The Fairseat Foundation process outlined by Fairseat Manager Ben Allen - Last Update: Sept, 2015
THE PROCESS
It has been mentioned a number of times that Friends of Fairseat are not always that “au fait” with the procedure or process involved in taking up residence in Fairseat. I will try and explain this below but if you have questions then please do not hesitate to contact me by email or phone.
Fairseat Foundation is a retirement community that is made up of:
- 9 Rooms/bedsits – en-suite with a verandah overlooking lawns and gardens.
- 4 Apartments – similar to bedsit but with a separate sleeping area and en-suite bathroom (total area is about 50 Sq M)
- 6 Single cottages - one large bedroom en-suite, central sitting/dining room with fire place, small kitchen, office/carer’s room
– they tend to vary slightly from each other depending upon when they were built.
- 10 double cottages – similar to single cottage but there are two large bedrooms en-suite. They vary slightly to each other
We currently have approximately 31 residents in normal operating mode.
We have a waiting list that all potential residents need to join. To be on the waiting list you have to be a member of The Friends of Fairseat and the date of first joining the waiting list is a critical bit of information as it determines one’s seniority if more than one person/couple are interested in one of our properties. Right now we have about 200 individuals or couples on the waiting list but the demand for a place varies greatly in terms of the type of accommodation and the time frame they might want it in. It is almost impossible to gauge the demand at any one time and we simply go to our list and put the word out whenever we have a property available. Sometimes, where we have a known prospective resident who is very senior on the list, we simply enquire with those few members who have seniority rather than going to the whole list and raising unreal expectations.
It is not an easy decision generally for anybody to decide to move into a place like Fairseat and more often than not it involves significant asset transfers which can take time and planning. So when we put the word out that there is a vacant spot at Fairseat our serious and genuine enquiries will probably number in the single digits. Presently, we have a build-up of pressure for cottages and apartments and less so for bedsits. Having said that, we are effectively full as I write this.
MEDICAL INTERVIEW
All new applicants for permanent residence at Fairseat have to provide a full medical history and report from their GP. Applicants are then interviewed by our Medical Committee who will then inform the management team about the suitability or otherwise of any applicant to enter Fairseat. Essentially, Fairseat is not a nursing home so applicants need to be fit and well for their age. We do not accept applicants who have dementia or Alzheimer’s.
CARER COSTS
As detailed above, with your service fee you get “half a carer” every day. If your health deteriorates or for whatever reason, either temporary or permanently, then you may need:
- A full day carer (8 hours per day)
- 24 hour care
MEDICAL INSURANCE
If one has medical insurance then it is important to try and maintain that otherwise we would require a deposit.
GUARANTORS
Every resident will need two financial guarantors to underwrite their financial liabilities.
STAFF
Whilst many of our residents have their own cars and employ drivers, we do not permit personal domestic staff.
PETS
These are considered on a case-by-case basis and the manager has the final say. The main issues to be considered are the ability for the pet to fit into our community without causing disruption, safety of staff & maintaining the existing ambience of Fairseat for all our residents.
WARNING
Fairseat Foundation is NOT a nursing home. We are a retirement community and we do not claim to offer nursing. We do have nurses employed 24 hours per day, every day of the year. If any resident becomes too difficult for us to manage then we reserve the right to ask them to find a more suitable facility. To date nobody has had to be moved on but that right still remains and it is important to know and appreciate that we will not hesitate to apply this clause of the contract if the situation becomes untenable for us as a community.