Is a serviced apartment in a retirement village right for you?

What is a serviced apartment?

In a RetireAustralia retirement village, serviced apartments are generally studio-sized or have a separate bedroom and include a private bathroom, kitchenette, and living area (they do vary between villages). With our team taking care of housekeeping, maintenance, and providing delicious and nutritious meals every day, you’ll have the freedom to maintain your independence. Serviced apartments are perfect if your care needs are increasing, yet you want to keep doing what you love.

Benefits of a serviced apartment

Independence meets support: serviced apartments provide a harmonious blend of independence and support. Residents have their private living space while enjoying access to various amenities and assistance as needed. It’s a lifestyle where you can live the life you want with the support you need.

Freedom from chores: Say goodbye to mundane household tasks. In a serviced apartment, there will be housekeeping, maintenance, and daily meals. This leaves time to focus on the things and the people that matter most.

Social connection: Retirement villages are vibrant communities teeming with like-minded individuals. Serviced apartments promote social interaction through planned activities and shared spaces, where you can take part in as much or as little you like. Loneliness is replaced with companionship, creating a sense of belonging.

Staying well: ageing gracefully involves maintaining physical and mental health. With the daily, nutritious meals offered in a serviced apartments combined with the social interaction and opportunity for activity, good physical and mental health can be achieved.

Security and safety: each apartment has a personal emergency response system, providing residents with peace of mind knowing that assistance is close at hand.

Stay with your loved one: You can continue to live with your partner in a serviced apartment, whether they require extra support or not.

Access to Home Care: along with housekeeping and meals, you can access personal care through RetireAustralia Home Care. This could include help with showering and dressing, medication management or wound management, as well as much more. Care is flexible and tailored to exactly what you need, when you need it. It can be funded privately or through a government-funded Home Care Package.

What do serviced apartment residents say?

John at Bartonvale Lodge

John Langton says that empathy and comfort are the key things that matter to him and as a serviced apartment resident at Bartonvale Lodge Retirement Village he gets that in spades.

“It’s a nice place to be. I’ve been here five years and I’ve always been in a serviced apartment. I was living just four or five streets away from here, so it was an easy move,” says John.

“Certainly, I could recommend it here. I feel very relaxed and I feel the staff are doing an excellent job,” John explains. “We have meetings, social get-togethers, people from outside come in and enjoy visiting.

“Our Village Manager Trish is a breath of fresh air, we feel like we have someone who is working for us, she has compassion and understanding. Most of all, I feel like I’m a part of a family here.”

Jennifer at Wisteria Grove

Jennifer Smith was a resident at Tea Tree Gardens Retirement Village when she decided to utilise respite care at Wisteria Grove Retirement Village.

During her stay, Jennifer realised that she was going to need ongoing care and support and that a serviced apartment at Wisteria Grove was the right choice for her.

“The girls are all very helpful,” says Jennifer “I like having the meals prepared for me, which are good.

“I like joining in the activities when I can. I like the sing-alongs and bingo. I also like the concerts when they happen,” Jennifer explains. “I also like the hairdresser services and podiatrist visits at Wisteria Grove, as I don’t need to go somewhere else for these.”

Jennifer has a Home Care package with RetireAustralia and she has a carer who comes in regularly and takes her shopping, or for a drive.  “While I can’t see, I’m still getting out,” says Jennifer, who has issues with eyesight.

“I can manage a lot on my own,” she says. “But it’s good being cared for by the girls here when I need the support.”

Betty at Tarragal Manor

Betty Whitten had lived at Tarragal Glen Retirement Village for more than 25 years, when she decided that it was time to move somewhere where she could get some extra help.

“I said if I go anywhere, I want to go to The Manor where I still feel connected to the village,” says Betty “So, I moved in here in March 2020. It was one of the best moves I’ve ever made.”

The Manor, which forms part of Tarragal Glen Retirement Village, offers serviced apartments to cater for residents who need extra household assistance, but still want to live independently.

“My family were very pleased when they knew I was coming into somewhere like this, where I was going to be looked after and a lot of the chores taken off my shoulders,” says Betty.

At the Manor, life hasn’t slowed down for Betty. While she likes to take it easier in the morning, her afternoons are spent catching up with friends and taking part in the many activities on offer, including bingo, trivia and wordsearch.

“Over at the village, they’ve looked at our diary that’s printed in the Tarragal Times and quite a few of my friends over there have said ‘You do more over there in The Manor than we do!’” says Betty.