Informal caregiving is an often hidden yet common feature of retirement living communities, with residents providing care to partners, family or neighbours with cognitive impairment or dementia. As growing numbers of residents age in place, these unpaid and largely unrecognised caring roles are shaping community dynamics in ways that remain under‑examined in research, practice and policy. Data and insights from retirement villages indicate that cognitive change and caring responsibilities are increasingly widespread yet rarely acknowledged or formally supported within retirement living settings. This presentation reports findings from consultations examining resident and interest-holder appetite and readiness for embedding Partnership in iSupport, an evidence-based education and skills program for carers of people with cognitive impairment or dementia. Consultations were conducted with 75 residents and 7 village managers across seven retirement living communities in rural and regional Queensland. Findings revealed a central tension between carers and residents’ desire for privacy – often driven by stoicism and fear of exclusion – with their strong unmet need for knowledge and support. At a village level, a lack of tolerance and frequent stigma surrounded cognitive decline and dementia, often associated with residential aged care rather than retirement living, limiting openness and help-seeking. Contrastingly, many residents also expressed willingness to look out for their neighbours, notice changes, and provide informal respite to enable carers to remain engaged in village life. These findings point to the need for age‑ and dementia‑friendly approaches in retirement living that balance privacy, autonomy, and dignity with accessible, non‑stigmatising pathways to education, support, and connection.