Summerset Retirement Villages Land a Lifemark
Summerset Retirement Villages are the first retirement village operator in New Zealand to sign up to the Lifemark programme and on Saturday 2 May, opened the first Lifemark approved retirement village in Manukau, Auckland.
Summerset’s reputation for leading edge design and safe, secure and enjoyable retirement environments has been bolstered by the Lifemark seal of approval. The Lifemark is only given to designs which pass a strict, independent review process and meet a specific range of standards round usability, adaptability, accessibility, inclusion and lifetime value.
“Summerset has taken the lead in New Zealand’s retirement sector by embracing the Lifemark. It’s an ongoing process but their commitment to the Lifemark can already be seen at their Hastings and Manukau retirement villages, where we have approved over 100 homes,” says Mandy Scott-Mackie, CEO of Lifemark Ltd.
Summerset in the Orchard in Hastings and Summerset by the Park in Manukau, are the first retirement villages in New Zealand to be awarded the prestigious Lifemark. However, Summerset is not resting on its laurels and intends that all of its new villages over the next two years will carry the Lifemark seal of approval.
Summerset are already in the process of designing and building more dwellings to the Lifemark standard in retirement villages in Warkworth and Aotea near Porirua.
Norah Barlow, CEO of Summerset, believes retirement villages carrying the Lifemark will offer new retirees additional peace of mind about their lifestyle investment. “People move to Summerset to live, laugh and to have fun. There are very few “old people” in our villages; but there are many senior folk getting the very best out of life and now Lifemark will help them get the best out of their homes, too,” says Norah Barlow.
New Zealand’s ageing population means that there are even more people living even longer than previous generations. Many of New Zealand’s homes and communities were not designed to cope with the changing needs of the population. “We were very conscious that our designs need to work for people from 55 to 95 and older. In other words it must be easy to adapt as peoples needs and wishes change. Getting the Lifemark means we can provide more homes and communities where people can live their lives as independently as possible,” says Norah Barlow.
Visit www.summerset.co.nz to find out more.
Lifemark approved homes can be seen at Summerset by the Park, 7 Flat Bush School Road, Manukau, Auckland and Summerset in the Orchard, 1228 Ada Road, Hastings.
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