open daily for freshly cooked breakfast and lunch.
The restaurant is a vital facility for a lot of homeowners. Even though every apartment has its own fully fitted kitchen, many of our homeowners prefer the social interaction with neighbours and the delicious meals on offer. It’s also reassuring for families to know that a hot nutritious meal is available for anybody who no longer cooks.
All our retirement communities have a hair salon and a therapy room too, with the feel of a high-end spa facility, and we also have an activities studio, which is often used for exercise classes or Bridge Club. We also have a guest suite that homeowners can book for their guests to stay in. It has twin beds, an en-suite shower room and a kitchenette, and breakfast in the restaurant is included.
Which schemes are you marketing at the moment and how are sales performing?
Sales across all of our retirement communities are performing well at the moment. Earlier this year, we sold all of our apartments at The Bridges in Macclesfield and The Chimes in Cheadle, and have only one apartment remaining at The Cottons in Ramsbottom, The Sailings in Southport and Jacobs Gate in Sheffield.
We’re nearly fully reserved at The Folds in Romiley, and sales are progressing at The Woodlands in Heaton Mersey, which welcomed its first homeowners in February this year.
The Sidings in Lytham, on the Lancashire coast, is already 50% reserved and due to open at the end of November.
We launched the marketing suite at our 16th community at The Spindles in Menston, West Yorkshire, which is due to open Spring 2023. Plus, two more locations launch marketing suites in the new year - Broadleaf House in Wylde Green, Sutton Coldfield and The Newells, in Kempston, Bedfordshire.
What do you think will be the biggest changes in retirement living over the next 10 years?
I think the general awareness of Integrated Retirement Communities is increasing, and as people gain a better understanding of just how good they are, demand will increase, so we need to build more communities.
There are currently 5.4m people over the age of 75 in the UK but only around 90,000 purpose-built retirement apartments. That gap looks set to get even bigger over the next few years as the population ages. So, over the next 10 years we really need some changes to planning, funding and policy to support the much needed growth in our sector.
I think that the operational model adapted by the ARCO members works and is becoming increasingly established. My hope is that the major change will be an increase in volume of homes delivered.
And finally, what’s in the pipeline for the next 12 months at Adlington Retirement Living?
We’re growing our portfolio of retirement communities to expand the choice of accommodation for over 55s and enhance the lifestyle prospects for older people throughout the UK.
Clearly we are heading into difficult economic times. Whilst this will doubtless pose some challenges, it will also provide an enormous opportunity to bolster our pipeline. In part due expertise gained through our historic connection with Gladman Developments Ltd. we have an unparalleled record of delivering land acquisitions and gaining planning consents. As such we are incredibly excited about the opportunities the coming uncertainty will doubtless present.