Retirement Living

Throughout history, intergenerational cooperation and learning has been a fundamental part of many communities and cultures. Somewhere along the way we moved away from that model. Family members began living further apart from each other; therefore, they lost their natural intergenerational composition. Society as a whole has also become more …

The Chief Ombudsman’s inspections programme is being extended to include people held securely in privately-run aged care facilities – people who cannot leave when they want to, primarily those in locked care facilities (‘residents’). The new programme will be phased in over the next three years. Our first step is …

There are lots of factors that come in to play when deciding whether to move into a retirement village. These can be health, social, financial, security and lifestyle. Although not all retirement villages are the same, all of them have some similar characteristics that make them appealing to people. The social …

Making a decision about residential care often requires the consideration of complex and difficult issues. Should the older person stay at home or should they go into residential care? In some cases the older person makes the decision themselves but often, the family is involved. Each family member will have …

Keeping active is important at any age and any stage, including when you move into a retirement village. A Swedish study found that following a healthy lifestyle – being sociable, physically active and participating in leisure activities – could add up to five years to women’s lives and six years to men’s. …

Sometimes older people put up with difficult situations relating to their health and wellbeing when they don’t have to. It may be possible to sort these problems out. This is where an assessment can be helpful. It’s like standing back and taking stock of all the things that might be …

A joint study, from University of NSW, Macquarie University and RMIT, found that aged care staff are often too rushed to properly connect with their residents. Lead author Professor Gabrielle Meagher from Macquarie University said it was structurally difficult for residential and home care services to deliver person-centred care. “The …

‘Care Apartments’, provide a different sort of accommodation than is usually accessed by those needing residential care. (They are also referred to as care suites, residential care suites, care in a village, serviced apartments and other similar sounding name). Care Apartments may give you more choice about where you live …

Villages are increasingly popular options for those looking for ‘age friendly homes and lifestyles”. There are a number of things you should consider when deciding to move into a retirement village. Your initial investigations should include checking if the village is registered (you can check this on www.retirementvillages.govt.nz)? Does it …

According to 2013 data, 50% of females and 40% of males 65 years and older in New Zealand have mobility impairments. This indicates that as we age our mobility declines, and while this is not always true and you an do a number of things to keep mobile, thinking ahead and …