This website is a resource for Australian seniors and their families, where you can find information and get the facts about retirement villages (including manufactured home villages and rental villages), home care and aged care and then find and review the best retirement villages, home care services and aged care homes in New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), South Australia (SA), Tasmania (TAS), Victoria (VIC), Western Australia (WA), the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory (NT).

So if you want to learn about all aspects of retirement living, seniors housing and care for seniors in Australia - you've come to the right place.

Retirement Villages, Communities and Homes
 

When we refer to retirement villages, we mean managed communities for seniors that fall into the following categories:

1. retirement villages for the over 55's
2. manufactured home villages for the over 50's
3. rental villages for the over 50's.
   

Each of the above categories is subject to different State legislation and involves different legal structures. The financial arrangements can include an initial ingoing capital contribution, ongoing recurrent charges and a unique fee, called a departure fee, exit fee, deferred management fee or DMF, which is paid when the resident permanently vacates the premises. The age criteria are often not as rigid as they sound.

Retirement villages may also be called retirement homes, retirement communities, retirement resorts, retirement estates, lifestyle villages, lifestyle communities, lifestyle resorts, over 55s villages or over 50s villages, but they will usually fall into one of the above categories.

Retirement villages generally offer accommodation that is referred to as "independent living units" or "self care units" (which may offer a range of personal services, if required) or "serviced apartments" (which include a package of personal services as part of the contractual arrangements).

To better understand retirement villages, please see the following pages in our Retirement Villages Guide for more detailed information:

1. Retirement Villages Guide
2. Why Are Retirement Villages So Complicated, Confusing And Controversial?
3. Financial Considerations
4. How Are Retirement Village Departure Fees Calculated?
5. What Are Retirement Village Departure Fees For?
6. Departure Fee Calculator
7. Top Ten Tips
8. Rental Accommodation
9. Pets
10. Legislation
11. The Retirement Village Handbook
    

We are also putting together a knowledge base with specific information about retirement villages in each State and Territory and have now published specific information about retirement villages in New South Wales (NSW) and retirement villages in Queensland (QLD).

When you have all the information you need, you can then search our Retirement Village Directory to find a home to buy or rent.

You can use the following quick links to go directly to the relevant retirement villages search pages for:

1. Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Suburbs: A, B, C, D-F, G-H, I-L, M, N-Q, R-S, T-V, W-Z
2. Brisbane, Queensland (QLD), Suburbs: A, B, C, D-F, G-H, I-L, M, N-Q, R-S, T-V, W-Z
3. Melbourne, Victoria (VIC), Suburbs: A, B, C, D-F, G-H, I-L, M, N-Q, R-S, T-V, W-Z
4. Adelaide, South Australia (SA), Suburbs: A, B, C, D-F, G-H, I-L, M, N-Q, R-S, T-V, W-Z
5. Perth, Western Australia (WA), Suburbs: A, B, C, D-F, G-H, I-L, M, N-Q, R-S, T-V, W-Z
6. Hobart, Tasmania (TAS), Suburbs: A, B, C, D-F, G-H, I-L, M, N-Q, R-S, T-V, W-Z
7. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Suburbs: A, B, C, D-F, G-H, I-L, M, N-Q, R-S, T-V, W-Z
8. Darwin and the rest of the Northern Territory (NT).

Please contact us if you would like to list your retirement village(s) in our directory.

Home Care
 

Home care services are generally provided either by agreement at commercial rates, or on a needs basis in conjunction with government subsidized programs such as Home and Community Care (HACC) and Home Care Packages.

To better understand home care, please see the following pages in our Home Care Guide for more detailed information:

1. Home Care Guide (an overview)
2. Home and Community Care (HACC) (what's available?)
3. Home Care Packages (tailored and coordinated home care packages)
4. Advocacy and Complaint Resolution (what to do if things aren't right).
   

When you have all the information you need, you can then Search our Home Care Directory to find a service provider.

Please contact us if you would like to list your home care service(s) in our directory.

Aged Care
 

Aged care has undergone a lot of changes over the years. Terms like "low level care", "hostels", "high level care" and "nursing homes" aren't used so much any more. Aged care is regulated and partly funded by the Commonwealth Government, so it provides accommodation and services that are relatively standardized. This is in contrast to retirement villages, which are regulated at the State Government level and do not receive government subsidies.

Aged care homes generally offer a higher level of care than most retirement villages can provide, including nursing care. Some aged care homes also offer "extra service", which involves the provision of a higher standard of accommodation and service at an additional unsubsidized cost.

There is also a retirement village / aged care hybrid, which may be referred to as "supported living" and offers retirement village style accommodation with a level of care similar to that provided by aged care homes. These villages are regulated, but are not accredited or subsidized.

To better understand aged care, please see the following pages in our Aged Care Guide for more detailed information:

1. Aged Care Guide (an overview)
2. Eligibility and Assessment (what is the procedure)
3. Fees and Charges (how much will it cost)
4. Accreditation Standards and Compliance (what you should expect)
5. Resident Rights and Responsibilities (know your rights)
6. Residential Respite Care (to give your carer a break)
7. Advocacy and Complaint Resolution (what to do if things aren’t right).
   

When you have all the information you need, you can then Search our Aged Care Directory to find accommodation in an aged care home.

You can use the following quick links to go directly to the relevant aged care search pages for:

1. Sydney and the rest of New South Wales (NSW)
2. Brisbane and the rest of Queensland (QLD)
3. Melbourne and the rest of Victoria (VIC)
4. Adelaide and the rest of South Australia (SA)
5. Perth and the rest of Western Australia (WA)
6. Hobart and the rest of Tasmania (TAS)
7. Canberra and the rest of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
8. Darwin and the rest of the Northern Territory (NT).
   

Please contact us if you would like to list your aged care home(s) in our directory.

Independent Living Products and Services
 

A rapidly expanding range of specialized products and services are available for seniors. It's just a matter of finding them!

Our Products & Services Directory lists products and services that are particularly relevant to seniors. The listings include website links and contact details, so you can find and review relevant products and services from the comfort of your own home. Many of these products and services can be arranged or ordered online or over the phone and delivered to your door. Some may also be available at a retail outlet that you can visit.

Please contact us if you would like to list your product or service in our directory.

Information Centre
 

For your information, we have:

1. compiled a suite of links to websites that are particularly relevant to seniors
2. produced some additional resources, including a Moving Home Checklist and an information sheet on Wills and Estate Planning.