Strong and Vital No 1

Healty Resort

The Villages, Florida The Town of Longevity

The Villages is a community built from scratch for active adults in the town of Lady Lake in the heart of Central Florida. This futuristic complex is home to approximately 100,000 baby boomers aged 55 and older, with an aver age age of 74.6 years (2022), who are drawn from across America by the warm climate and particularity of this settle ment. They live in the luxurious villas and manicured homes surrounded by evergreen golf courts at their disposal. For those seeking adventure, there are many popular destina tions in the surrounding area and the city of Orlando can be reached in about an hour. The entire community, which has an estimated 70,000 households, spans over 20,000 acres and is connected by roads and trails with golf cart access. This 55+ town is a fully self-sufficient community with shops, restaurants, banks, post offices, health centres, countless leisure facilities and even a news network, local newspaper and radio station. It offers a choice of living solutions such as independent living, assisted living or extra skilled care. The community’s Regional Medical Centre and other health centres provide medical testing, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. Situated behind well-guarded entrance gates, the Villages is the world’s largest reti rement town where you are never reminded how old you are. Because where everyone is old, age does not exist. The Golden Retirement The residential community describes itself as an intimate enclave. In this Eden, you feel safe, shielded from unwel come outside interference, in a kind of luxurious ghetto where everyone belongs to the third or fourth age. The resi dents are aware that they live in a bubble, but it is a pleasant

bubble, as the silver-agers say, because they are enjoying their retirement to the full. The dictatorship of appearance has long since had its day here. When the seniors leave the house, they don’t have to feel uncomfortable because of grey hair, nobody pays attention to sagging skin or shrinking muscles. The demographic composition is somewhat different from the rest of the United States, which translated means that there are practically no African Americans or minorities, apart from the staff of public institutions. The residents are in fact 98 per cent white, 54 per cent of whom are women, and mostly Republican. They have worked hard in their lives and have been fortunate enough to realise the American dream. Now it’s time to put their worries aside and concent rate fully on their new activities - as long as life allows. The Amenities The Savannah Centre hosts numerous cultural perfor mances, concerts and tours, welcomes guest speakers, comedy acts and performances featuring local talent. There is also a library, woodworking shop, numerous hobby and craft studios. Not just culture - The Villages offers an active lifestyle for all tastes, even the most extravagant: more than 35 com munity centres, over 80 outdoor pools, several dozen golf courts, tennis, pickleball, bocce, shuffleboard and basket ball courts. There are several lakes and nine softball fields where over 200 teams play. A polo field with grandstand seating is another favourite. The fitness centres are well equipped and offer full-body workouts for everyone. For competitive sports enthusiasts, there are countless sports teams, leagues and tournaments, from tennis, pickleball and golf to softball, cycling and bowling. The community also hosts an annual summer programme with

16

STRONG and VITAL No. 1 - 2024