Older Australians are clearly responding positively to the undeniable and unique appeal that senior living communities are able to offer, such as independence, connection and community, as well as convenience, flexibility, security, enhanced safety and a delayed entry into the aged care system of an average of five years!

It is quite an offering, especially when considering the incredible physical settings being constructed. 

Unfortunately, the reality doesn’t always live up to expectations for some residents, which can lead to conflict, either between management and residents or between residents.

How you manage your interactions in the face of a conflict can make all the difference to the length and severity of the dispute, and to the ultimate outcome.

In recent times, the DCM Institute team has been fielding many queries in relation to dealing with disputes within villages so I reached out to my great colleagues at Seniors Living Mediation for some sage advice.

Senior Living Mediation works with operators experiencing disputes, some of which have been long standing, and help the parties to find workable solutions. As a result, they have seen a myriad of dispute situations first hand. 

While the circumstances are all individual, the Senior Living Mediation team suggest there are two ingredients that remain constant. 

Two constant ingredients in disputes

No.1: nobody wants a dispute. We do not move into a village expecting or wanting a dispute – it arises because someone’s expectations do not align with the reality of the situation. 

And, the dispute only escalates where the communication is missing. 

No 2: disputes that are left unresolved can become toxic. This affects the culture of the entire community.

As a Village Professional, if you find yourself dealing with a conflict between two residents, the team at Seniors Living Mediation has shared some great practical tips.

First, encourage the residents to liaise together in the first instance, prior to escalating to the Village Manager.

Then if as the Village Manager you find yourself in the position to assist in addressing the conflict, as a quasi-mediator, ensure you:

1. Choose a private location and avoid meeting in either one of the resident’s homes;

2. Set some ground rules:

• seek agreement from the parties that all discussions regarding the matter are to remain confidential and not be spoken about outside of the meeting;
  
• allow each party time (say 10 minutes) to speak on the issue without interruption and the other party will be afforded time to respond;

3. Remain impartial and neutral;

4. Find any common ground (if there is no common ground apparent, then the common goal to resolve the issue can be used and evidenced by the fact that they both are attending the meeting);

5. Ask the parties to come up with some ideas as to how they see they can resolve their issues;

6. Which of the resolutions are the parties willing to try to resolve the matter;

7. Record the agreement reached in writing and have both parties sign acknowledging the outcomes and agreements made.

As we are all aware, disputes if left unresolved have the potential to cause serious damage to you and your community. 

In my personal experience, it is best to seek assistance early if you are dealing with a conflict situation that is not easily resolved. Reach out sooner rather than later to the team at Senior Living Mediation before it escalates.

The village sector has progressed and reshaped its offering nearly every decade. 

In 2022 and beyond, we will have a sector much like the hotel sector, where the choice ranges from simple affordable villages all the way along the spectrum to high-end villages with all the bells and whistles inclusive of aged care services. 

The Retirement Living Council has produced a great booklet to understand where villages have come from and how to explain the value proposition to potential residents, titled The Book of Wise Moves. 

It complements our Introduction to Retirement Living topic, which you can find in our Knowledge Centre.

This week I came across a great resource for busy village managers – a Local Resource Guide produced by the team at Critical Success Solutions to provide Retirement Living residents and teams with vital contact information to enable them to liaise with local care and associated support services.

Whether it’s information on churches, community health services, food services, palliative care or transport, the Local Resource Guide provides the contact details for these services at your fingertips, saving you hours of googling and calling!

Many operators choose to provide this list annually to all residents as part of their service promise and to keep them informed of the services available and accessible in the local area.

Another great benefit is that the guide will assist you in meeting the Australian Retirement Village Accreditation Scheme Standards, particularly standards. 

✓ Standard 4.21 evidence: “Residents are provided with accurate and comprehensive information about all key aspects of community life, facilities, services and procedures.”

✓ Standard 7.2.1 evidence: “Residents’ individual choices and preferences are identified and respected.”

