Are rest homes different from retirement villages?
What's the difference between a retirement village and a rest home?
This is a tricky one, and often the terms are incorrectly used by the media and others, making ‘the truth’ hard to find. There used to very clear distinctions between a retirement village and a care home (which is the term we use for rest homes, aged care hospitals, and secure dementia facilities) but this is no longer the case.
In the past ‘villages’ were for seniors who for many reasons chose to sell up the family home (downsizing, security concerns, seeking new friendships, for example.) and move into a village that offered the lifestyle they were seeking. Often, the idea of care homes was quite unwelcome at this new stage of retirement living. However, as this group aged – and as new seniors entered the market – it became clear that for many retirees, the idea of care close to their new home was important. Providers of villages began to design and build villages with care homes as part of the village offering. Having both independent living and care onsite is called ‘co-location’.
Because the change from being fully independent to needing a lot of support doesn’t happen overnight for most people, and with villages now having co-located facilities, the services began to cross over. It meant that some services that were ‘traditionally’ offered inside the walls of a care home were able to be delivered, sometimes short term, within the village; this is where the waters began to ‘muddy’. Nowadays, you will find that many residents in a village are availing themselves of some kind of support; this could include meals or domestic assistance, right up to medical services such as temporary personal care with wound dressings or medication, for example. This support, of course, comes at a cost, and the agreement that is signed when entering a village outline who can provide these services; it might be the village operator, or an external service, for example.
In some instances, full care home services can be delivered into older people’s homes within a village, usually a care apartment. A care apartment is a true hybrid of care and village, which can often cause confusion between what a care home and what a village is. The most important difference is that each offering is governed by different legislation and contracts. You will need specialist legal advice when signing up for either offering and they will be able to explain which services are covered by the contract(s) you sign.
Find information on ALL retirement villages in every region of New Zealand on https://www.eldernet.co.nz/retirement-villages. If you need support at home find services in your region on Making Life Easier.
Eldernet is New Zealand's leading provider of information for older people. Eldernet is the only website that has DAILY UPDATES on rest home, hospital, rest home dementia and specialist dementia hospitals, also known as psychogeriatric (D6). Find VACANCIES here.
