Housing Frequently Asked Questions
Do village residents qualify for publicly funded home support services? 
Scenario:
I have lived in our village for four years,
but feel that soon I may need some help to stay here. Will I qualify
for publicly funded home support services?
The short answer is ‘yes’ – if you meet the criteria. You can contact
Needs Assessment and Service Co-ordination (NASC) yourself, or ask your
doctor to make a referral. A NASC worker will visit you at home and
discuss the situation further. The care package you have signed up for
with the village may require you to use services provided by them. If
the village service does not have a District Health Board contract to
provide publicly-funded services, then you will have to meet these costs
yourself. Most villages have policies that allow you to access NASC, who
can authorise home care and also personal care. (This is always a good
question to ask when making enquiries about village living).
Further information:
What about village refurbishment costs?
Scenario:
My parents lived in a retirement village
for ten years, and I am now responsible for their estate. I am not
happy with the refurbishment costs for the unit they occupied, what
can I do?
When your parents entered the village they would have agreed to a set of
terms and conditions. It is a common condition for outgoing tenants
to have responsibility to pay for restoration of the unit to its
original condition. Ask for an itemised list of repairs, with
associated costs. Discuss with the manager, perhaps you can
negotiate a better deal.
Further information:
Can I get Accommodation Supplement in a retirement village or
group-living
setting?
This will depend on your own set of circumstances - the best place
to ask is your local Work and Income NZ office, as they will have
policies for local accommodation.
Further information:
Are there other types of retirement accommodation?
There are
a few alternatives, for instance 'Abbeyfield' is a volunteer-based,
not-for-profit organisation which provides affordable, family-style
housing for older people wanting independence, companionship and
security. Abbeyfield offers greater support and social contact than
independent living units and provides for those who do not want or
need the extra care of a rest home. There is a housekeeper in
residence at each house.
A number of church and trust organisations have both rental and
purchase accommodation. Some of the rental accommodation offers full
board at rates manageable on a benefit income and includes meals,
linen laundry, cleaning etc This type of accommodation is sometimes
called 'assisted living'.
Further information:
What does a Serviced Apartment Offer?
Many retirement villages now offer serviced apartments. You purchase the
apartment, often with a ‘licence to occupy’ title, and then pay an
on-going fee for a ‘package’ of services. This will generally include
meals, cleaning and laundry, though there may be a choice of packages on
offer, with the option of buying-in more services as required - for
example nursing services in times of acute illness.
The living space is often quite limited; a ‘studio’ apartment usually means a
bed-sitting room, or there may be a separate bedroom. Kitchens too are
likely to be small; depending on the level of service available, the kitchen
may just function for tea / coffee and snacks. For those able to afford this
option, serviced apartments offer an intermediate step between living at
home and moving to a rest home.
The 'rental version' of the above example is sometimes known as ‘Assisted
Living’.
Further information:
I can’t afford to pay both long term care and my village outgoings – What
can I do?
Scenario: I recently moved into
retirement village accommodation with a ‘Licence to Occupy’ title. Two
months later I had a stroke and it now seems possible I will need long
term private hospital care. My question is really about finances – I
can’t afford to pay for long term hospital care as well as the ongoing
service fees at the village – What can I do?
We will break your situation down as it sounds complex.
Rehabilitation is the first consideration, as this outcome
will determine whether you are likely to be returning to your village
accommodation. Firstly, is there any possibility of rehabilitation in
the public hospital system? This is your best and certainly cheapest
option for rehabilitation. Although private hospitals employ
physiotherapists, their focus is more on maintaining function rather
than rehabilitation. There are private providers of rehabilitation
services who will supply additional services into a long-term care
setting, but again this will cost money. Does the village offer any
rehabilitation services? If you contact the Stroke Foundation, they can
tell you of any local recreational centres that run ‘Kiwi Seniors’.
These groups can be useful for people with lower level rehabilitation
needs.
Secondly, the contract you have with the village will state
the length of time you are responsible for paying fees. It is common
practice to continue paying service fees until the unit is sold. If the
rehabilitation outcome is that you require ongoing care in a long term
private hospital, then you will have to sell. For the interim, ask the
village manager if you can have charges such as service fees and
refurbishment costs deducted from the Redemption Figure on Final
Settlement. These costs should not be great, as you have only been there
for two months. Terminating a ‘licence to occupy’ is usually quite
straight-forward, conditions will be laid out in the village’s
Occupation Document. Ask your lawyer to check the termination clauses
for you.
Further information:
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Ministry of Health
