// Northbridge

About Northbridge Lifecare

General Information

Northbridge is a retirement village in Northcote, on Auckland’s North Shore spanning 16 acres. It is owned and managed by the Northbridge Lifecare Trust. Its aim is to provide a vigorous and supportive community for people over the age of 60. It is a “not for profit” organisation, registered as such under the Charitable Trusts Act 1957.

The first residents entered Northbridge in 1976. We now have:

  • 253 Apartments

    The Residents of the Apartments are generally fit and active and live independently.

  • 19 Serviced Apartments

    The Residential Care Units are serviced apartments. The standard service fee covers cleaning of the apartment, provision and laundering of bed linen and towels, and one main meal. Other meals and laundry options available.

  • 45 Bed Rest Home

    We have a 45 bed Rest Home with nursing staff and trained health care assistants. A busy activities programme including a gentle exercise routine is available for residents.

  • 16 Bed Memory Care Centre

    The Memory Care Centre is a dedicated secure area with its own facilities with each of the sixteen individual rooms having their own ensuite.

  • 35 Bed Hospital

    The Hospital has 35 beds, mostly in single rooms with ensuite bathrooms. There are five 4-bed wards which each have an ensuite bathroom.

The Rest Home, Memory Care Centre and the Hospital have been certified by Te Whatu Ora.

Please note that Northbridge is not a gated community, but Management have arranged for several security patrols at night and the Village and Care Facility are covered by surveillance cameras.

  • APARTMENTS - Admission Policy & Criteria:

    Once an Apartment has been offered and accepted, applicants will have a meeting with Northbridge Staff, in order to receive the required documentation to purchase an Occupation Right Agreement (ORA), and to provide information about their financial circumstances and a medical certificate from their doctor. A $5000 deposit is then paid, which is fully refundable should the applicant change their mind about moving in. Northbridge reserves the right to decline to offer an Apartment to anyone who will be unable to live reasonably independently in an Apartment or will be unable to afford the fees.

  • Serviced Apartments

    The minimum level of service includes a daily visit, weekly cleaning of the apartment, provision and laundering of bed linen and towels, and a daily evening meal. Other options include all meals, personal laundry, and administration of medications, all for an additional fee.

  • Residential Home & Hospital

    Apart from people admitted for short term care and assistance, entrants must have been assessed by the local public health assessment team (which is independent of Northbridge) as needing rest home care, memory care or hospital care (for the Hospital). Note: neither the Rest Home nor the Hospital has a secure fenced area, so they cannot accept people who wander forgetfully onto the surrounding roadways and may be a risk to their own safety or the safety of others. Nor can they accept people whose systematically aggressive behaviour will threaten the well-being of other residents/patients. These disorders need specialised care of a kind that Northbridge does not provide.

Facility Governance

The Board of Trustees

Some of the members of the Board are appointees of specified public bodies and professional associations (Institute of Accountants, District Law Society, National Council of Women, Institute of Professional Engineers.) The Board also includes a Resident.

Management

The principal officers are the General Manager (overall responsibility); the Care Facility Manager who manages the Rest Home, Hospital and Memory Care Centre; the Head of Property and Assets, and the Head of Resident Experience (village sales and support services for the residents).

Lifecare Contributions

Northbridge uses the income from these as follows:

To provide maintenance of the exterior and interior of Northbridge’s accommodation and communal facilities, and replacing them as necessary over the years.

ON GOING COSTS – Monthly service charges

The requirement to pay service charges ceases as soon as the Apartment has been vacated and the keys have been returned to the Trust.

ON GOING COSTS - Monthly service charges from 1 October 2023

These vary according to the type of Apartment and are subject to change:

Apartment Type Monthly Service Charge Apartment Type Monthly service Charge
A1 $577.00 B $710.00
A2 $622.00 C $733.00
A3 $672.00 Y $777.00
New Apts $777.00

PAYMENT ON ENTRY COSTS – What is covered

The payment covers the cost of the stove, clothes drier, washing machine, waste disposal unit, sun filter blinds, dishdrawer (where possible), floor coverings, standard light fittings and heat pump. The payment does not include the cost of drapes, refrigerator, or non-standard light fittings. Note: it may be possible for an incoming occupant to purchase these items from the outgoing occupant, for amounts that are to be agreed between them.

  • Gardens

    Northbridge staff attend to the grounds and gardens at large. Whenever practical, we meet the wishes of Residents who want to tend to a garden area adjoining, or close to, their Apartment. Apartment Residents may also have the use of an “Allotment Garden” in order to grow vegetables.

  • Maintenance

    The Head of Property and Assets and staff maintain the fabric of the buildings and the interiors of apartments and the appliances supplied in them. Whenever something goes wrong – a blocked sink, a fault in a water heater, a stove that malfunctions – it will always be attended to as soon as possible and normally on the same day as the fault is reported.

