A former nurse living in one of Auckland's newest retirement villages has helped to set up an Omicron care group she hopes will never be needed.
Bets Blake, a resident of The Botanic Silverdale who spent her entire working life as a nurse including five years in palliative care has, together with another retired nurse and pharmacist living in the village, set up the group to respond to any outbreak.
"I find it a joy (living in the village) every day," she says. "The minute I saw The Botanic I realised it's an environment that enhances people's health. I've worked in hospital-level care for many years and what I realised is you need to maintain people's wellbeing as well as their health."
With this background, Blake determined to help her fellow residents prepare for a possible outbreak of Omicron. "We've worked with management to support residents who become sick or who may need to go into isolation to help with things like food deliveries and making sure their rubbish is taken out.
"We've met all the residents, so everyone (The Botanic currently has 50 residents) knows who to ring for help," Blake says. "But it'd be marvellous if we were not needed, let's hope it won't come to that."
Blake (76) and her 80-year-old husband Bob (a retired school principal) were among the first people to move into a villa at The Botanic in November last year after the completion of the first stage of the complex. The couple, who previously lived on a lifestyle block at Kaukapakapa, say they absolutely love the village life.
"It's as if we are living in a resort. Our home is spacious and full of light; the garden is beautiful and you are part of this wonderful community. But if you want privacy, you can have that too."
Uniquely designed to create an environment that supports people to lead healthy, active lives with purpose, wellness and connection, The Botanic will, when complete, have 82 villas and 383 apartments for independent living residents and an aged care home with 48 suites. In time, there will also be two homesteads with 24 highly specialised memory care suites.
The first two stages of the development, including villas and apartments, have sold out. Stage three villas and stage four apartments have just been released and are selling now, says Alan Edwards, one of the partners at The Botanic.
Ironically the Blakes never imagined themselves living in a retirement village. "We were actually very vocal against it. We didn't want to be in an environment of older people because, even though that's what we now are, we didn't think we'd fit in.
"We'd planned to look after our property until we couldn't do it anymore," she says. "I'd seen a few retirement villages but none really gelled with me.
"Then I read about The Botanic and it talked about being surrounded by nature and supporting people to live a life full of purpose and I thought 'that's it, that's the one'."
Blake says living at the complex is uplifting for the soul. "Knowing we could be part of a community and have relationships here that we will foster over a long time is really important because when only one of you is left you've got all of that support around you in this wonderful environment."
Both Bets and Bob remain very active. Together they go for regular walks along Orewa Beach, Bets plays croquet every week while Bob gets in three golf games a week at the nearby Wainui course. He's a dab hand with his clubs too – he plays off a 13 handicap and in the last year has shot four rounds under his age.
Once completed The Botanic will include a 20m lap swimming pool, gym, wellness room, golf simulator and putting green, nature walk, indoor and outdoor bowls and a residents' workshop. Raised garden beds will allow residents to grow their own vegetables and flowers.
The complex will also include a library, activity room for arts and crafts, a cinema, a club house and a restaurant. Security will be provided by the latest technology including number plate recognition.
Edwards says in time it will also be home to an independent pre-school centre with capacity for 100 children which is designed to create inter-generational engagement between elders and pre-schoolers.
He says The Botanic is close to shopping and cafes in Silverdale and is minutes from State Highway 1 and the northern motorway while the Hibiscus Coast Bus Station is across the road.
Thirty-two one, two and three bedroom apartments are now available and are priced from $725,000. Forty-three one and two bedroom villas were recently released and 28 of those remain. They are priced from $820,000.
For more information phone 0508 268 264 or visit: thebotanic.co.nz