Village at the Park residents said they only learnt of a plan to cut the hours of care workers, activity co-ordinators and nurses from a union. Photo: Google Maps
Retirement village residents say they feel unsafe as care workers at Arvida-run facilities around the country face cuts to their hours - and increased responsibilities.
Arvida said the changes had been tested and were improving care and safety for its residents.
Residents of Wellington's retirement complex Village at the Park and their whānau said they were only alerted to a plan to cut the hours of care workers, activity co-ordinators and nurses when one of the workers' unions let them know.
Arvida aimed to slash the hours by a total of 412 a week at the complex that offered housing from independent living to hospital and dementia care.
Resident Jiff Stewart was shocked at the news - then found out cutbacks were happening at other Arvida retirement facilities.
"This is happening in at least 30 other retirement villages around the country - below the radar, unseen, unsung, unacknowledged in a lot of places."
She said many residents felt betrayed at the cuts after choosing Village at the Park because of its well-staffed hospital and dementia care - for when they needed them.
Residents took their concerns to management, organised a picket, a petition, and got their local MP involved.
"This is our place. The people living in the hospital and the dementia unit are our friends. That's our future, we care about it and we should have been told about it.
"And we should have a voice about it."
Stewart reckoned the protest forced the company to back off some of the nursing cuts in the dementia unit, but 370 hours will still be cut - including the unit's full-time activity co-ordinator.
She said that's a huge loss as she has witnessed the co-ordinator's "miraculous work".
"There's a woman in the dementia unit who had been withdrawn for a long time and she moved into the unit and is now playing the flute and singing.
"For the people who have been on the journey with her, it's nigh-on miraculous, and it is entirely attributed to the intervention of the activity co-ordinator."
Care workers' jobs were being changed to pick up the activity role.
E tū union represented care workers and organiser Rochelle Hill said Arvida's idea that they would be able to deliver activity support on demand didn't seem plausible on their reduced hours.
"It's very unclear how they can say there's going to be a cut in hours and cut in staff numbers but you're going to be able to individually and in small groups enrich the lives of our residents."
Workers this week faced choosing their preferences from a new roster.
"If you don't win something that works for you, or don't win a job at all, or can't afford the reduced hours, then you'll lose your job," Hill said.
She said it was hard to say how many jobs would be lost.
Hill said Arvida was not the only retirement community operator cutting hours.
"Residents and their families need to be aware that they will not be included in these change proposals even though the impact on them and their loved ones will be significant."
Arvida spokesperson Aleshia Wansbrough said the change to care teams would improve the quality and safety of services and return the community to slightly above pre-Covid care staffing levels.
Wansbrough said the changes would ensure care givers could work across activities to deliver a holistic care approach to residents.
She said Arvida started planning for the changes last year and the staff adjustments were made across several of its 35 communities before Village at the Park.
"The resulting changes have been met with positive feedback from both our teams and our residents."