  • Support and Security

    Our “Care Co-ordinators” keep in touch with Apartment Residents and provide (or arrange the provision of) supportive services if they are needed. Every Apartment has an emergency call button, which can be used to summon assistance and each resident is issued with an emergency pendant which we recommend they wear while in their apartment. Apartments are fitted with smoke alarms and in the new apartments are fully sprinklered.

  • Delivered Meals

    Lunch may be delivered to Residents who are sick or frail – on the recommendation of the Care Co-ordinator.

ADDITIONAL COSTS – Garages

Garages and carports are available for apartment residents, but not always very close to their apartments and there may not be one available immediately. To obtain the use of a garage or carport, residents pay a “refundable deposit” – which is refunded to them in full when they vacate the garage/carport. The amount of the deposit varies from a few thousand dollars for a carport to $15,000 for a large garage. Incoming residents are asked to formally agree to vacate their garage/carport when they no longer drive themselves.
Residents purchasing a new apartment will be allocated a car park in the basement if they own a car, and drive. The allocation will cease when the resident either doesn’t own a car and/or holds a valid drivers licence.

PAYMENTS ON DEPARTURE – Apartments

Licence Premium payments are refunded in full. Lifecare Contributions are not refunded if the apartment has been occupied for 50 months (4 years and 2 months); if it has been occupied for a shorter time, a proportion of the Lifecare Contribution will be refunded; the refundable proportion reduces by 2% per month from the date of entry for the first 50 months in the Village.

SERVICED APARTMENTS

The Apartments are just under 50m2 in area. They have a lounge, a large bedroom, a kitchenette, and a bathroom/toilet

Entry Procedure

The same procedure is followed as for the independent apartments although we may request a meeting with the Care Facility Manager and General Manager. Likewise with the Lifecare contribution use, Maintenance, Gardens and Support & Security

Payments on Entry:

Licence Premium             $210,000
30% Lifecare Contribution            $  90,000
Total Cost             $300,000

Monthly Service Charges

These vary according to number of meals per day that people decide to have provided and are subject to change.

           Full Service                                                           Partial Service

(includes two meals, cleaning & laundry)         (main meal, cleaning & laundering of linen)         One Person:     $2,068.00                                             One Person:     $1,558.00

In case of couples, pricing will be explained at the time.

The requirement to pay service charges ceases as soon as the Apartment has been vacated and the keys returned to the Trust.

SERVICES PROVIDED

Cleaning of Apartment, bed linen and towels (provided (single bed size only) and laundered) and the evening meal. Other meals and services are optional.

PARKING

There are four carports available for serviced apartment residents, reasonably close to their apartments. To obtain the use of a carport, residents pay a “refundable deposit” – which will be refunded in full when it is vacated. Incoming residents are asked to formally agree to vacate their carport when they no longer drive themselves.

Care Facility

Information regarding care services in our Rest Home, Memory Care Centre and Hospital is available by contacting the Care Facility Manager.

CODE OF RESIDENTS’ RIGHTS – VILLAGE

Basic rights of Residents

This is a summary of the basic rights given to you by the Retirement Villages Act 2003.

1. Services and other benefits

You have the right to services and other benefits promised to you in your occupation right agreement.

2. Information

You have the right to information relating to any matters affecting, or likely to affect, the terms or conditions of your residency.

3. Consultation

You have the right to be consulted by the operator about any proposed changes in the services and benefits provided or the charges that you pay that will or might have a material impact on your:

      • occupancy; or
      • ability to pay for the services and benefits provided.

4. Right to Complain

You have the right to complain to the operator and to receive a response within a reasonable time.

5. Disputes

You have the right to a speedy and efficient process for resolving disputes between you and the operator or between you and other residents of the village.

6. Right to be treated with courtesy and have rights respected

You have the right to be treated with courtesy and have your rights respected by the operator, the people who work at the village, and the people who provide services at the village.

7. Right not to be exploited

You have the right not to be exploited by the operator, the people who work at the village, and the people who provide services at the village.

Your obligations to others

Your rights exist alongside the rights of other residents and the rights of the operator, the people who work at the village, and the people who provide services at the village. In the same way that these people are expected to respect your rights, it is expected that you in return will respect their rights and treat them with courtesy.

Operator’s contact person

If you want more information about your rights or wish to make a complaint against the operator or another resident, the operator’s contact person is  GEET SHARMA Ph 09 488 3080 9.00am to 5.00pm or mob 027 285 9332.

Other contact persons

Other contact persons, if you want to make a complaint about a breach of your rights, are:

      • The statutory supervisor: Trustees Executors Limited,
        PO Box 4197, Auckland, Phone Number (09) 308 7129.
      • The Registrar of Retirement Villages:

Information

The Retirement Commissioner publishes information on the code of residents’ rights and disputes procedures available under the Retirement Villages Act 2003 that may assist to resolve your complaint.