Serene Urbana- A Retirement Community in Bangalore

On hearing that we have moved into a retirement community in Bangalore, a lot of our friends and acquaintances have shown interest in knowing more about what life in a retirement community is all about.Having already spent some time at Serene Urbana, I feel one is in a better position to give a first hand  account of the nitty gritties of living in a retirement community. So here goes!!!

GENERAL:
Serene Urbana is a  retirement community (for independent living)  in Bangalore, built by the Ozone Group and  currently managed by Columbia Pacific Communities (CPC), India's largest senior living community operator, managing close to 1600 residential units in 5 cities and 9 locations across South India. It is part of the  Seattle based Columbia Pacific group, a leading player in the field of senior living communities and hospitals in the United States and South East Asia. 

Serene Urbana is located within the 180 acre integrated  township of Ozone Urbana which is about 8 kms. from the Bangalore International Airport, along the Hyderabad Highway NH7. It has  318 apartments which include 1 BHK (super area :635 sq.ft.), 2 BHK (super area : 938 sq. ft.), 2 BHK + study (super area : 1149 sq. ft.) and 3 BHK (super area:1458 sq. ft.), which were available for sale to  senior citizens, with a minimum age of 50 yrs. The project is completed and become fully operational, with more than 80% occupancy. A few of the other projects (apartments)  within the township, such as Ozone Aqua and Ozone Aura are also completed and occupied, including a branch of the National Public School (NPS) which became operational from the 2018-19 academic session. Although several other projects are still under construction, the township is beautifully landscaped, with well laid out roads and tree-lined pathways, giving residents ample space for undertaking long, peaceful walks, in a calm and clean environment.
Being part of a larger township offers residents the joy of watching and hearing  children at play in the childrens' playground  - an emotionally uplifting experience for seniors to deal with the "empty nest syndrome".
For those who need to make frequent trips to the city, the distance from the city centre could prove to be a problem. However, if the rush hour traffic is avoided, most of the city destinations are accessible within 45 mts. to an hour - which is quite manageable for the occasional trip into town.
Daily requirements of provisions, fruits and vegetables are available from a well-stocked retail outlet of Reliance, located within the township, just outside the gate of Serene Urbana. This can be supplemented by Big Basket and Amazon, which make regular deliveries in the area.The nearest major shopping districts, replete with  shopping malls and several eateries are Yelahanka  and Sahakar Nagar, which are a 30 mts. drive from Serene Urbana.

FACILITIES
a) Recreational:
The Clubhouse at Serene Urbana has a Gymnasium, Library cum Reading Room and facilities for various indoor games such as Table Tennis, Billiards, Carroms, and card games. Regular cultural events are organised in the form of dance and music performances, as also the celebration of various festivals. The weekly tambola sessions every Wedesday evening, are extremely popular, made more attractive by the availability of popular fried snacks such as vadas, bondas, pakkodas etc along with tea/coffee. Daily stretching classes are conducted by the in-house physio-therapist. Classes for Yoga and dancing are also organised at regular intervals.

b) Medical:
Routine medical services are available at the in-house Wellness Centre, where a doctor is available every morning. Emergency medical care can be accessed at Manipal Hospital, Hebbal or Bangalore Baptist Hospital, with which CPC has an MOU. With a standby ambulance and round the clock availability of wellness centre staff, (three resident nurses, a resident physiotherapist and ambulance driver), there exists  a well laid out protocol for attending to any kind of medical emergency.
Since assisted living facilities are not available, those who require caregivers have to make their own arrangements for attendants/caregivers, for which they can avail of assistance from the Wellness Centre.

c) Dining:
There is a  common mess serving vegetarian food. However, residents have the option to cook at home or to eat some/all the meals in the mess. The non-vegetarian mess offers non-vegetarian lunch twice a week. Vegetarian meals are priced at Rs. 70/- per plate, with an additional charge of Rs. 10/- for home delivery. Guests of residents can also avail of mess facilities  with prior notice. The constants in the  breakfast menu are-
Cut fruits/fruit juice
Idlis with sambar and chutney
Filter coffee/tea
The variable component can include masala dosai/chana bhature/pongal/vegetable upma /poori masala etc.

Lunch offers the option of a North Indian menu along with the South Indian menu. 

The South Indian menu typically includes the following-
Rice (white and red), roti, sambar, rasam, dry vegetable, gravy vegetable, papad, pickle, buttermilk, curd and banana
The North Indian menu includes roti, dal, dry vegetable,  gravy vegetable, rice, curd, papad, and banana.
Dinner includes soup, one tiffin item  such as idli /masala dosa /upma (with sambar and chutney) /paratha with vegetable kurma, curd rice/khichdi, milk /buttermilk.

MAINTENANCE CHARGES:
The monthly maintenance charges payable to the service provider  is approx. Rs. 8.5 per sq. ft. of super built-up area + GST. It covers-
Daily sweeping and mopping of flats (including cleaning of wash basins and bathroom floors)
Weekly cleaning of toilet bowls.

