Broaching the idea of retirement can be difficult and scary – having to tell your loved one that they need to move house, let alone a retirement home, is a tough call to make.

While some may entertain the idea easily enough, others might take offence, seeing the whole concept of retirement attached to a stigma. It can be seen as something that people do when they're 'old' or 'feeble' and need help with everyday living.

However, if you just so happen to have a retirement village that promotes active and independent retirement in mind, it'll make your job so much easier. Here are some tips to help you out.

Start the conversation earlier and keep it as a suggestion first.Start the conversation earlier and keep it as a suggestion first.

Break down the idea of a retirement home

Gone are the invisible barriers and constraints that once surrounded the idea of retirement. When you first start bringing up the idea of retirement to a senior, make sure you keep your mind as open as possible.

It helps by not putting on any limits to a senior's life, and sometimes, compromises need to be made to keep someone happy.

For example, retirement doesn't necessarily mean the end of working. That is possibly one of the biggest struggles, the idea of giving up work and purpose. Find some creative ideas to suggest to your loved one in lieu of working full-time – this could be bookkeeping on the side or becoming a partner or director, and handing the day-to-day operations to a trusted manager. Other things that can help to fill up time, whether retired or not, is setting up an online shop to focus on, as many seniors are now becoming more and more technology-savvy.

Retirement is also in no way a dependent state of living – take a look at all the independent services we offer. You can buy a free-standing house with up to three bedrooms in our Sugar Valley community, which even boasts its own golf course within walking distance!

Provided there are no serious medical conditions in place, retirement is ultimately up to your loved one. There is no set age to retire, and while some prefer to give up a life of work for one of leisure early on, others enjoy the rat race and would rather stay for many years to come.

Finding a home at our Sugar Valley village should be no different to buy a home elsewhere.Finding a home at our Sugar Valley village should be no different than buying a home elsewhere.

Let them make their own choices

Of course, should they willingly want to retire when you bring up the subject, let them take their pick of a lifestyle estate in Sydney's Sugar Valley, or perhaps a Camden Central loft settled within Newcastle. By giving them the choice, the transition into retirement will be much easier.

Retirement - Retirement planning