There are about to be a whole lot more older folks in New Zealand.
Data from Stats NZ suggests the country’s population pyramid is set to look more like a rectangle in coming decades, with a greater proportion of Kiwis living into the upper reaches of a century due to a combination of the baby boom generation coming of old age and the social advances of modernity allowing for lengthier life spans.
Stats NZ projects the number of New Zealanders in their 90s will approximately double in the next decade.
At the same time, a high cost of living and the fact average house prices are nearly eight times the average household income have seen young people staying in their parents’ homes for longer.
It’s all compounded to create a stressful moment for those in the middle – Generation X, the so-called sandwich generation, who have found themselves looking after ageing parents and kids still on their way to independence.
While the term was originally coined in 1981, longer lifespans and older pregnancies have only increased the pressure on the middle-aged as time has gone on.
The current state of affairs that has seen the idea of the retirement home change remarkably in the past two decades, from a homogenous service to a whole continuum of options, with an eye to pleasing that middle generation as well as the older folks who will actually move in.
Shirley Ross is the Director of Clinical and Care Services at Oceania, one of the country’s largest aged care and retirement service providers with more than 4,000 residents over 38 locations.
She said the company focuses on providing a wide range of services that mean residents can move in and have their needs met as they age without having to go through the hassle of moving again.
“In 2008, Oceania pioneered the care suite model which provides a continuum of care for residents,” she said. “This means our residents, once settled, do not have to move again if their needs increase as we provide rest home and hospital levels of care. We are proud to have been an industry leader with the concept, which is now widely used across the country.”
What this looks like is a more diverse vision of living in a retirement home, with residents able to retain high levels of independence while still having access to the social boons of the on-site community.
Katrina Horton is an Auckland woman and a self-described member of the aforementioned sandwich generation. Her parents recently moved into an Oceania facility, which she said has been crucial to relieving the pressure on her while allowing them to stay young at heart.
For her parents, that means going into their golden years with their own two-bedroom apartment and a vibrant social calendar on their doorstep, with amenities like a gym, cinema, cafe, library and bowling green.
“All the old boys go downstairs and they have drinks together whenever the All Blacks play. They’ve got a cinema downstairs and they all go down there and have champagne and watch the game,” she said. “And I came last Christmas and they’ve got a grand piano downstairs and there’s people from the local high school glee club singing musical numbers and I just think they do a good job of making sure that people still have a life.”
Her parents had originally planned to move into their own apartment in a new build near Cornwall Park, but Horton is glad they’ve ended up in the arms of Oceania, especially when she considers if one of them died and left the other alone.
“If they went out on their own there wouldn’t have been the sense of community that they have with Oceania,” she said. “And I think at this stage of their lives if something happened to either of them, then having other people around them so that their lives can carry on and they don’t become isolated is so important.”
Of course, traditionally a widowed parent would often find themselves living with their children, perhaps taking the room of a child moving out to start their own independent life. But that’s not always a possibility in this day and age.
“It’s maybe a sad indictment on us, but we don’t really feel responsibility anymore. I think that’s the reality – If you’re a white New Zealander, you do not feel responsible for the burden of looking after your parents. You’ll help them get into whatever they need to be in, but it’s a lot to ask, I mean financially even – it’s a lot.”
Plus, in the last 20 years, households with adult children have been the fastest growing type of household with more children moving home or leaving later.
“For most people, these days, it’s just not feasible to have your elderly parents living with you anymore,” she said. “Neither I nor my sister have a room. You’ve got kids living at home for longer, so it’s like… I can’t. I can’t have mum and dad. I love them, but where would I put them?”
Plus with average lifespans on the increase, that demand for the spare room has swelled in tandem. “Everyone is living longer, my husband’s parents are still both alive and kicking. So we’re like Oceania is great because they’ve got that community and we know they are not going to be alone.”
Her parents’ location offers levels of care ranging from independent rest home style units up to hospital and end-of-life, palliative care. That means even with another few decades of life potentially on the docket, they will theoretically never need to move again.
Oceania’s Shirley Ross said the changing population pyramid has seen an increase in the average age of potential Oceania customers, alongside an increase in the need for medical care.
”With New Zealand’s ageing population we are seeing a shift in when Kiwis are seeking care. Generally, Kiwis are living longer in their own home or in independent living units,” she said. “As a result, the residents who are seeking care with Oceania in recent years are noticeably older and have higher medical needs.”
So while the various amenities and social opportunities of the modern rest home may attract some potential residents, there has also been a need for growth on the other end of the continuum, as age piles complex medical needs on others.
With the population of over-90s expected to exceed 150,000 by the 2060s, it appears there is no sign of that demand slowing. Projections from the Ministry of Housing and Development support the trend, suggesting there will be around 1.5 million Kiwis over the current retirement age by 2053. In certain parts of the country these changes will be particularly stark – in the Tasman region, the senior population is expected to double in the next 25 years.
The aged care industry is accordingly only projected to increase in relevance and importance, with villages that themselves reflect the growing diversity of the needs and priorities of ageing Kiwis.
And as millennials head into middle age with comparatively fewer resources and older parents than other generations, the particular demographic cocktail putting pressure on Kiwis at the moment can’t be expected to go anywhere.
