Retirement Village Residents Association of New Zealand
Retirement from work is no longer retirement from life. In fact, it’s the opposite - a ‘second life’ where growth, learning and discovery become more important, not less. People can enjoy the retirement village lifestyle whether they are 65 or 90 years of age.
Retirement villages offer access to facilities and services that lead to improved health outcomes and greater social interaction than would be possible in a general residential setting. The RVRANZ protects the rights of retirement village residents in New Zealand
The focus is on the Retirement Villages Act 2003 and the Retirement Villages Code of Practice 2008. The Act defines the rights of retirement village residents when they commit to a Occupation Right Agreement with the owner of the retirement village, in which they purchase a licence to occupy a villa, cottage, or apartment. It’s important that RVRANZ spokespeople have a genuine mandate to speak on behalf of the resident body, rather than pursuing issues of importance to an individual. RVRANZ ActivitiesThere are now about 450 registered retirement villages with another 81 under construction.
The last newsletter contained detailed information of the amendments to the Code of Practice, proposed by RVRANZ. Submissions have been made to the Retirement Commissioner, Policy Advisors at the MBIE and the RVA, the operators. This year also a review of the role of the Statutory Supervisors was conducted and we were invited to meet with the FMA to air our concerns. Needless to say, the sub-committee charged with preparing and delivering all these concerns, has had a very busy few months. Our grateful thanks go to sub-committee chairman Anton Coetzee from Omokoroa, for the countless hours he contributed. Scammers Target Village ResidentsRetirement village residents are being warned of a scam in which strangers knock on doors requesting to check the resident's medication. The door-knockers claim to be from the local DHB, and ask to inspect all medication stored in the resident's unit.
Reports have so far been made in retirement villages in Hamilton and Matamata, but it is suspected that the practice is spreading to other areas. It has also heard of scammers calling residents by phone to discuss their medication, asking what kinds of medication they have in their unit and requesting a time to visit. For further information, please look here: https://www.cffc.org.nz/news-and-media/news/scam-targets-retirement-village-residents/ New Source of Photo ID
The new Kiwi Access Card will have a positive impact for people who do not have, or are not eligible for a driver licence or passport. The Kiwi Access Card will allow people to be able to prove who they are, so that they can do things like open bank accounts and pick up prescriptions.
For further details - please see here Check out the New Eligibility Guide
Not sure what help you might be eligible for?
Then check out the new online eligibility guide from the Ministry of Social Development. The guide will take you through a series of simple questions about your circumstances, your family, children, income, health, expenses and living situation. Once you have answered all the questions you will get a list with details of the services you may be able to get, along with an estimate of how much you might qualify for. You can then view further information about these services and how to apply. The guide is very user-friendly and will work on any computer or mobile device. It does not keep any of the information you enter. Need extra help? Some people may be eligible for extra help with their NZ Super, like the Accommodation Supplement, Disability Allowance or Temporary Additional Support. In these situations, the guide is a great first step to understanding what may be available to you, and how to access it. If you don’t have access to a computer, you can contact the Seniors line on 0800 552 002. For more information or to access the guide go to http://check.msd.govt.nz Calls for more Same-Sex TrainingAttitudes to same-sex relationships may have changed, but the stigma of being gay persists in retirement villages, an elderly gay man has said, following calls from within the sector for better sexual orientation training for nurses and workers.
Hanny Naus, who works as an educator at Aged Concern, said that she had dealt with elder abuse involving sexual or gender discrimination. "The more awareness raising that goes on around how elder abuse can look, the more that we hear about people who are feeling like their rights are not being upheld. However, the Aged Care Association, which represents 90 per cent of the sector, said that many facilities provide their own education programmes around sexuality and gender. Chief executive Simon Wallace said he believed existing compulsory training was sufficient. "Our staff, be they caregivers or nurses, are expected to have biannual training on sexuality and intimacy topics." 
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Contact us if you would like to talk about any matter concerningWe are interested in hearing your views.
Click here to open the contact form for sending your message. Or by email
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December 2018 Newsletter Assistance with Downsizing Cheaper Doctors Visits Financial Abuse Advice New Residential Care Rates JLL Report on the Retirement Sector Future Care and Assistance Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) Travelling Overseas Lending Money to Family Elder Abuse Click here for Region details
New ManagementThe National Executive has entered into an agreement with Nigel Matthews to provide part-time management of the Association.
For further details, please see here Subscriptions Subscriptions for the 2019/2020 year have been set at $10.00 per person Residents Associations
Village residents are encouraged to form a local village association if you have not done so. To assist with this, please find a Model Constitution for you to adapt and adopt
Community Service Cards
From 1 December, changes to Community Services Card benefits mean many Community Service cardholders will pay less to visit their doctor. If your SuperGold card has "CSC" on the back you can use it for health services as well as SuperGold discounts. You can get lower cost visits to your general practice for health, injury, and more. Many medical practices are now offering lower fees for enrolled Community Services Card holders and more will join in March and April. Make sure you always carry your card to make it easy to get the benefits, like paying less to see your doctor. If you don't have a Community Services Card, it's worth checking if you can get one. You can find out more through the Work and Income website Guidelines about Pets
People must be aware of the guidelines retirement villages have in place regarding pets, as some have strict policies against keeping animals in the facility. Before signing up, a person should check with the village about its pet policies and get the approval of the operator to bring their pet with them.
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