One reader shares their experience staying in a retirement village as a pensioner in a wheelchair and we ask experts to weigh in
In 2022, we received the following letter from a reader who wanted to share their experience in a retirement village as a person with a disability:
Is it better to retire at the Wetnose Animal Rescue Centre or staying in life rights retirement as a pensioner with a disability?
My wife and I have been married for 53 years and both have physical disabilities. She was in a car accident 40 years ago and is a quadriplegic with a C6/7 injury. I became paraplegic in 2009 because of work.
For almost 20 years, we have been staying at a life rights retirement village in Pretoria. For the past two years, we’ve had a caregiver who assists with daily functions. Before that, my daughters assisted with homework and preparing meals.
I am still capable of using my upper body to do daily functions, for example, making coffee, switching on the washing machine or working with the TV and cell phones.
All the retired residents have access to a weekly nurse who visits and takes our blood pressure, as part of our life rights contract. It states that, at any time during your stay, the committee and the nurse can ask for a medical report which states that you are still capable of living independently and don’t need to move out to frail care.
This is now the third time that we have been asked for a medical assessment by the same nurse. The first time, we saw no document and we don’t know if there is one. The second time, in 2020, we both did a medical assessment. It concluded that we’re still capable of living in our cottage. The third time (2022), it was only my wife who was required to do the assessment.
We will let the process run its course and will wait for the outcome. The nurse never wants to give us her written reports and says that she only makes notes on her file, while the committee says there is a report.
According to the chairperson of the committee, you have to have a 75 percent functionality to still be able to stay there. Does that mean that if you have a physical disability, you may not stay in a retirement village?
Some of the retirement villages in Pretoria don’t want pensioners in wheelchairs. They want residents to be independent. It is difficult for us to move to another retirement village in the area. We are also close to the state hospital and spinal clinic where we get treatment.
At the moment, I feel it is better to retire at one of the right of life animal shelters, because of the ill-treatment we receive from the office. We were told that we influenced the doctors with the second time assessment.
With the third letter from the office, I was told it is a love letter. (Bad manners in my opinion). Do you have to be physically mobile to stay? Or is the management committee just happy to make life difficult for us?
For more clarity, we reached out to the South African Association of Homes for the Aged (SAAHA) – an organisation that stands for healthy ageing and represent the retirement villages in South Africa assisting with information and benefits on everything to do with the retirement sector. SAAHA National President, Liana Grobler responded.
Rolling Inspiration: Is it common practice to have residents pass medical assessments to determine if they are fit to live independently?
Liana Grobler: Once or twice a year, as a principle, the homes need to conduct a DQ98 assessment to evaluate the older persons to see if they can still cope, and whether they would need more assistance. They can also do a mini-mental evaluation, but all this information should be available to the resident(s) concerned. These evaluations are also conducted either by a registered nurse or a social worker. It is a legal requirement and the homes need to report on the results. There is a format for both evaluations prescribed by the Department of Social Development (DS).
RI: Does the responsibility of finding a medical practitioner to conduct these assessments traditionally fall to the resident?
LG: No, the registered nurse in service of the facility can do the assessment or a social worker. I’m not sure how the contract reads, so it might be influential in this case.
RI: How could a resident resolve such an issue with the retirement village committee if they feel an undue strain is being put on them to prove their independence?
LG: Each home, by law, should have a resident committee who should meet with management or the board once a month. This is the platform to raise concerns – preferably in writing and getting back a response in writing.
RI: Do you have any advice for the resident or the retirement village with regards to resolving this dispute?
LG: Process. First raise it with management in writing through the resident committee and then report to the Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS), the Human Rights Commission or Department of Social Development.
About SAAHA
The organisation drives three projects for the year (2023), which includes self-sustainability and caregiver registration. It follows the guidelines of both international and national regulatory goals and requirements. SAAHA aims to assist everyone on retirement related questions. It is in very good stance with the relevant government departments and also work with the medical research council. However, this doesn’t stop SAAHA from challenging the Department of Social Development on regulatory an fiduciary duties. View the SAAHA website here (https://saahanpo.com).
