By Vanessa Pratley
Investigative Journalist | Kaipūrongo Whakatewhatewha
Learn about aged care, needs assessments and how to make sure the rest home you’re considering is right for you.
At some stage in your life, you might have a triggering event that means you need more care. You will need to transition from an independent living situation, like in a retirement village, to receiving care.
This can look different depending on your needs. You might have a nurse come to your house every day, or you might need more support from rest home or hospital level care.
Moving to a rest home is a big decision, and with the sector facing pressure on its services, it might be hard to find the right one.
Here’s what you should consider.
What to check before you move into aged care
Get a needs assessment
Before you move to an aged-care facility, you’ll need to get a needs assessment. A needs assessment helps determine the level of care and services you need. There are four levels of care: rest home, hospital, dementia and psychogeriatric-specialist hospital care.
Needs assessments are carried out by your local Needs Assessment and Service Coordination (NASC) service. NASC is part of Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand.
Without a needs assessment, you won’t be able to apply for financial assistance from the government, and you may not be able to find a facility that has a room available – even with one, it can be tricky.
Consider costs for aged care
The director general of health sets the fee yearly for standard care rooms. The fee varies depending on where you live and currently ranges from around $1,400 to $1,500 a week (the approximate maximum fee payable for any level of care).
Depending on your needs assessment, you might be eligible to have some or all of this fee subsidised by the government. Funding is means tested and will also depend on you and your partner’s (if you have one):
assets
dependent children
age
income.
Some facilities offer rooms with additional features, such as en suites or garden access. These are premium rooms, and a facility can charge more for them.
This charge is on top of the maximum fee and range from $99 to $129 per day at a Ryman Healthcare rest home and from $12.50 to $99 a day at a Summerset rest home. There are also independent rest homes that offer options at different rates.
The government does not subsidise premium room fees, so you’ll have to cover these yourself.
Get familiar with the aged care audit reports
Rest homes must be certified and audited to make sure they are safe and meet regulatory standards.
The Ministry of Health requires a certification audit once every 1 to 4 years, with an unannounced spot audit in the middle of the certification term.
Before you sign up for a home, give the audit reports a read. They can tell you about:
how residents are cared for
how staff interact with residents
the general home environment
clinical records, policies and procedures.
The auditors also interview staff, residents and whānau.
Find out what it’s really like to live there
Before you make a decision, make sure you and the facility are a good fit. There are a range of things you can do to get familiar with a facility.
Visit the facilities you’re considering and ask to see a room and about the daily functioning of the home. Does the bathroom meet your expectations? Will your dietary requirements be met?
Talk to the residents about their experiences to get a sense of what it would be like to live there.
Have a chat to staff as well.
Book in for a short stay. Some facilities will allow you to stay in respite care for a short time, as a kind of trial. This can be a great way to transition into a home.
Ask about the complaints procedure and other policies. Make sure you’re comfortable with how any complaints will be handled.
Read the paperwork and get advice
Before you move in, you’ll have to sign an admission agreement. This is a legal document that sets out rights and obligations for both you and the facility. This document will guide your time at a facility, so it’s important that you know what you’re agreeing to.
There is no legal requirement to get independent legal advice before you move in, unlike a retirement village, but it may be a good idea to get some anyway.
Think about your will and enduring power of attorney
You don’t have to be an older person to start thinking about a will, but towards end of life, it’s an important document that can help your whānau after you go. Without a will, your assets will be dealt with according to rules set out in legislation.
It’s also important to consider setting up an enduring power of attorney (EPA). An EPA sets out who can make decisions about your health and finances when you can no longer make these decisions yourself.
Learn more about wills or setting up an EPA.
How to complain about aged care
Go to the managers of your home and raise your concerns directly. Sometimes other avenues won’t hear your complaint unless you’ve tried to resolve it directly.
The Nationwide Health and Disability Advocacy Service is a free, independent advocacy service. It can support you to make a complaint to your provider. Phone: 0800 555 050.
If you aren’t satisfied with your rest home’s response to your complaint, you can try the following options.
Your local Te Whatu Ora portfolio manager can help gather information from nurses, clinicians and your rest home. Find your local manager online.
HealthCERT is part of the Ministry of Health and is responsible for certifying facilities. Call HealthCERT on 0800 113 813.
The Health and Disability Commissioner deals with complaints about health and disability services, including aged residential care.
For more information
The following services offer more information about aged care facilities and rest home living.
Seniorline, a national helpline contracted by Te Whatu Ora to help you navigate the health system and support services. Phone: 0800 725 463 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm).
Age Concern New Zealand, an information and support services charity dedicated to people over 65 years old. Phone: 0800 652 105.
The Ministry of Health list of certified providers and audit reports.
Stop unfair retirement village contracts
Retirement villages promise the good life in your golden years, however, the contracts are often heavily favour the village. We are calling for a fairer deal for retirement village residents.
