This may seem like a title designed to catch your eye, but have little substance, but that is not at all the case when the truth about retirement villages on the Gold Coast is revealed. Do you really want to spend your twilight years in a retirement village where power struggles lead to hospitalization, late night vistors are a common occurrence, or drug labs are being operated next door?
The answer is, probably not.
But this is exactly the type of behavior that has been reported on the Gold Coast.
Earlier this year the Gold Coast Bulletin reported on a retirement village on Ashmore, highlighting:
- Female residents receiving ‘show cause’ notices following visits from ‘male friends’ at night;
- Power struggles and confrontations between residents leading to several residents being hospitalized for stress;
- An alcohol still being secretly operated; and
- A resident being told that they could not plant a herb garden.
While the Brisbane Times wrote a story on a resident of a retirement village in Southport being evicted following the discovery by police of a drug lab inside his home within the village.
With behavior like this occurring it pays to do your homework to find the perfect retirement village. It’s a major lifestyle change making the move into retirement and buying into a village is usually a major financial decision. Each retirement village is unique in the way it operates, the different tenure types it offers and the costs of entering and living in.
Before you sign a Contract to move into a retirement home, it’s worth seeking legal advice on the contents of the Contract and how it will affect you. It’s also worth doing your homework and considering:
- How the retirement village is run;
- What services and features it offers;
- What healthcare services it offers;
- How decisions affecting residents are made;
- Who its governing body is; and
- All fees, both entry, exit and ongoing, you will be liable for.