Best 7 Retirement Homes in Malaysia for the Year 2022

Malaysian cities are clean and modern, its public transport unrivalled, and its people the friendliest in Asia. According to International Living, the cost of living is four times cheaper than it is in the U.S., and as an added bonus, Malaysia’s street food is hands down the best in Southeast Asia.

The demand for retirement homes in Malaysia can only go up in view of the increasing number of senior citizens in need of retirement homes that are affordable with good quality related support services. According to International Living, Malaysia is the most popular retirement haven for expats in Southeast Asia and has been a popular expat hangout since the early 1920s. Malaysia’s beaches are also second to none.

And while other Asian countries offer great budget holidays, and some offer first-class vacations, Malaysia manages to cater extraordinarily well to both. For those who wish to retire or spend extended periods here, the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme; launched in 2002 by the Malaysian government offers a renewable, ten-year, multiple entry visa for qualified applicants.

For the retirees, the next obvious question is where exactly should you stay? You'll need to understand the various ‘levels of care’ that you might require. Many so-called retirement homes do not cater for the various levels of care with the assumption that you are healthy and independent and will remain that way forever. When a higher level of care is required, you might need to leave the community if the retirement village does not support that level of care. An integrated retirement home should cater for the various levels of care and you should not need to leave the community unless there is a need for hospital care and more intensive care required.

We have compiled a list of retirement homes based on running various keywords on Google search engine, Google Search Results and information available on forums and blogs. The retirement homes have been arranged in no particular order.

1. SUNWAY SANCTUARY

Sunway Sanctuary is developed, managed, and operated by Sunway Healthcare Group, an award-winning, internationally accredited healthcare provider with more than 20 years of experience in the industry.

Provides independent and assisted living facilities in an exclusive retirement community that emulates the retirement villages from Japan and Australia. Senior living residences were carefully designed to fulfil anything and everything you and your loved ones need which includes a private tertiary medical centre (annexed to it) and concierge services.

Location: 
No. 5, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway,
47500 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

2. GOLDEN HERITAGE



Golden Heritage positions itself as an industry pioneer in providing quality senior living lifestyle and support services within its capacity as premier senior living property developer and a full-service advisory organization. They help organizations achieve their business goals by providing holistic integrated solutions customized to their distinctive needs and circumstances.

Golden Heritage is Acacia Living Group Australia's strategic partner in Malaysia. Acacia Living Group Australia have more than 50 years of experience, 3-year accreditation from the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency and impressive records of achievement in the management and delivery of exceptional care, support services and facilities for seniors throughout Western Australia.

Contact Us for more information.

3. ARAGREENS RESIDENCE

A healthcare-inspired development with lots of design considerations for the elderly. As a senior living development, AraGreens benefits from this healthcare background. By design, AraGreens will be able to not only accommodate aging in place through the typical design features one would expect (wheelchair access, properly designed bathrooms, etc.), the development will also feature an integrated medical block that will offer a nursing home with added dementia care (operated through a JV with a Japanese nursing home operator), a clinic, pharmacy and TCM. As of now, they do not have a home healthcare component, something that could easily change as their customers age in place and require intermediate levels of caregiving that go beyond the abilities of the locally available live-in maids.

The site is 9 acres, of which 7.5 have been set aside for residential units spread across 6 towers, for a total of 700 units. There are five types of rooms ranging from 700 SQF to 3,800 SQF.

The draw as a residential senior living development are obvious at first glance: in the middle of the facility is a club house with all sorts of integrated activities designed to keep both the active senior and their grandchildren visiting them equally happy and occupied. The club has a rock climbing wall integrated on one outside section, an outside basketball court, well-designed outdoor activity areas for kids, and pools for little ones that would be the envy of many a five-star resort. At first glance, these may all seem obvious given AraGreens target market, but they reflect a very intentional approach to their target market.