Monthly deep cleaning of flats
Upkeep of club house and equipment
24*7 security
Maintenance of lifts, common areas, garden, and  power backup

Sewage treatment plant 
Water supply of borewell water through a  Water Treatment Plant

Additional  personalised housekeeping services  (such as washing utensils etc) are available at an extra charge of approx. Rs.110/- per hr.(plus GST)

THE COMMUNITY:
The defining characteristic of the community would be that it is a "Caring "community, with plenty of Good Samaritans, ever ready to lend a helping hand to those who need help. Members of the Residents' Committee  have been  providing invaluable services by smoothening out pending technical issues with the builder, facilitating bureaucratic processes and enabling streamlining of services by the service provider, thereby enhancing the quality of life for fellow residents.
The administrative and support staff is extremely polite and pleasant.
However, since most of the housekeeping staff is hired from the neighbouring villages, not knowing Kannada would leave you struggling with sign language to communicate with them!! So learning spoken Kannada has become THE priority task on my to-do list!

CONCLUDING REMARKS
As  a critical appraisal, I have the following observation:
 The food served in the mess could do with further improvements in terms of quality and variety.  The somewhat repetitive nature of the menu could get rather tiresome and boring after some time.

 Of late, a lot of improvements have been initiated on this front, with the pro-active engagement   of the F&B sub-committee of the Residents'Committee, working together with the Mess Department.

NOTE:
In a few of the upcoming posts,I will briefly outline the salient features of some of the other major senior living projects  in Bangalore as well as those in other major Indian cities.

Retirement Communities- An Overview

 In my interactions with my peer group who have already retired or approaching retirement, I have found  that a growing concern common to many, is impending old age, with all its associated problems. Being well-travelled, and having led active, independent lives, they are hesitant to give up their independence and go and spend their twilight years with their children, who are leading busy lives either abroad or in some distant city within India.
It is within this scenario that the idea of moving into retirement communities is slowly catching on in India. According to a recently published report by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), India's senior population will treble from 104 million in 2011 to 300 million by 2050, which would account for 18% of the population by then. This highlights the need for more infrastructure and services to support this significant section of society. The same report also highlights the current gap between supply and demand for urban senior housing; there are approximately 20,000 dwelling units operational, under construction or in the planning phase, while the urban demand is for around 2.3 lakh units.
The concept of 'Senior Living'as we understand it today, has undergone a radical transformation from the traditional socially stigmatised concept of Óld Age Homes'. Today, Senior Living "Resorts" or Retirement Communities refer to housing for people over the age of 55, offering a plethora of services and social activities. By providing a range of basic support systems such as housekeeping services, mess facilities, concierge services etc.  residents are relieved of the humdrum, tiresome tasks of  running a household, while the various social and recreational facilities enable residents to be socially engaged with fellow residents.Most importantly, these communities also provide medical support and healthcare. The infrastructure typically includes senior-friendly design and features such as anti-skid tiling, emergency response systems, arthritis friendly fittings and elaborate security arrangements among others. Access to these facilities obviously comes at a cost- in the form of a high monthly maintenance fee. Therefore, most of these communities are targeted at the upper middle class, while there are also a few with ultra luxury amenities, targeted at those with deep pockets.
Within Senior living, there are different concepts such as Independent Living and Assisted Living. While the former refers to housing and communities for active seniors who are healthy and independent, assisted living is for seniors who require varied levels of support such as caregivers and nursing. Concepts like Continued Care Retirement Communities (CCRC) include both independent and assisted living, allowing residents to transition , should the need arise, within the same community.
Most senior living options allow for the purchase of housing units, though there is a rental model as well.
Some of the earliest senior living projects mushroomed in the southern states of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, spurred by the fact that the young working population in these states were migrating abroad, leaving behind ageing parents who required a proper support system. The concept has now moved from the traditional retirement hubs such as Coimbatore, Puducherry, Goa and Dehradun to suburban areas around major cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Pune, which allow for more space and less cramped environs for large retirement projects.
While the earlier projects were largely stand -alone projects, a recent welcome trend has been for these senior housing projects to be a part of larger residential projects and townships, which offer superior facilities and amenities.Currently, it is estimated that there are close to 37 firms into senior living housing.
My foray into research on retirement communities initially began several years ago while searching online for some such facility for an ageing acquaintance who had no immediate family. The more I researched on the subject,  the more I got convinced that this was an idea whose time was right for India, where the breakup of the joint family system had robbed the elderly of the basic support system that earlier generations could depend on.
In the next post, I will provide some details about life at Serene Urbana - a retirement community in Bangalore where I am currently residing.  Subsequently, I shall briefly outline some of the other  senior living options that are being offered in various cities by the major players in this field .However, I wish to clarify that since this information is  based on what is available in the public domain, I cannot vouch for the authenticity of the details given.
I will welcome your feedback, and look forward to your suggestions on other 'senior relevant' topics that would interest you.