Luxury retirement homes on the rise in Malaysia

Resort-style facilities help seniors retire in comfort with social support but at a cost

- Hazlin Hassan

When a 102-yearold Malaysian retiree was first sent to the ReU Living retirement and post-operative care facility in July 2022, it was meant only to be a short stay during a brief illness.

But she enjoyed the luxury digs so much, she decided to stay for good.

The daughter of the centenarian told The Straits Times, as they had lunch at the centre in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur: "After two weeks, she didn't want to go home.

She said it's too lonely at home." Both women declined to be named.

"There are a lot of people here, and she likes the atmosphere," added the 78-year-old daughter.

Some 50 residents, most of whom are short-term guests recovering from surgery, are staying at the ReU Living centre, opened in February 2022 within the resortstyle MiCasa Hotel, just a stone's throw away from the Petronas Twin Towers in downtown KL.

The facility is as far from the stereotype of the drab and depressing old age home as it can get.

As increasingly affluent Malaysians enter their twilight years, upscale retirement homes have started to come up, offering an option to active seniors who are downsizing, as well as those requiring a little more support with their day-today living.

At least four such developments have sprung up in Klang Valley in the last few years alone.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, hotels that lost business or had to close altogether saw other opportunities for their properties.

ReU Living's chief executive Anna Chew said she was inspired during the pandemic to build communities for senior living and posthospitalisation recovery that provide comfort and luxury.

"We renovated during the lockdown as I saw an opportunity to work with property developers in the hospitality space then, as hotels were empty," she said.