Beyond these amenities, AraGreens has piloted an idea they call the “dual key concept.” To reduce this to a very simple way of explaining, the dual key concept creates a shared vestibule for each unit, but two completely separated and self-supporting residential units, one for the adult children and one for the elderly parents. Simple? Yes, and elegantly so. As designed and implemented, what I saw was a precise way to honor the cultural legacy of trans-generational housing, but also to create what the 50-somethings want, a bit of independence from their elderly parents, without having to be physically separated across a city from one another. The “dual key” system relies on more than just the design and the shared vestibule and the separate spaces; success also requires that the whole development find a similar balance between those services seniors need and those that are attractive to their younger children, who have their own family concerns to be mindful of (hence the basketball court, extensive swimming pools, BBQ areas, rock climbing wall).
Important Lessons for Other Developers in China and the Asean

There are important lessons here for developers thinking about projects in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and China. Many of us wonder what the triggering event will be to dislodge a family from their current living arrangements and move into a senior living facility. We all wonder how the trans-generational housing model plays into this. Aragreens has proposed a simple solution: integrated aging in place, on-site aged care and general healthcare services, within a residential development that on its own is compelling to its target market of 50-something upper middle class customers. This type of real estate asset has the sort of unique features that make market segmentation and the ensuing sales and marketing activities easier and more likely to create commercial success, a lesson that may well have important predictive value for what will and will not work in markets like China where trans-generational housing remains a challenge everyone is aware of, but no one is completely sure how to address.

Source: https://healthintelasia.com/trans-generational-housing-malaysia/


4. GREEN ACRES

GreenAcres is located in Meru, a fast-growing suburb of Ipoh, in which the new Perak State Government Offices and Administrative Departments, as well as the main interstate bus terminal are located. With a major supermarket, reputable hotel and a championship golf course nearby, living at GreenAcres means you have easy access to all conveniences and amenities.

According to Vulcan Post:

One can opt to go to the GreenAcres Retirement Village—as long as you can fork out upfront deposit of RM300,000 onwards.

You’ll find the GreenAcres Retirement Village out in Ipoh, Perak. The deposit charged is solely for leasing the house. Meanwhile, for every month that you stay in the space, you’ll be charged upwards RM371 a month, which includes operational costs for the village and access to facilities.

With that being said, you can still get the RM300,000 back in full, as long as you fill out an exit form and provide a suitable exit reason (like say, the senior citizen now requires full-time care and needs to be sent to a nursing home).

Catering to the elderly who wish to enjoy an independent life away from their families, Green Acres was inspired by Australian retirement villages.

The theme for Green Acres is not just unique, but its “tenancy agreement” is also out of the ordinary. These homes cannot be bought or sold; they can only be leased for life from the developer. In Phase 1, prices of the lifetime lease ranged between MYR 300,000 to 452,000, where the only recurring fees that residents need to pay are maintenance fees and sinking funds. Green Acres will sit on 10 acres of land with only 170 units of homes available, and a clubhouse that is meant to serve as a community centre. It is said that the upcoming Phase 2 of the development will cater to the less independent elderly.

Source: https://www.propsocial.my/topic/70/top-3-retirement-homes-of-malaysia-posted-by-propsocial-editor

5. EDEN ON THE PARK

Eden-on-the-Park is an Active Senior Living Resort with an adjacent Aged Care Facility in Malaysia. Spanning 8 acres of land at Kuching’s Samarahan district, Eden is a 12 minutes drive from Kuching City and 10 minutes from the Kuching airport.



This development features 104 units of Luxury Apartment Suites, 14 Bungalow Villas and an adjacent fully staffed, aged care facility with 71 rooms.

Eden-On-The-Park’s Integrated Senior Lifestyle and Care Residence Resort are based on proven models in Australia and New Zealand. Due to demographic changes and mobility of their children to pursue employment and economic opportunities elsewhere many live alone. Eden is designed with safety in mind, with specialist nursing care facilities and amenities to encourage community and social interaction for active and healthy living.

