McCarthy & Stone, which provides two-thirds of Britain’s conventional private sheltered housing after 30 years in the retirement sector, has unveiled plans to launch its Assisted Living scheme in Scotland.

Already available in the South, McCarthy & Stone’s Assisted Living has become an increasingly attractive option for older people who need a safe and secure home without feeling institutionalised. It allows the family to keep their savings invested in property while the elderly relative enjoys hotel-style surroundings with a restaurant and domestic help, all covered by one service charge at typically one-fifth of a traditional residential home’s fees.

By 2020, nearly one in five people will be of pensionable age, a majority of them homeowners. The more frail and aged members of this group may face residential home fees of £500 a week upwards – a burden they and their families are keen to avoid.

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At the outset, McCarthy & Stone aims to build one Assisted Living development a year in Scotland at a cost of £5m. This investment will provide 50 apartments a year for older people seeking round-the-clock support services without the daunting cost of full nursing care.

Residents have a fully-specified apartment of their own, allowing them to live as independently as they wish but with on-site facilities and services available when they need them.

Every development has a 24-hour personal emergency service and staff on duty day and night, backed by advanced security systems. Domestic help is also provided, which can be increased on a pay-by-use basis.

“We are convinced that Assisted Living is the solution for many thousands of elderly people who can no longer cope by themselves but do not need for formal nursing care,” said Steve Wiseman, McCarthy & Stone’s Managing Director in Scotland.

“The schemes in the South have proved enormously popular. My colleagues are constantly heartened by the number of residents and their families who say they bless the day they discovered Assisted Living and wouldn’t consider any other option.

“Many see it as a home for life which provides everything they need in their later years.”

Mr Wiseman added: “Our priority now is to find suitable sites in Scotland. In addition to finding sites for our traditional developments, we will need to find an extra two each year for Assisted Living developments. We also need to impress local authorities about the important contribution Assisted Living can make to their housing programmes.

(CD/SP)