Glenwood Home

retired and elderly folk. Peter Woodnorth and Michael Gresson, two well-known local citizens on the Glenwood Board, were instrumental in moving the project forward and supervising the planning of the new home on land donated by the Woodnorth family. Glenwood was established on the vision, hard work and generosity of the South Canterbury community. Glenwood opened in September 1964 with 20 residents. A downstairs wing, catering for an additional eight people, was opened a few years later. Then, in the early 1970s, the Glenwood retirement village was built on land north of the home – a major project comprising 17 one-bedroom cottages designed for independent living. In 2005, a multi-million- dollar redevelopment created two new wings to meet hospital standards. Sixteen rooms with ensuites were added, along with a new reception and administration area, staff offices and service rooms. Completing the development was a comfortable lounge, a wonderfully sunny annexe called “Sunshine Alley” and a sheltered enclosed courtyard. Veronica Ligteringen, Facility Manager of Glenwood Home, explains, “The Trust board is made up of Anglican and Methodist representatives and a number of people invited from the community. So we have a good balance of people who hold to those principles from Christian groups, as well as board members from the business sector. We have a wonderful nine-member board at this time comprised of highly competent individuals who grasp just how special Glenwood is – and they are committed to both the business side and the wellbeing side of our operations.” In terms of services, the facility is comprised of two parts: Glenwood Home and the Retirement Village. And three avenues for funding: The Ministry of Health; people’s contributions to their own care; and funding to the Village through Occupation Right Agreements. The Village units are not big by today’s standards but tidy, modern, very appealing and large enough for couples to share. Residents don’t buy the unit per se, they pay for it on the understanding that when they’re no longer living there, ownership reverts back to Glenwood, at which point the unit is sold to the next person. The cost to that, called a Deferred Management Fee, is the cost of the person living there for that period of time. This is standard practice for Occupation Right Agreements. As a whole, Glenwood Home is comprised of 29 hospital rooms and 13 rest home rooms in a single building. Almost every room has its own bathroom or a shared ensuite. And heat pumps, which were installed in 2014 and have already paid for themselves through reduction in energy costs. According to Ligteringen, “We used to be 100 percent rest home but the New Zealand government has over recent years, made a commitment to support people independently in their own home with services going into an individual’s home for as long as possible. The GLENWOOD HOME