Moving to a Retirement Home

Moving to a Retirement home. Pros and Cons.

To retire in good health affords opportunities to do those things you didn’t have time for when you were working… To travel, to enjoy hobbies, to read and to spend quality time with family and friends.

But the natural process of ageing means that eventually we will all need extra support.

We are faced with options. Will we get home based support? What about moving in with our children… Perhaps a granny flat? Or perhaps, as is increasingly popular, moving in to a retirement home or residential care facility.

These are difficult choices. And any choice to move away from our home is hard. It is difficult also to part with household possessions that will no longer fit into new accommodation.

It is much easier if you plan well in advance, long before a decision to move to a retirement home is thrust upon you because you or your partner cannot cope in your present accommodation.

We find that many of our clients who plan ahead enjoy a new lease of life when the time comes to move. Some move to self-care accommodation where they can retain a strong sense of independence, preparing their own meals and maintaining privacy. They are reassured that, should the need arise, medical and other help is close at hand. They make new friends and enjoy organised events.

Others opt for units  where services including preparation of meals are included and there is the comfort of options from low-level to high-level standards of care.

You must decide whether you are prepared to move a long distance away from where you have lived before and how close you would like to be to family members so that they can visit you.

There are some complicated laws about moving to a retirement home or residential aged care, including about the terms and conditions of buying in and maximising your Centrelink entitlements. It is important that you seek guidance about them.

ReesLaw has been recognised as one of Australia’s leading law firms advising in residential care.  Please call Mr Stephen Rees or Ms Kathryn Millist-Spendlove for further advice or assistance.