Joan’s story: “I couldn’t be happier – I’m very lucky.”

Joan had been living in a retirement village for 10 years in the Coromandel with her husband until he sadly passed away. She felt the time was right to move to Auckland to be nearer to her family.

She has been at Gulf Views for over a year now and is very pleased with her new home. “My daughter and son both live in Howick and I felt it was important to be close to them. They did all the hard yards and looked at various options for me, and they thought Gulf Views would be perfect.”

Like any significant life change, Joan initially found the move difficult. “It had nothing to do with Gulf Views, but I was very anxious when I moved in. It was such a big change and I felt very lonely at first.”

Things soon looked up when Joan was encouraged to join a resident’s group with 5 others and started getting to get to know the other staff and residents. “That made such a difference,” she reflects. “I got to know Wendy and Dawn who are Lifestyle Coordinators and Marc, the manager – and they’re all lovely and so kind. And the staff are awesome.”

Joan says it didn’t take long after that for her to start to enjoy her new home and now she really feels like she has “fallen on my feet”.

“Gulf Views is most definitely my home now,” she enthuses. “The view is incredible! I have a ranch slider that opens onto a little deck, so I look out to the Hauraki Gulf. It’s a million-dollar view and I never thought I’d ever reside somewhere with a view like this. I can see the sun coming up in the morning and it’s the most beautiful thing.”

Joan says it’s also wonderful having the family so close. Her daughter and son are regular visitors and they often go out together for outings in the weekends which she loves. “Gulf Views isn’t far from the Howick shops or the cafes, so we have a lovely time visiting different places,” she says.

For Joan, the move to be near family has been the best thing. ‘Being near family is so important at my age – if I had stayed in the Coromandel, I would have been all alone. This is my home for the rest of my days and I couldn’t be happier. I am very lucky.”