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Key things to help you everyday Latest industry developments

Have your say on seniors housing changes in new NSW Housing SEPP

Image: NSW Department of Planning and Environment
Image: NSW Department of Planning and Environment

The NSW Government has released an Explanation of Intended Effect (EIE) on its proposed amendments to the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021 (Housing SEPP), including a draft Seniors Housing Design Guide developed by Calderflower Architects.

The EIE from the DPE includes proposed updates to accessibility standards for seniors’ independent living units, as well as the reclassification of what used to be called “hostels” into a “supported living” category, encompassing smaller-scale seniors and disability housing.

Lara Calder, Managing Director at Calderflower (pictured), told The Weekly SOURCE that proposed changes in the SEPP mean that retirement village developers may be able to slim down some of the spatial requirements for their units.

“These are very space-hungry buildings, because they have to comply with the requirements for accessibility, and the Australian standard 1428. A lot of retirement providers find that quite onerous, because their apartment is just blown out into a much bigger dimension.

“You could potentially get more units in because, if you’re not having to have so much space in one apartment, you can have a slightly more efficient floor space ratio for each unit,” she said.

Lara is urging operators to have a look at the new guidelines and send in their feedback.

“I don’t think a lot of people know that these changes have happened. If we can alert people that there are changes afoot, and that they’re available to review, and they also are invited to comment, then it’d be good to get feedback,” she said.

Operators and developers can have their say about the new Seniors Design Guide until 19 December.

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Facility Manager Key things to help you everyday Village Operator

QLD Govt launches retirement village comparison site using mandatory operator data

The Queensland Government has implemented a new website that will allow seniors to quickly compare retirement villages in the state.

The website uses mandatory Village Comparison Documents provided by Queensland’s 330 retirement village operators. According to Minister for Communities and Housing Leeanne Enoch (pictured), the site provides “greater security and certainty” for seniors looking to move into retirement living.

“Our new website provides access to this information for seniors and their families in an accessible, easily digestible format. It lets users compare services, facilities and location advantages such as distance to shops, hospitals and public transport options.

“It provides some guidance on the ongoing price range for accommodation units and some examples of cost scenarios. It makes the job of narrowing down options a whole lot easier and quicker for seniors and their families,” she said.

The site does not give information on fees and charges, advising seniors instead to contact villages individually, as well as urging them to obtain independent legal and financial advice before signing.

“The safeguards we introduced with the amendment of the Retirement Villages Act 2019 include improved pre-contractual disclosure allowing prospective residents to make better-informed decisions and giving them more time to get advice, improved behavioural standards for residents and operators and time limits to enable resident certainty around the payment of exit entitlements,” said Ms Enoch.

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Facility Manager Key things to help you everyday Village Operator

Winners of 1,000 DCM Institute professional development point awards in Perth

Image: (L-R) James Wiltshire, DCM Institute Executive Director; Sarah Mosconi; Amanda House; Adam Green; and Tiffany Folbigg.
Image: (L-R) James Wiltshire, DCM Institute Executive Director; Sarah Mosconi; Amanda House; Adam Green; and Tiffany Folbigg.

VILLAGE SUMMIT 2022 continued in Brisbane and Perth last week, with DCM Institute once again taking a moment to recognise individual excellence in professional development.

Starting in Brisbane, Karen Brown from BHCL’s Arbor Sherwood Retirement Village was recognised for successfully reaching 1,000 professional development (PD) points as part of DCM Institute’s Village Management Professional Program.

Likewise in Perth, where there were five Program participants recognised for the same achievement: Sarah Mosconi (Bethanie); Susan Reeves (Kwinana); and Amanda House, Mandy Williams and Adam Green, all from Southern Cross Care WA.

DCM Institute’s commitment to the professional development of Village Management across the country continues this week as VILLAGE SUMMIT 2022 heads to Melbourne on 17 November, before concluding in Sydney on 1 December.

Image: Karen Brown with Tiffany Folbigg, DCM Institute’s National Administrator.
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Facility Manager Key things to help you everyday Village Operator

LDK focuses on culture, culture, culture in private aged care

It is said that culture eats strategy for breakfast, and in his presentation at VILLAGE SUMMIT 2022, Byron Cannon, CEO of LDK, spoke passionately about the important role culture plays in his team delivering on its purpose – the “one-move promise”.

LDK is the leader in the new segment ‘private aged care’, being a retirement village that delivers care up to palliative levels under the Retirement Village Act.

LDK’S big focus is on the right people in the right roles. In taking the audience through the LDK Way at the VILLAGE SUMMIT in Brisbane last week, Byron shared that “the right people” for LDK includes focussing on hospitality skills over care skills.

Byron is currently featured in the 42nd issue of SATURDAY magazine, where he talks to overinvest from the outset in specialist staff and governance, without which you can “forget about” private aged care.

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Facility Manager Key things to help you everyday Village Operator

DCM Institute recognises outstanding achievements in professional development

At last week’s VILLAGE SUMMIT 2022 in Adelaide, the DCM Institute took a moment to recognise the outstanding achievement of Pia Dianos in her professional development.

Since commencing in the Program in August 2020, Pia (pictured with James Wiltshire, Executive Director of the DCM Institute) has become the first of a handful of Village Managers to reach the milestone of 1,000 Professional Development points – which are awarded on completion of the various online programs, master classes and professional development days.

