FAQs

What is the structure of the retirement communities at Peninsula Villages?

Peninsula Villages is comprised of three retirement villages – Peninsula Village, Cooinda Village and Ambleside Village, and one affordable housing village – Springwood Village.

All villages offer independent living options and Peninsula Village also offers supported living in its purpose-built residential aged care facilities – Don Leggett House (high care), Pam Palmer House (low care) and Pozieres House (high care).

How do I know if I need to look at moving into care?

This is never an easy decision to make. The first signs of needing assistance with daily living are when the normal day-to-day tasks have become too difficult to manage without help from others. The best thing to do is discuss it with someone who respects your situation and knows you well. This could be a family member, a close friend or your local doctor.

Another way of ascertaining your needs is to consult with the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT). They will have to assess you if you wish to enter residential aged care, so it may be a good idea to speak to them about your needs.

What is an assessment?

An assessment is an evaluation by a member of the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) who is a health care professional in the area of senior care. They will visit you and ask you some questions about your life and lifestyle to identify the best level of care for you. You may have anyone present with you for the assessment, such as a carer or family member. And if you wish, you may instruct your doctor to provide your medical history to the ACAT representative. These assessments are free.

What if I only need care for a short time?

This is commonly known as respite care, which Peninsula Villages provides in conjunction with permanent care accommodation.

Respite is a period of temporary accommodation in an aged care home, which may be required for a number of reasons, including:

  • trying out a home before making a decision to move permanently.
  • if a carer or support person is going away on a holiday or is unavailable for a period of time
  • in emergency situations.

The government provides funding to support respite for a number of weeks throughout the year (this also requires an ACAT assessment) unless you are choosing to pay privately. Respite usually needs to be booked well in advance, so it is best to contact the home of your choice as early as practicable to secure a place.

If you are interested in accessing respite with Peninsula Villages, we can ensure a happy, safe and caring community with high quality care. Every effort is made to make sure we meet the normal routines of the person we care for. Click here for more information on our respite care.

Can I look at a facility before applying for residential care?

You are welcome to tour any Peninsula Villages facility. Please contact our Peninsula Villages team for further information and to book a tour or direct your enquiry to the following members of our team based on your enquiry:

Independent Living: Annie Bishop – 02 4344 9199

Residential Aged Care: Sue Bagnell – 02 4344 9199

How do I pay my accommodation costs?

When you enter care, you will need to choose how to pay for your cost of accommodation either via a Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD), Daily Accommodation Payment (DAP) or a combination of both. Please click here for an indication of costs for each residential aged care facility at Peninsula Villages.

What are the standards for staff working in Aged Care Facilities

The staff working in a home should be fully trained to the highest standard. Aged Care Homes are subject to an accreditation process conducted by the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency. The home must pass a series of compulsory checks to operate. They can also be subject to spot checks, a process fully supported by Peninsula Villages who believe that only services, which consistently meet high quality standards, should be allowed to operate.

Peninsula Villages also value our staff benchmarks that are higher than industry standards for care levels. We also have a Registered Nurse rostered 24/7.

What kind of personal care can I expect to receive?

Care should be assessed and provided based on the individual needs of each and every resident. This is something you should always discuss in detail with your aged care provider and should include things apart from your clinical care needs. These could be the activities you like to do, any community ties you have and want to maintain, what you like to eat and who your family and friends are, just to name a few.

What are Extra Services?

Many facilities offer a higher standard of accommodation, lifestyle choices and hospitality services for an additional daily fee. Here at Peninsula Villages we are looking to offer a range of extra services to our residential aged care residences.

Please contact our team on 02 4344 9199 for further information about our extra services.

What about my family, friends or carer?

Even if you move into an aged care home, your family, friends or carer are still a part of your life. If you like, they can speak with the staff at your aged care home about how they can still help out and continue to play a role in your care.

Your family, friends and carer may also need to talk to someone about how they feel about their changed role in caring for you.

Carers Australia – the peak national body for carers, with a network of carer associations in each state or territory – may be able to help organise support. You can contact Carers Australia on 1800 242 636 for more information.