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Last week I had the great pleasure of joining more than 80 executives from around the country tour LDK’s community ‘Greenway Views’ in Canberra.

Consisting of over 300 units, LDK’s private aged care model was a new product in a new market and has successfully sold down within 3 years.

When asked about the immediate success they’ve had establishing themselves in Canberra, their response was quite poignant.

“Bring them in.”

The ‘them’ the team spoke of is groups within the wider community. The LDK team spoke of engaging with groups such as RSL, Rotary, Probus and more.

So, how do you bring these wider community groups into the fold? We’ve put together a short guide to help Village and Community Managers get started:

1. Identify Your Partners: Look around your wider community and start a list. Is there a social group which attracts people of similar age to your residents? What about a school for some international activities? Is there an art studio or theatre group which speaks to the creatives in your village? What about the local Men’s Shed? These are potential partners waiting to be engaged. Reach out to them and express your interest in collaboration.
   
2. Make Them Feel Welcome: When community groups step foot into your retirement village for the very first time, make sure they feel like part your community. Introduce them to your residents, or your Committee or Sub-Committees depending on the interest of the group. Allow them to feel at home and appreciated.
   
3. Amenity sharing: If your retirement village has facilities like a community centre or a library, consider opening them up to these groups for meetings or small events. This not only promotes inclusivity but can also activate areas of the village at times of the day when it is typically quiet.
   
4. Collaborate: Organise events that involve both your residents and the community groups. Think about intergenerational storytelling sessions, joint art exhibitions, or even a gardening day where everyone can get their hands dirty. This creates a sense of camaraderie and shared experiences. Likewise, these events allow you to show case you and your community to their members.
   
5. Skill-Sharing Workshops: Your residents have a wealth of knowledge and skills, so why not share them? One of the interesting comments on the LDK tour was that any Community Group who uses their spaces, and visits, must include their residents. This is a great way to encourage residents to participate in these groups – and share their skills.
   
6. Community Projects: Collaborate on projects that benefit the wider community. It could be a charity drive where residents collect good or knit items to be donated, or a fund raiser for a worthy cause in the local area. These projects show that your retirement village is invested in the greater good.

Embracing community engagement doesn’t just impact your retirement village; it creates a ripple effect that extends far beyond your front gate. When your residents mingle with people of different ages and backgrounds, they gain a renewed sense of purpose and belonging. They stay mentally and socially active, which is essential for healthy aging.

Moreover, the connections you build through community engagement can lead to lasting relationships and partnerships. It’s not just about one-off events; it’s about fostering an ongoing sense of community and unity that benefits everyone involved.

What is stopping you at your village? Bring them in.

Monday was a special day for the more than 427,000 residential care, home care and retirement living staff who care for over 1.5 million older Australians across the country and within our local communities.

For many it also was the chance to say thank you to their families, whose love and care has seen them reciprocate it in their new lives.

Virginia Vaughan (pictured left with Nicole Lee) is employed by Carinity, which provides retirement living, residential care and home care. She cares for seniors in her role with Carinity Home Care Rockhampton in Central Queensland.

“I was fortunate to grow up with two sets of grandparents – one of whom we lived with most of my childhood – and a set of great-grandparents. I have always had a deep regard for the lifelong experiences of the people around me,” she said.

“About eight years ago my grandfather became terminally ill, and I took turns with my mother to nurse him in his own home through his final months. This really made me passionate about ensuring people can stay in their homes as long as possible.

“I particularly enjoy a bit of banter and a good yarn about the extraordinary lives people have led so far. Building these relationships ensures that I know my clients well and can help forge the best support systems for them.”

Minnarose Chacko, who began working as a Clinical Nurse (Infection Control) at the Carinity Karinya Place aged care community in Laidley in QLD’s Lockyer Valley Region last year, is inspired by her family in India.

Her mother is a nurse and Minnarose also “had such a good bond with my grandma”.

“I love interacting with older people. I love to hear their life stories. It is mesmerising to see them smiling and being happy,” she said. “I am a person who believes that we will receive what we give. I always see myself in my residents. I know that I will be one of them in 50 years.

“I believe that all the help and assistance I provide to my residents today, I will receive when I am older.”

“My mother wanted me to go down the path of nursing”

“When I was in Year 11 at school, my mother actually enrolled me in the Certificate 3 Health Services Assistant as she wanted me to go down the path of nursing,” said Katie McDougall, Lifestyle Coordinator, Calvary Robina Rise Residential Aged Care in QLD’s Gold Coast.

“I attended the course and did my placement in an aged care home across the road from my school. I was only 16 and it was definitely an eye opener. I continued as a nursing assistant for around eight years filling in for the Lifestyle team here and there and found my passion very early on in my life.

“Later on after my trip to Africa I knew I needed a change and I drove past Calvary Robina Rise which was being built at the time, applied for the job and I haven’t looked back since.”

Katie was part of the foundation team and been at the facility for just over four years.

“I was a Leisure & Lifestyle Officer and just over a year ago progressed to Lifestyle Coordinator,” she said.

“My core focus is to make residents feel welcome, comfortable and actually enjoy where they are living as aged care has such a stigma. My main role is to plan, implement and evaluate a Lifestyle Program that provides a range of individual, group and community activities according to resident’s individual assessed mental, physical, social, emotional, cultural and spiritual needs and preferences.”

Katie loves her job.

“I absolutely love what I do. I don’t know what other job you can do where you can dance at concerts, dress up in the most outrageous costumes, throw spectacular special events, become a celebrity impersonator, spend time talking with residents who have a wealth of knowledge and have lived through so much. Lastly, I love just being there for them in their most vulnerable moments. It’s an absolute honour to be such a big part of their final years.”

When a dispute arises in your retirement village it’s essential to take a step back and as Douglas Adams once wrote, ‘don’t panic’.

Retirement villages have an undeniable allure, offering independence, a sense of connection, and a supportive community atmosphere. That said, the reality may not always match residents’ expectations, leading to conflicts between management and residents or among residents themselves.

When confronted with a dispute from a resident, it’s crucial to maintain composure. Equally, addressing disputes between residents is a challenge that requires a balanced approach.

How these conflicts are managed can significantly impact their duration and severity.

This is why understanding the potential outcomes can greatly influence the way you approach the situation – as well as understanding the stakeholders in the dispute.

There are essentially five possible scenarios to consider, and by identifying your desired outcome from the start, achieving that target becomes much easier:

1. Someone wins, someone loses: This is the competitive outcome, where one party prevails while the other suffers a loss.
2. Both parties win: This is the win/win outcome, where a resolution is reached that satisfies both parties’ needs and interests.
3. Someone gives, someone takes: This is the compromise outcome, where both parties make concessions to find middle ground.
4. One or both parties run away: This is the flight response outcome, where one or both parties disengage from the dispute without resolution.
5. You take on extra demands: This is the accommodation response, where you, as the Village Manager, might shoulder additional responsibilities to keep the peace.

It’s easy to see how any of these outcomes could occur if you don’t clearly identify which one you want to achieve and direct your attention and language to that goal.

Importantly, the dispute only escalates where the communication is missing.  It is this escalation that can impact on the wider community and be costly to your business.

Nobody moves into a village expecting or wanting a dispute – it arises because someone’s expectations do not align with the reality of the situation.

DCM Institute is pleased to announce Senior Living Mediation as sector partners in the space of dispute resolution and mediation.

With combined 50 years industry experience, Senior Living Mediation’s provide a specialised mediation service for Retirement Villages, Manufactured Home Parks and Aged Care Facilities and will be lending their practical mediation solutions to DCM Institute’s Professional Development Days during the month of August, and into September.