With more than 500 Village Managers from across the country participating in professional development activities, DCM Institute is looking forward to recognising the efforts of others who have reached this milestone over the coming weeks as VILLAGE SUMMIT 2022 continues across the country.

Pia has recently started as Village Manager at Brighton Dunes Retirement Village, a new retirement living apartment complex located right on Adelaide’s picturesque Brighton beachfront.

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Key things to help you everyday Latest industry developments

For-purpose organisations investing big in South Australia

Claire Scapinello, CEO of ECH, and Allan Candy, CEO Life Care, have confirmed their respective organisations are planning significant investment in South Australia over the next 3-5 years.

Speaking at VILLAGE SUMMIT 2022 in Adelaide last week, Allan emphasised the importance of Life Care’s retirement living being able to cater to the individual care pathway of each resident – and how this will form part of the operator’s ongoing value proposition with close to $150m to be invested in new projects.

Claire went on to confirm similar investment from ECH, whose portfolio currently sits at 2,000 units across 100 communities, with a projected spend of $120-130m on new projects in South Australia.

VILLAGE SUMMIT 2022 continues over the coming weeks. Click here for more information.

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Key things to help you everyday

Change Management & Emotional Intelligence

The DCM Institute Knowledge Centre has had two new modules uploaded for participants this past week:

  • Change Management. Takes participants through change management in the setting of retirement villages, and provides simple tools to help identify and manage change.
  • Emotional Intelligence. This Masterclass program takes participants on a path of understanding emotions through the areas of self awareness; self management; social awareness; and relationship management.

Both modules are available to DCM Institute participants with completion going toward professional development points.

For more information on the DCM Institute’s professional development program, click here.

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Key things to help you everyday

Mental health and your team – it’s a continuum, not a situation (and what about burnout)?

We all have to be on our guard about mental health on a daily basis.

It was National Mental Health Month in October and latest figures claim almost seven out of every ten workers (68.5%) currently feel like they are BURNING OUT at work.

Most workplaces (79.1%) are now regularly providing mental health programs.

The Australian 2022 Workplace Wellbeing report found workers were more likely to feel comfortable accessing well-being programs (73.5%) than mental health programs at work, which is something you should consider.

Leadership can be a lonely, isolating and stressful place, particularly for village professionals who are constantly people facing, on call – some 24/7, sometimes caught in the middle, the responder to emergency, the problem solver and often dealing with a large workload for long periods.

So, there is no surprise that BURNOUT is common amongst village professionals.

Here are six great tips for reducing the existence of BURNOUT:

  1. Good foundations – Diet, Exercise and Sleep
  2. Reframing our thinking patterns to focus on the FACT & not the STORY we might be telling ourselves
  3. Scheduling of regular downtime – leave, breaks, think time and social time
  4. Reduce habits that may inhibit progress – excessive email and phone checking
  5. Identify what indicators present themselves when beginning to feel yourself spiralling
  6. Building a tool kit of responses in the event you feel a change in your mental health – ask for help, tactical breathing, identify priority, etc

Address burnout before it burns you out!

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Key things to help you everyday Latest industry developments

VILLAGE SUMMIT 2022 presents Phil Preston, Australia’s premier ‘purpose and impact speaker’

Professional speaker and purpose expert Phil Preston will be with us in person at all five of the DCM Institute’s VILLAGE SUMMIT 2022.

VILLAGE SUMMIT 2022 will focus on Village Management being a career of purpose, and the impact it can have not just on our work and lives, but also the lives of our residents.

Phil will give inspirational insights into creating clarity of purpose and  knowing ‘why’ drives high performance and positive change.

He will detail empowering:

  • individuals to overcome work-life stresses and mid-career crises;
  • leaders to succeed in the purpose economy;
  • employers to engage, inspire and motivate their workforce; and
  • businesses to navigate purpose transformation.

Phil, Founder of The Business Purpose Project, is just one of many speakers at VILLAGE SUMMIT 2022. They will be from a range of fields – including CEOs, legal experts, sales professionals, and industry veterans.

It will provide a day packed with valuable learning opportunities and inspire delegates for personal and business growth in 2023.

DCM Institute program participants  are our guests, earn Profesisonal development points and have an opportunity to network.

For non-DCM Institute participants, you are more than welcome to join us – in fact it is encouraged, with limited delegate registrations available for $995 +GST.

For all the details and registration, click here. It’s an event not to be missed.

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Key things to help you everyday Latest industry developments

When village manager Di Burgess won a chef-catered dinner in a raffle she invited her residents

Village managers are a special breed and it is great to celebrate their generosity and affection of their residents.

Di Burgess, who has been village manager at Wesley Mission’s John Wesley Gardens in Geeberg, Brisbane, for the past 13 months after being Manager of Cooper House for three years, won a chef-catered dinner in a raffle to raise funds for Wesley Mission Queensland’s Eden Fun and Lifestyle Activity programmes.

The intention of the prize was to have a home dinner party, but Di chose instead to share her winnings with eight lucky residents and a staff member in the formal dining room at the aged care home.

Personalised invitations were hand-delivered to the selected residents and a staff member invited with a request that they wear their finest threads.

The three-course meal with matching wines was made even more special as it was cooked by Operations Manager Brian Wilson, who is also a chef.