Redefining senior living

The purpose-built senior active living resort and wellness village is nestled in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. – Photos: Millennia Village

GETTING older is a natural part of life. But as we head towards retirement, there is an inherent need to start planning for our golden years. As society ages, this has given rise to the senior home service market. Driven by a growing geriatric population along with an increase in life expectancy rate and a demand for comfortable living options, retirement living has become a key factor for many seniors.

These days, however, a senior or retirement home has evolved beyond just accommodation and meals. Some offer a holistic environment as well as services that encourage community as well as active and purposeful living. Because of this the retirement village concept has evolved and grown in popularity.

According to an Allied Market Research report, the global retirement home service industry generated US$9.5bil (RM44.8bil) in 2022. It is anticipated to generate US$14.2bil (RM67bil) by 2032, marking a CAGR of 4.2% over a 10-year period. In Malaysia, we have seen retirement living now come to the fore with several developments focused on the growing senior population, the latest of which has just opened its doors in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan.

A space for seniors

Millennia Village can proudly proclaim to be the first purpose-built senior living resort in the country. Focused on enriching the lives of active seniors, the facility is set to change the landscape here in Malaysia.

“We came up with Millennia Village because we want to provide a wholesome experience for seniors by creating this amazing community of like-minded people and making sure that their lives are active, healthy and purposeful in their golden years,” says executive director, Diane Chia.

Officially opened for business on June 1, Millennia Village is nestled on a 32-acre enclave in Seremban. The purpose-built senior living resort and wellness village is surrounded by lush greenery and enveloped by a canopy of native trees. It acts as a haven for residents to explore new interests, forge beautiful relationships and create meaningful memories.

According to Chia, the idea behind creating Millennia Village was rooted in wanting to give back to the community. “We owned this beautiful piece of land, and we wondered what to do with it,” she tells us. “There were ideas floating around but ultimately we decided on something focused on seniors.”

Chia elaborates that after factoring in the demographics and the ageing population in Malaysia, she and the co-founders of the project settled on creating this concept centred on independent senior living. “I think it was a combination of knowing the demographics as well as this amazing piece of land that could then be a place of sanctity for this vision,” adds Chia.

From concept to reality

The idea behind Millennia Village was conceptualised eight years ago with construction taking over a five-year period. Chia does admit that it had taken some time to bring the idea to fruition but she and the founders are happy that the first phase of the project has now been realised.

“My father (John Chia) was the one who is always focused on global demographics and statistics,” explains Chia. “He always had an affinity for the Club Med concept and he had envisioned having something like that for the senior market.”

But beyond facts, figures and numbers, Millennia Village is also very much driven by passion. To this point, Chia opines that South-East Asia isn’t quite ready just yet to cater to the active senior market. “It’s still early days in the segment and I believe we are sort of the pioneers in the field here,” she adds.

Chia elaborates that Millennia Village is inspired by the principles of the Blue Zones. “We are focused on healthy habits, togetherness and happiness; contributing to longevity and overall well-being. We aim to enhance the quality of seniors, providing them with a safe, comfortable and socially engaging environment.”

The peaceful and conducive surroundings is further enhanced by the tranquility of the location, which offers minimal traffic, noise and an unparalleled level of privacy with pristine air quality. Offering a total of 344 units, the living spaces at Millennia Village are carefully designed to ensure residents’ comfort and safety.

The rooms offer a variety of sizes between 465 and 878 square feet. Spaces and accommodation are designed with wheelchair-friendly features, ramps, minimal steps and practical designs such as panic buttons, bathroom handrails and more. There is also a laundromat on every floor.

Strong response

Although barely a month since it opened for business, Millennia Village has already gotten an incredible amount of positive response thanks to a video of the facility that went viral over a month ago.

“Honestly, I feel quite blessed with that video,” says Chia. “The response since has been crazy and we’ve had a lot of inquiries from people looking to do partnerships and also staycation events, retreats and so forth.”

Chia hopes that the positive interest will translate into long-term residents as well. This is one of the reasons why Millennia Village is currently offering medium and long-term tenancies of one month to three years with pricing dependent on the duration of stay.

For a limited time only, Millennia Village is offering a long stay promotion at RM5,500 per month for two. Alternatively, a trial stay of 3D2N is available from RM1,200 for two. All room packages include a fully furnished unit, housekeeping, Wi-Fi, free access to all facilities, daily breakfast and dinner. The offers are valid until Aug 31, 2024 and subjected to prevailing taxes.

“We want people to try it out before committing,” explains Chia. “We do understand that it is quite a big lifestyle change and it will take time for them to adjust. This is why we want to provide that user experience first to see if this is really suitable for interested parties.”

A start point

The early success of Millennia Village, however, has bolstered confidence and Chia is already looking at an expansion.

“We have the land for the next phase of the project — focused on assisted care — and we’ve already submitted plans for that. It will be a low rise development in the same area and construction should begin in the next few years,” she says.

She also opines that rolling-out similar developments across the country is also a possibility. “We have other plots of land elsewhere in Malaysia and we would love to be able to expand the model.”

The positive response has also seen many property developers reach out to Chia and her collaborators. Some have even visited to see what Millennia Village is slated to offer.

“I’m very inspired and encouraged by this, especially after finding out that some of them are now even considering converting their existing land into something similar.”

Chia elaborates that mostly the market for senior living up to this point has been more housing focused, assisted care and things like that, versus what Millennia Village is offering. “We’re very much focused on solely independent living, which comes with its own set challenges.”

One of the areas Chia and her team are looking at to give residents a sense of value is active wellness programmes.

“We are looking at things like aqua aerobics, yoga as well as outdoor fitness to keep them engaged. We also have a hiking trail and a palm garden as well.”

Beyond that, Millennia Village also encourages active participation amongst its residents.

“If some of them are good cooks, we want to encourage them to create a community kitchen and teach other residents. If it’s gardening, they can grow and cultivate the plants in our garden.”

“Ultimately, it’s about nurturing community living and above all else creating a sense of purpose for our residents in their golden years.”

This article first appeared in Star Biz7 weekly edition.