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Aged Care Association New ZealandAbout Us
Peter, an older man, at the wheel of his car

Peter drives 239 kmseach day to see his wife.He shouldn’t have to.

When your family needs care, how far will you have to go?

Finding an aged residential care bed is becoming harder by the day.
For many families, the nearest available care may be hundreds of kilometres away. That can mean an older person leaving their community, right when they need the support of their partner, whānau and friends the most.
New Zealand needs a plan that not only protects the aged residential care beds we have, but also builds enough for our ageing population. Because no one should have to travel hundreds of kilometres just to see the ones they love.

Explore real stories.

  • Wayne’s story

    Wayne’s mother needed secure dementia care after her Alzheimer’s disease progressed. However, appropriate care was not available close to the family home in Hokitika. She moved to Westport, leaving Wayne’s father making a 240km round trip twice a week to visit his wife. The travel became increasingly tiring and raised concerns about his safety on the road. Wayne’s mother has since been able to return to Hokitika for hospital-level care and is now within walking distance of her husband.

    Read more – Wayne’s story

  • Alison’s story

    Alison, family carer: Alison cares full time for her husband Neil, who is living with dementia. Despite being allocated 35 Government-funded respite days each year, she’s unable to use them because suitable beds are unavailable. Most years she accesses only five or six days. Sometimes it’s as few as two. She’s tried to secure planned respite as far as 13 months in advance. Alison shares about the impact limited access to respite has on family carers and the importance of carers being able to protect their own health and wellbeing.

    Read more – Alison’s story

  • Heather’s story

    Heather, Facility Nurse Manager, Coastal View, Nelson: Heather has worked in aged care for five years and has been with Coastal View since it opened. The 59-bed hospital and rest home level facility, plus a 20-bed dementia unit, is almost always full, with particularly strong demand for dementia care. Heather shares about what capacity pressures look like on the frontline, the challenges of finding the appropriate level of care as residents’ needs change, and why increased capacity needs to be supported by sufficient staffing, training and funding.

    Read more – Heather’s story

  • Don’s story

    When Frances’ husband was admitted to hospital, her dementia deteriorated and she could no longer live at home. With no care nearby, she was forced to move 230km away from her community and husband of 60 years. The travel means Don can rarely visit – and Frances no longer recognises him when he does.

    Read more – Don’s story

  • Mike’s story

    Mike, in his 50s, needed specialised care for his Multiple Sclerosis, but no suitable facility was available nearby. He was forced to move more than 100km from his wife and kids. They visit every Sunday when they can. Mike watches the clock waiting for them to arrive – then counts down the hours until they return.

    Read more – Mike’s story

  • Barbara’s story

    Barbara, 92, needed specialised dementia care that wasn’t available in her hometown, forcing her to move 190km away. Her husband, Colin, 96, has poor vision, making the 380km drive impossible. His daughter takes him when she can, but after more than 70 years of marriage, the couple have been separated by distance.

    Read more – Barbara’s story

How you can help.

We need the government to make a plan for our aged residential care sector. You can help by emailing your local MP and demanding action. To help make it easy, we’ve pre-populated an email. Simply find your MP and hit send.

Not sure? Find your electorate on Vote NZ (opens in a new tab)

Your MPFind your MP to see who you’re emailing

Hi your MP

I’m writing to express my concern at the state of New Zealand’s aged residential care sector.

It’s unacceptable that people are being forced out of their communities to find the care they need. No one should have to drive hundreds of kilometres each day just to see the people they love.

Please let me know what your party is going to do, so our elderly can access the care they need, close to home.

Kind regards,
Your name

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Dawn, an older woman, at the wheel of her car

Dawn drives 664 kmsto see her husband.She shouldn’t have to.