Retirement villages
Safe, connected and compliant, across the whole village.
Residents in a retirement village live independently, in their own apartments, on their own terms. As the operator, you still need the whole site to be safe, connected and compliant, from the front door to the restaurant.
51%of UK homeowners would consider moving to a retirement community.
Source: HomeOwners Alliance with ARCO, June 2026
The landline switch-off
Before 31 January 2027: the landline switch-off
The old copper telephone network is being switched off, and the government expects most customers to have moved to digital landlines by the end of January 2027. Many village systems still rely on those lines without anyone thinking of them as phones.
Some will work on a digital line, some will need changing, and some will fail without warning. The safest approach is to list every device on a copper line now and plan the move before your provider sets the date for you.
Read more: digital warden call systems and the digital switchover explained.
Check these first:
- Warden call and emergency call systems in apartments
- Door entry panels
- Lift emergency phones
- Pendant alarms worn by residents
Across the village
From apartments to communal spaces, these are the systems a village depends on.
Emergency call and telecare in apartments
Residents want help to be there when they need it and out of the way when they do not. A pull cord, a pendant or a sensor raises a call, and a person on site or a monitoring centre answers.
The hard part is not choosing a device. It is agreeing who answers each call, day and night, and making sure the equipment is installed, tested and replaced on time.
Read more: technology enabled care and our telecare equipment buyer’s guide.
Falls: sensors that respect independence
A fall in an apartment can go unnoticed for hours. Sensors can raise an alert when something looks wrong, without staff walking in and out of someone’s home.
In independent living, the resident decides. Agree with each resident what is fitted, where, and who is told when an alert is raised. Technology supports the people who respond. It does not replace them.
Read more: connected resident safety and our falls prevention technology buyer’s guide.
Hearing loops in communal lounges, restaurants and reception
Communal spaces are where village life happens: talks, quizzes, film nights and meals with friends. For residents with hearing aids, background noise can shut them out of all of it.
A hearing loop sends sound straight to a hearing aid. Reception desks, lounges, restaurants and activity rooms are the usual places to start.
Read more: hearing loops and assistive audio and our hearing loop buyer’s guide.
Site-wide Wi-Fi and cyber security
Residents expect Wi-Fi that works in their apartment, the café and the garden. Your own systems depend on the network too: emergency call, door entry, cameras and staff devices.
One well-planned network, kept secure and supported, costs less trouble than several that grew up separately.
Read more: IT networks and cyber security.
Cinema and activity rooms
A cinema or activity room gives residents a reason to come together, and gives prospective residents something to see on a visit. Good sound, clear pictures and simple controls matter more than the size of the screen.
Read more: cinema and sensory rooms.
Start with one village
Start with a review of your village
We look at the whole site with you: what you have, what relies on a copper line, and what to do first. No obligation.