What’s the difference between an aged care home and a retirement village?

If you’re considering different types of aged care support for yourself or a loved one, you’ve come to the right place! It can be difficult navigating the difference between the various aged care options in Australia – with in-home care, aged care homes and retirement villages all offering various benefits. Christadelphian Homes offers two types of aged care in Sydney and Brisbane – aged care homes and retirement villages.

So, what’s the difference? We’ve broken it down for you below.

What are the benefits of retirement villages?

A retirement village is a community designed for seniors, while still offering as much autonomy and independence as you require. Usually, at a retirement village, you’ll have access to a range of initiatives and facilities that help you feel a sense of community and allow you to live your life in the way you want to – opting into resident events as often as you would like. You will have access to a range of different services like cleaning, gardening, social activities, food delivery and medical assistance depending on your preferences. Moving to a retirement village is ideal for people looking for a sense of community and customisable support that can change as and when your needs do.

At Christadelphian Homes, we have two retirement villages to choose from – Maranatha Retirement Village in Kallangur, Brisbane and Courtlands Retirement Village in Parramatta, New South Wales.

What are the benefits of aged care homes?

Moving to an aged care home is a great option if you need assistance with your daily tasks and healthcare. It can be a daunting prospect to move away from your home and a lot of people fear a loss of independence. However, if you are struggling to keep up with running your household or your nutrition and care needs are becoming hard to manage on your own, you have a comfortable, social and safe alternative in an aged care home. Aged care homes provide accommodation, hotel-like services like meals, cleaning and social activities as well as personal and clinical care as required.

Christadelphian aged care homes throughout Brisbane and Sydney offer you 24/7 residential nursing care with beautiful gardens and comfortable furnishings to help you feel right at home. Residents have access to regular social activities, entertainment options, hairdressing services and church services – take a look at our different aged care homes here.

If you think an aged care home is the right fit for you or your loved one, you will need to have an assessment with an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT). This is a free assessment carried out by a doctor, nurse, social worker or health professional who will ask questions about how you are managing day-to-day living and provide options to help you get the level of support you need. There are no obligations after your assessment to move to an aged care home, it will just help you find out what services you are eligible for and help you learn about the support available. Learn more about booking your ACAT assessment here.

What does Christadelphian Homes do differently?

Christadelphian Homes has a holistic approach to aged care support, caring for people’s physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Although we offer places to people from all backgrounds, belief systems and walks of life, Christadelphian Homes is a Christian organisation at its core. We believe in providing care with a vision to reflect God’s love seen in the words and actions of Jesus Christ. That means we always treat our residents and their families with love and respect. We strive for exceptional governance to ensure our staff are empowered to bring their best selves to work and promote a ‘love thy neighbour’ culture throughout the Christadelphian Homes community. We’re also a not-for-profit organisation, so any surplus funds go straight back into our community.

You can learn more about our services here.