✓ Standard 7.4.1 evidence: “The scope of care services available to residents.”

To order a copy specific to your local region, just send an email Alex@cssconsulting.com.au or visit Critical Success Solutions and reach out to the CSS team!

From time-to-time village managers are faced with situations where a resident may come to them concerned about a reduced income due to the loss of a partner or change in financial situation, concern about rising living costs, inability to navigate the Centrelink allowances and approval processes or their ability to continue to afford living in the village.

Up until now finding the right solution has been tricky. Recently, I caught up with a great new service provider to older Australian that can provide information and assistance when it comes to support with everyday financial management.

Victoria Wallis-Smith, from Nutshell Money, has established a service that will help with every day financial management she calls “money coaching”. 

The perfect storm

Older people face a unique, and growing, set of issues and risks when it comes to managing their money.

The loss of a partner, reduced income, impaired cognition, or simply a reduction in confidence is compounded by the transition to a cashless society. Even the simple act of paying a bill, or filing a financial statement, can be daunting in the online world.

These challenges increase with the threat of financial scams.

The exponential growth in scams in recent years has seen older people a preferred target for increasingly sophisticated scammers. There were over 286,000 scams reported to the ACCC in 2021, with more than $323m of reported losses.

Who to ask?

Often, people turn to a trusted friend or family member with a money question. But what if you don’t have someone like that to ask?

A great online resource is the government’s MoneySmart website. Unfortunately, the wealth of information available can be overwhelming and lead to a paralysis of action, and increased stress.

The usual approach – financial service professionals

Financial planners typically focus on complex investment and tax issues, and the cost of financial planning is increasingly out of reach for many people.

And if the money questions relate to Centrelink rather than a tax query, an accountant may not be the right person to ask.

An alternative option – money coaching

Money coaching is a relatively new concept in Australia but is well entrenched overseas – providing financial education, support and advocacy for a variety of consumer groups.

Whether it’s having someone on hand that understands bank statements, or Centrelink letters, to working through how to make the money stretch – especially in the transition from a couple to a single age pension.

With a focus on personalised support for everyday financial management, Nutshell’s Money Care program is perfectly placed to fill the needs of older Australians.

A Money Care session is offered as a one-off, or as an ongoing support program – in the comfort of a client’s home. And the cost of a session may be covered under a Home Care Package.

If you have a resident that needs a little bit of extra help for a short time or just to get over a hurdle Money coaching could be a great resource. Check out more about Money Coaching here  Nutshell Money or contact Victoria Wallis-Smith on 0405 224 964, or email victoria@nutshellmoney.com.au.

Residents are living longer in their homes in villages due to the introduction and access to extended Home Care services and additional services often offered by villages themselves. 

Village managers are finding themselves more often in a position where they require the skills and information to be able to assist resident with choices when faced with declining health or unexpected health events.

I am often asked “How much should we be helping residents” or “What is our Duty of Care?” in relation to declining health or when there is an unexpected health event.

This is a really difficult questions to answer the obvious answer is of course we should be providing support and information. But it does depend largely on the skills, knowledge, resources and service agreements that are in place and importantly the operators Policy around Duty of care.

What is an operator’s Duty of Care to residents?

DCMI industry partners and specialists in governance and compliance, Critical Success Solutions, states:

 “Duty of Care is the legal responsibility of ​a person or ​organisation ​to avoid any behaviours or omissions that could reasonably be foreseen to cause harm to others”.

In my experience when developing a Duty of Care Policy and guidelines considerations should include: 

Guidelines around examples of incidents or repeated actions that may suggest there is a Duty of Care by the operator to act;

The process to follow when there is imminent danger/harm to the resident, likely danger/harm or preventable danger/harm;

What knowledge or information staff require to have access to, to be able to respond appropriately;

What follow up is needed, and

What documentation is required.

At the Professional Development workshop days this month participants will have the opportunity to hear more from Critical Success Solutions team about the various components and considerations in relation to Duty of Care within a retirement village setting.