Their “Continuum of Care” concept guides and tracks resident over time through a comprehensive array of health services spanning all levels of intensity of care.
The Senior Lifestyle Resort is developed to enable a rapidly growing population of senior citizens in the country to continue living independently and productively. Eden-on-the-Park is designed to provide friendly, secured, safe and a conducive living environment among friends supported by state-of the-art services and professional care.It is not just another development. It is a lifestyle concept to promote wellness among residents enabling them to age in place and with dignity.

Their Nursing Care Residence facility offers 71 luxurious, comfortable and well-designed rooms for couple, individual and shared occupancy. Each room is fitted with specialized beds, air-conditioning, television and WiFi.

The retirement resort units are currently available for sale at about RM 530 psf.


6. Little Japan Johor Bahru

While the Japanese typically choose to live in Penang, Kuala Lumpur and other upmarket enclaves in the Klang Valley, an asset-building consultancy is promoting Johor — specifically Iskandar Malaysia — as an attractive new or second home for high-net-worth Japanese who are attracted to Malaysia's lower cost of living and balmy climes. Some have also been spooked by the natural disasters back home and the overstretched safety net for Japan's ageing population.

"Iskandar Malaysia and Johor in general are among the best places to invest in. There is great opportunity for growth due to the big economical loop with Singapore. The infrastructure is developed, the business environment has been coordinated and the educational organisations have opened under the Iskandar project," says Global Asia Assets (M) Sdn Bhd (GAAM) CEO Masanori Fujimura, who is currently based in Malaysia.

The company announced last year that it was partnering Kuok Group unit Berinda Properties Sdn Bhd to develop a RM500 million "Little Japan" enclave in Taman Molek and Taman Ponderosa in Johor Baru.

"Our vision for Little Japan started about two years ago in 2010 when we first started marketing condominiums such as Molek Pine Tower 3, Molek Pine Tower 4 and Ponderosa Lakeside apartments in Johor Baru," he says.

The Molek Pine condominiums and Ponderosa Lakeside apartments are being developed by Kuok Group unit, Berinda Properties Sdn Bhd.

There are 508 units in total at Molek Pine Towers 3 and 4, of which 36 are low-rise units. The high-rise units in Tower 3 are 903 to 4,676 sq ft in size and priced at RM641,300 to RM2.85 million while the low-rise units are 2,127 to 3,189 sq ft in size and priced from RM1.05 million to RM1.18 million. Tower 4's condos are 1,441 sq ft to 5,579 sq ft and are priced from RM800,000 to RM4.08 million. Meanwhile, Ponderosa Lakeside has 120 units from 1,300 to 3,759 sq ft and are priced at RM606,000 to RM2.3 million.

The freehold Little Japan will span 15.6 acres, made up of Molek Pine Towers 3 and 4 at 12.6 acres, and Ponderosa Lakeside at three acres. The entire Little Japan will offer 628 high-rise homes and some landed properties as well as 31,000 sq ft of commercial area that will include 18 banks, shops, restaurants, clinics that provide both western and traditional Chinese medical treatment, and other unique Japanese facilities such as public baths (Onsen) amid Zen landscaping.

Read more: https://www.theedgeproperty.com.my/content/global-asia-brings-little-japan-johor

7. Noble Care Retirement Resorts

Noble Care professionals have developed an innovative model of resort-like living for the retired and elderly community, moving steps ahead of assisted living, disease management, 24-hour nursing care and emergency care services.



Set in a sprawling area, close to one hectare, Noble Care has revolutionized the concept of retirement homes, creating lifestyle resort living with healthcare facilities that will keep elderly happy, healthy and dignified in their golden years.

Sitting atop a hill off Kuala Lumpur South, the resort boasts a tree house, gym facilities, zen gardens and a tranquil rooftop terrace that offers you a bird’s eye view of the bustling city scape.

