Category: Latest industry developments

DCM Institute’s Professional Development Program for Village Managers continues to be a resounding success, with over 500 managers enrolled in our program.

Throughout the months of August and September, our Professional Development Days brought together a wealth of expertise and fostered peer networking, creating a dynamic learning environment. The most recent series of these days covered crucial topics that resonate deeply with the challenges and responsibilities retirement village managers face daily.

We are thrilled to share the highlights of our recent Professional Development Days, which have proven to be invaluable for the professionals enrolled in our program.

Conversations on Dementia in Retirement Living: In this session, we delved into the critical aspects of understanding dementia in retirement living. Our subject matter experts shed light on what village managers need to be aware of to facilitate positive outcomes for residents living with dementia, as well as residents and carers who support them. The insights gained during this session are instrumental in providing compassionate care to residents.

Duty of Care and Legal Considerations: As the care needs of residents continue to evolve, village managers must stay informed about their duty of care and legal obligations. This session explored the legal considerations that must be on our radar, ensuring that retirement villages are well-prepared to navigate the changing landscape of care requirements.

Dispute Resolution in Times of Incivility: Recent reports have highlighted increased incivility within retirement communities, emphasizing the need for effective dispute resolution strategies. Our session on this topic offered valuable tips and techniques for mediating outcomes that protect the relationships between managers and residents involved in disputes.

The feedback from professionals in our program speaks volumes about the impact of these Professional Development Days.

 In Perth, one manager shared, “This was a great day. It was an amazing opportunity to network, and the content was relevant.”

Similarly, a manager from Melbourne remarked, “Today was the best session I have been to,” highlighting the invaluable insights gained during the session on dementia, particularly the access to expert guidance in navigating their community’s current challenges.

At DCM Institute, we are proud to be a catalyst for positive change and build a collegiate network of retirement village managers committed to improving themselves and resident outcomes.

Our Professional Development Program continues to empower village managers with the knowledge, skills, and connections they need to succeed in this ever-evolving field.

If you haven’t already enrolled in our program, we invite you to join our community of dedicated professionals committed to enhancing the retirement living experience for residents. For more information, get in touch here.

Modern Ageing is a global response to increasing longevity, reflective of older adults’ shifting values, aspirations and attitudes towards growing older.

Importantly, Modern Ageing considers how we can live fulfilling, connected and independent lives throughout all of life’s course, with choices and opportunities that reflect our agency and individualism.

Speaking at DCM Institute’s professional development day in Adelaide this week, Julianne Parkinson, shared the story of the Global Centre for Modern Ageing (GCMA).

“We strive to disrupt the prevailing narrative on ageing, identifying the rapidly changing needs and wants of this fast paced and sizeable consumer market, and informing and supporting the supply chain to realise the opportunities in ways that people value.” Julianne said.

Based at the Tonsley innovation district, the GCMA assists organisations, product developers and governments across Australia and overseas to develop, design and deliver products, services and solutions that meet the needs of the world’s older, growing population.

“We’ve never had so many people over the age of 65, and experiencing much longer periods of life post-traditional retirement,” said Julianne.

“Mindsets are changing – people’s relationship with the importance of a home capable of meeting their changing needs as they age, and the role the built environment and technology can play.  We think AgeTech is the next big thing, where there’s tech-enabled solutions that support and enable the growing number of older people to live better lives through use of this technology.

And the transformation is not just precincts and products, services play a big role, being able to dial up or dial down services on any given day that help us live our best life.”

The LifeLab has a substantive track record of working with partners to bring disruption into reality.

Purpose built for innovation, the LifeLab is a highly customisable environment which simulates ‘real life’ and supports GCMA’s mission for citizen centred design principles. The LifeLab uses video and audio recording systems to capture user interactions with products to inform next steps to enter market.

“We firmly believe in internationally accredited co-design practices, which means the end-user should be actively engaged in the creation of solutions designed for their benefit.”

Attorney General Elise Archer told the state government’s Budget Estimates Committee:

“Over recent months, my office and I have met with a number of residents of retirement villages and representative groups, including the newly formed Tasmanian Association of Residents of Retirement Villages.”

She said the association presented a number of residents’ concerns largely regarding the lack of operator transparency and large price rises in maintenance fees well in excess of the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

“We are now in the process of drafting legislation to amend the Act to strengthen protections, bringing Tasmania in line with other states such as Victoria, aimed at providing more robust protections and certainty for residents,” she said.

The Attorney General’s department is drafting a bill to amend the Retirement Villages Act to ensure residents are not subject to unreasonable increases in fees and charges, including increases that may be above CPI. 

The SOURCE: The fact that a residents association has been formed should be a concern to the Retirement Living Council 
 

In October last year, the VIC Government released the Retirement Villages Amendment Bill 2022 and asked for stakeholder submissions on the Bill to be submitted by the end of October 2022. The Government has announced a further seven months for stakeholder consultation on the Bill, now ending on 1 May.

Now Consumer Affairs Shadow Minister Tim McCurdy and the National’s State Member for Shepparton, Kim O’Keeffe, are seeking feedback on the proposed amendments.

“Retirement villages play a significant part of people’s lives, and we want to ensure that the process is understood and the locals making the move have the support they need to make an informed decision,” said Kim.

The SOURCE: Encouraging to see the Opposition party realise the importance of the grey vote

Dr Jane Barratt, Secretary General of the International Federation of Ageing, believes the retirement sector in Australia needs to change its focus to wellness.

She told the National Retirement Living Summit in the Gold Coast that the sector is at the “nexus” of what the next generation of the retirement industry will look like in the future.

“What we should be doing as providers or providers of facilities is trying to understand what is going to make the difference in someone’s functional ability, because a dependency model doesn’t work,” said Dr Barrett.

“In Hong Kong, the incentivisation is: if an older person can maintain their function, the provider of services is incentivised. But in most countries, and Australia is the same, it’s the other way around, greater dependency, greater money, and that needs to change,” Dr Barratt said.

“I challenge (the industry) to talk about services. We don’t want to be cared for, but we want to have services that enable us, services that enable function, enable me to do what I want to do.

“Creating dependency is not going to be a strong profit margin. So, what we have to do is flip it on its head. And we really have to think about how is the environment you’re creating – both people wise and architectural wise – going to further the health and wellbeing?”

She said governments had to invest in the sector for it to change.

“Aged care is not the retirement industry… and what we need to be doing here is thinking about how can you create the environment of healthy living for as long as possible, which is not the job of the aged care industry.”

The SOURCE: a number of operators are investing in wellness, notably in SA with ECH, ACH and Southern Cross Care each having dedicated gyms and allied health services. Private operator Keyton is launching 23 staff nationally to design and implement wellness programs. Five Good Friends is offering its Concierge service to village operators.