This article was originally published on the Living Choice website here.
Working out all of the costs of moving to, living in and leaving a retirement community can be really confusing. If you qualify for the Age Pension, Rent Assistance or Home Care Package costs, understanding the impact on these can be totally overwhelming!
To assist Living Choice clients to make an informed choice, we have implemented the Village Guru software across all of our villages to remove this confusion by crunching the numbers for you.
Designed by Australia’s `Aged Care Guru’, Rachel Lane, the Village Guru software provides a Village Essentials Report to help you gain a clear picture of what moving into a retirement community will cost.
Rachel is a well-known speaker and her articles are published in major metropolitan newspapers and on Downsizing.com.au. She has co-authored a number of books with finance expert Noel Whittaker, including the best-seller Aged Care, Who Cares? and Downsizing Made Simple. In 2021, with a desire to help people overcome the financial confusion associated with downsizing to a retirement community, she developed the Village Guru software.
At all Living Choice villages, you can now compare the cost of your current home with a home in a Living Choice village, compare different homes within the village or compare the costs across other villages.
“For many years we have heard residents of retirement communities say `My only regret is not making the move sooner’,” said Rachel. “While there are many reasons why people delay moving, our aim with this software is to help prospective residents have clarity over the financial arrangements of moving to a retirement community, removing confusion and making it easier to move in and start enjoying their new home,” she added.
“The software can calculate the upfront, ongoing and outgoing costs of the village together with any Age Pension and Rent Assistance entitlement and Home Care Package costs. It also has the flexibility to compare against the current home or an alternative retirement community.
Rachel stressed that while the report provided great information, it did not provide financial advice, which should be obtained from a Retirement Living and Aged Care Specialist Adviser.
To find out more about the Village Guru Essentials Report, contact the following sales consultants in the region you are interested in:
Central Coast: Dave Grassby and Alicia Stacey – 1800 064 344.
Sydney: Leisure Lea Gardens – Linda Savige and Anna Ginters (02) 8878 4903; Glenhaven and Galston – Gail Eyres and Carlie Gowenlock 1800 797 333.
Sunshine Coast: Suzi Morland – 1800 008099.
Gold Coast: Angelina Hackett and Michael Levick – 1300 421 414.
Adelaide: Katherine Stacey and David Brookman – 1800 502 524.