MANILA, Philippines - When you’re tired and retired (which could mean you’re twice tired), where do you go to repair aching bones, soothe frazzled nerves, and boost flagging spirits?
Before, the senior citizens didn’t know where to go. Now, thank God for Saujana Premiere Medi Spa Resort & Residences in Silang, Cavite, baby boomers have a place they can call their very own.
They call it Saujana (Malaysian word for beautiful place), a first-class medi spa resort & residences sprawled over a 16-hectare village designed to provide holistic, personalized retirement living services for the elderly and offer them the lifestyle they truly deserve.
Danny Venida, who has opted to abandon the polluted city to find his place under the Saujana sun, escorts us as we check out some of the facilities of this master-planned community. Let’s see now: Have a taste of the suite life with Saujana’s 25 suites with Jacuzzi. There are meeting and function rooms, an organic restaurant, dining facilities, clubhouse, mini grocery, library, souvenir shop. Outside, there’s a meditation hut sitting amid lush greenery. Go and take a hike along the eco trails; take a stroll along the lighted pathways; smell the aromatic greens in the organic and herb garden. And then there’s the Medi Spa and Wellness Center that offers “a range of different routes to help you cleanse, recharge, and revitalize.” The spa services include body and facial treatments, reflexology, body and mind intervention. The medical services cover Lifestyle Medicine (wellness & anti-aging, dietetics, nutrition); Complementary Medicine (Traditional Chinese Medicine, detox, acupuncture, ayurveda or holistic healing); Western Medicine (cardiology, physical rehab with hydrotherapy, endocrinology, dermatology). The cleansing programs include The Ultimate Detox, The Living Foods Detox, and the Vegetarian Detox, each designed to suit individual needs.
But of course, there’s a gym/aerobics with a heated pool and a regular pool. Here, you’ll probably meet the curvy and savvy Ayeza Almario, managing director of Physio Asia Therapy Centre, Singapore-Philippine branch.
“What we offer is something that’s not curative but preventive,” says the lean and mean 65-year-old Eping Ao, president of Saujana Premiere Medi Spa. “It’s never too late. I started exercising when I was 45. Before that, I was very sickly.”
He goes on to explain, “The whole idea of the project is wellness, senior living. When you’re 65-70 years old, your children are gone. It’s only you and your wife now. How long can you last living in Metro Manila? You’ll get bored or you’re cutting your life short because of the pollution, congestion. So, hopefully, here, seniors will enjoy healthy living, a clean environment, walking trails, and common activities (think hobby clubs, gardening, tai chi). Because if you’re a senior and you have nothing to do, everything goes downhill. But if you’re with people your own age, you talk about the good old days and you’re happy and occupied.”
As can be gleaned from the book Blue Zones by Dan Buettner, there are four places where the highest number of centenarians live: Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, California; and Costa Rica. Eping shares, “They made a study on what’s common among those who have lived longest and they found the following: hard work, diet, little meat, healthy lifestyle, family, and purpose in life.”
“Actually, the government is targeting foreign retirees,” notes Eping. “The problem is they don’t know where to go: condo, subdivision? They want more than that. What they want is a lifestyle where they can have all the services/amenities, and they want to interact with local people. What we’re going to have here is like hotel living, except that it’s just one story (bungalow), not high-rise. Here, we have resident doctors. We’re encouraging doctors to live here. Eventually, we have plans of assisted living.”
There will be 24-hour concierge, caregiver service, in-house physician and nurse, ambulance service, and village shuttle. And of course, members of this gated community can bank on the most efficient 24-hour security.
Wellness workshops will also be held regularly. At the launch last Sunday, guests who filled the lecture room to overflowing listened to talks on Western and Natural Medicine for good health by Dr. Al Lagaya, the healing wonders of diet by Blecie Varona, and the American Blue Zone by Dr. Charles David as well as watched a demo on raw and live superfoods preparation by Aileen de Guzman.
“Hopefully, we can repeat this in other areas like Baguio, Cebu, Davao,” Eping muses. “We will have 300 to 500 housing units, priced from P3.5 to P5 million. And a big plus is we’re isolated but not far, just a few minutes from Asian Hospital in Alabang.”
Indeed, at Saujana, the sun shines brightly and life is beautiful for those in the twilight of their days.
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Saujana Premiere is located on the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road, Silang, Cavite. Call 310-5602, 310-5600, 310-5599, +6349-5413089 to 94. E-mail saujanapremiere@yahoo.com; visit www.saujanapremiere.com.