The Eldernet Group Provides Greater Transparency About Residential Care Costs With Website Upgrade

The Eldernet Group has taken the guesswork out of knowing the cost of residential care, thanks to an upgrade to the search function on its website.

The Eldernet Residential Care website, which allows older people and their family/ whānau to find information about every rest home in New Zealand for free, has added a function that allows users to easily find residential care homes that charge extra for ‘premium accommodation’. When using the search tool, users can choose to include or exclude residential care facilities that have premium accommodation charges using a drop down menu.

‘Premium accommodation’ (commonly referred to as a ‘premium room’) is a room in a rest home that has features and services over and above what is required under the Age Related Residential Care Agreement (ARRC). This may include features such as an ensuite, adjoining garden, or access to recreational equipment, for example.

Daily costs for premium accommodation vary widely around New Zealand. As of 24 March, premium accommodation charges for available rest home rooms in Auckland’s Te Whatu Ora region ranged from $7 to $86 extra a day. In some residential care facilities in New Zealand, premium accommodation costs can be as much as $100 a day, or more. These charges are on top of the ‘Maximum Contribution’ a resident must pay to live in residential care – this ranges from $1246.28 to $1349.60 per week, depending on where in New Zealand you live.

Some people looking to move to residential care may be surprised to learn that premium accommodation charges exist, but they are becoming increasingly common, says Linda Nicolson, General Manager of The Eldernet Group.

“There has been an increase in premium accommodation charges over recent years. Several factors have contributed to this rise, including consumer expectations and what is often described as a shortfall in funding for standard services. This has had a knock-on effect of reducing the numbers of standard beds, making them hard to come by in some areas.”

“Moving to care can be daunting for people and their loved ones – and that’s without thinking of the financial side,” says Nicolson. “That’s why The Eldernet Group wants to ensure people have the right tools to guide them on their journey.”

The Eldernet Residential Care site allows any internet user to view vacant residential care beds throughout New Zealand for all levels of care, including rest home, dementia, hospital, psychogeriatric, and supported living. The information on the site is updated every weekday morning. Users can also filter their search to include facilities that provide specialised health care, offer ‘nice-to-haves’ such as pet-friendly rooms, and cater to specific spiritual, cultural and lifestyle requirements.

People can access more information about the cost of moving into residential care, as well as a range of other topics related to getting older, on Eldernet’s Knowledge Lab for free.

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