Do residents need to move from the village to receive care?

While it is true that some retirement village residents may need to receive care in another facility, it is by no means the most likely scenario.

In reality, only 12.8% of Kiwis living in villages end up being moved to a different facility to receive care. And more than half of those moves (7.3%) happen because people choose to relocate for personal reasons, such as wanting to be closer to family. Another 0.7% return to their village after receiving temporary care at another facility. *

That means less than 5% of residents need to move because their care needs can't be met on site. Of those who do move, 3.7% do so because their required level of care isn't available at their village, and only 1.1% move because there weren't any beds available at the time. *

We don't want to downplay how distressing it can be to have to move from the place you consider home. Yet, the reality is that 95% of village residents will never have to leave their village to receive the care they need.

If staying in one place matters to you, one helpful step is choosing a village that offers a wide range of care options, including higher levels of care, such as dementia care. Our website can help you explore villages and build a shortlist that fits your needs.

Many villages also offer care suites. These operate under village legislation, are 'owned' by the occupier, and may provide the same type of care as a care home, though the available care levels vary by village. You can learn more about care suites here, then view all current vacancies on our website.

*(This data is based on a survey conducted by the Retirement Villages Association of New Zealand in August 2021 and is used with permission. While this data provides a good indication about the numbers of people transferring from villages to aged care, this would be fully confirmed by independently commissioned research).