Rest Home Care For Semi-Independent Elderly People
For rest home care that helps your semi-independent loved one to get the most out of life...
Forrest Hill Home and Hospital believe that life does not have to come to a halt when you live in an aged care facility, but that it can be as satisfying and as full as ever.
With 13 beautiful new spacious rooms all with their own ensuites, and the original 61, some of which open onto a sunny deck, the choice is varied.
The 74 beds are designed and certified to care for either rest home or hospital level care. The resthome residents are generally able to manage most things on their own but may need assistance in certain areas. As this differs from person to person, we assess new residents when they come to us so that we are fully aware of their particular needs and abilities.
Residents can easily summon assistance using a call-bell system that operates from all bedrooms.
There are real benefits to having both a rest home and a hospital here. If an elderly person comes into our rest home but later needs hospital level of care, it's a seamless transition because they're not having to move to an unfamiliar place and do not have to change bedrooms.
Rest home level care requires registered nurse care on a part time basis but as we are also a hospital, rest home residents benefit from the 24 hour nursing coverage required for the hospital.
More about how we meet the needs of our clients...
- We provide high standards of medical care, ensuring each resident is as comfortable as possible and that their needs are being met.
- We have plenty of activities on offer to keep our elderly stimulated and entertained. We do our best to cater for diverse interests.
- High staff-resident ratios and call-bell systems in rooms means we are able to be very responsive to resident's needs.
- We are mindful that this is home for our residents and we do what we can to make them feel as settled as possible, establishing rapport and treating them as individuals.
- We make ourselves as approachable and available to families as possible.
- We do what we can to remove stress for the family through support and understanding.
- We provide delicious, inspiring food for our residents. Our nurse talks to each person individually and tailors menus for each person, catering for their particular needs, preferences, requirements and restrictions. We make individual meals if required. If people are losing weight, we'll modify their meals to help them maintain weight. And because most people enjoy the occasional treat, we include those now and again too.
Residents enjoy direct access to these services...
- General Practitioner visits weekly
- Physiotherapist - visits twice weekly or more frequently as required
- Hairdresser - visits Tuesdays (at the cost to the resident/family)
- Podiatry - visits every six weeks (at the cost to the resident/family)
- Pharmacy services
- Occupational Therapist / Activities coordinator five days per week
- Outreach programme - animal visitation through the SPCA
Services available on request or through referral
All other services can be obtained at the family's request or through a nurse or doctor referral. Some costs could be incurred to families or residents if not referred through a doctor or nurse.
- Stoma nurse
- Wound care nurse specialist
- Gerontology nurse specialist (GNS)
- Interpreter services
- Advocacy services
- Dietician
- Portable X-Ray
- Mental Health Services for Older Adults (MHSOA)
- Needs Assessment Service Coordinator (NASC)
- Gerontology physician
- All specialist services i.e: Ophthalmologist, urologist, oncologist etc
- Age concern representative
Additional services can be arranged at the family's request
- Visits from local church
- Visits from the Returned Serviceman's Association (RSA)
You're welcome to visit...
- Come and take a look - we'd be pleased to show you around.
- Phone us on (09) 410-6441 for an appointment to ensure the manager or registered nurse is available to show you the facility and answer any queries.
FAQ's
What do the rooms look like?
The rooms are all single, large and spacious and are either carpeted or have linoleum flooring. Most of our rooms have a private en-suite or an ensuite shared between two rooms and additionally the option of using a larger, more spacious communal shower room. Rooms come furnished with a hospital electric bed, Nightingale bed table, wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a bed side cabinet. Some residents choose to bring in favourite pieces of furniture from home.
All rooms have a call bell and staff carry pages to ensure these are answered in a timely manner.
Families are encouraged to decorate the room prior to the resident moving in, which helps to acknowledge that the room belongs to the resident and makes the transition feel more welcoming and homely. We can empty the room of all furniture and the family can provide some or all of the furniture if they prefer.
Does the room have an ensuite?
Most rooms have a private ensuite. There are some rooms with an ensuite shared by one other. These are popular with couples looking for care together.
What activities do you offer to stimulate residents? And what do they cost?
An extensive activities programme is provided by the well qualified Occupational Therapist / ActivitiesCoordinator Monday to Friday 7:30 AM to 3:45 PM. All activities provided are free. Community groups such as choirs, church groups, Westlake Boys High School and the local Forrest Hill primary school provide entertainment from time to time, as do regular musicians such as a saxophonist and a guitarist. There are two bus outings per month. If the outing is an exceptional one, requested by the residents, which carries a cost not provided by the facility, residents who wish to attend will be asked to contribute to the cost.
An activities programme is displayed daily and for the current month within the home. Residents have a regular meeting, at which time the types of activities are reviewed. The more popular choices include bingo, bowls, golf, arts and crafts.
How much does it cost?
The current daily care rate is $223.76 (including GST), which applies equally to both rest home and hospital levels of care. The amount each resident pays depends on their eligibility for a government subsidy. Some rooms attract an additional daily charge of $29.50 or $34.50 for premium accommodation.
The price of aged care is reviewed annually by Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora) on 1 July. As part of this review, two key determinations are made:
- the maximum daily care rate, and
- the income and asset limits used to decide if you can get the Residential Care Subsidy.
Work and Income (WINZ) decides if you qualify for a full or partial subsidy. The application process takes approximately 6 weeks, so we strongly recommend you start this process as early as possible, ideally before moving into care.
You're welcome to visit...
- Come and take a look - we'd be pleased to show you around.
- We recommend you make an appointment (this can be at short notice or on weekends) to ensure Shona Munro, our Manager, or a registered nurse is available to show you what the facility has to offer and answer any questions you may have.
- Phone us on (09) 410-6441
- Or click here for full Contact details.