The new model of retirement resort provides comfortable, relaxing and cheerful living for parents and grandparents. It is a concept of personalised living, that accords its guests personal freedom, dignified living, with the assistance of friendly and round-the-clock skilled staff, akin to butler services.

Check out their list of retirement homes and nursing homes throughout Malaysia: https://www.mynoblecare.com/noble-homes/

OTHERS

The Green Leaf

Update: Not launched (under-development)

The Green Leaf was developed by a group of retired professionals and managers who shared a common desire to retire in a lifestyle resort environment - yet remain empowered to age with grace and dignity within a supportive community.

Designed as an activity-based destination resort with a full range of amenities and facilities.

The Green Leaf aspires to:

• Create a resort lifestyle environment which is safe, friendly
• and of the highest standards of service.
• Incorporate design features that are disabled-friendly with
• healthcare facilities to meet the special needs of the aged.
• Implement environmentally sustainable green development
• Develop a socially sustainable and vibrant community.
• Enhance the physical & mental 'wellness' of the retirees
• and encourage self-development and fulfillment.

The ageing-in-place retirement resort is designed to address the changing wants and needs, be they physical or social-psychological; of seniors to ensure the quality of life during the different stages of retirement. “It is a concept that goes further than what you see in countries such as the US and Australia. The model you see there evolved from their society, set-up and network, which is not really suitable for us,” says Raphael Yap, managing director of Gracious Homes Sdn Bhd (developer for green leaf retirement).

He notes that retirement has three stages — independent living, assisted living and nursing. The most overlooked stage is assisted living when a person no longer has the mobility he used to. “In developed countries such as Australia, the government provides resources and assistance to the elderly and non-governmental organisations are active. An example is the Salvation Army, which offers meals-on-wheels programmes. We don’t have such things in Malaysia and the assisted living stage can last for 20 to 30 years. You not only lose your quality of life but also become a burden to the caregiver,” says Yap.

For more details, go to https://www.theedgeproperty.com.my/content/citycountry-cover-story-dispelling-myth-retirement-homes

Sri Seronok Retirement Village

In a two-acre piece of land in Cheras (Kuala Lumpur), about 30 single-storey houses cater to a special class of residents. These are elderly but independent people who despite their age, still value their independence in living in separate housing. Each of these 650-sq ft houses has a bedroom, kitchen and living/dining area allowing a great deal of freedom, privacy and space as compared to rooms in an elderly care home. Established in 1988, Sri Seronok Retirement Village, was conceived by former Roman Catholic Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, Soter Fernandez, as a retirement village for elderly single persons and couples to live in. The village offers comfortable and self-contained units in a pleasant and safe environment.

The units are rented to the residents and the rent pays for the upkeep of the village while the balance is used to repay the Archbishop for the original cost of construction. According to Mooney, the village only accepts residents who are able to live independently. “Residents are free to move around and go out to the shops and restaurants nearby,” the director adds. Seronok does not advertise and is recommended via word of mouth. The retirement village, which prides itself as being the first in the country with such a concept, currently has about 20 – 30 people in the waiting list.

Iskandar Retirement Village

Elsewhere in Asia, Lendlease sees Iskandar Malaysia as another ideal place for the development of retirement villages, owing to its lower land cost and operating costs, adds Lombardo. In addition, Iskandar Malaysia’s proximity to Singapore will be a plus for ageing Singapore citizens looking for affordable retirement villages, he says.

Read more: https://www.theedgeproperty.com.my/content/1114556/retirement-villages-have-untapped-potential-asia


If you find yourself with a senior living or retirement project requiring any of the below, contact us.

1. Strategic Planning
2. Capital
3. Design, Development & Repositioning
4. Operation Feasibility & Management
5. Market Feasibility/Research
6. Sales & Marketing
7. Legal & Compliance
8. Training
9. Financial Planning

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• Retirement Villages in Selangor

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• Cost of Retirement in Malaysia

• Best Medical Insurance for Senior Citizens Malaysia