We take this opportunity to thank you, Village professionals far and wide, for your valuable contributions to the organisations, communities and residents you serve and for your continued commitment to the sector!
If you are working through the holidays, perhaps you could try to:
Work a bit of fun or nostalgia into your workday
Put some carols on
Make time to share special some moments with your community
Share a meal with your community
Finish up some of the loose end to-do jobs whilst it’s a little quieter
Make taking down the decorations a community effort & shout morning tea
Make time to keep in touch with those important to you
Know that the DCM Institute community will be alongside you!
Wishing you the merriest of Christmases, a fantastic festive season and hope that 2020 delivers satisfaction, achievement and loads of fun times!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the early adopters of the Village Management professional development program which launched in April 2019.
The program has seen Village professionals of 25+ years, regional managers, executive directors and CEO’s come together to learn, share experiences, advance their careers and importantly the forming of a community of village professionals striving for the industry and themselves to be the best it can be.
To me seeing the multiple teams attend the workshop days with their leaders reinforces the many amazing organisations that are committed not only to the sector but the people at the heart of the sector.
A special thank you to our industry partners MinterEllison, Russell Kennedy, O’Loughlins Lawyers and Jackson McDonald, and Culturise for their support and unwavering commitment during 2019.
I would also like to make a particular thank you to Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) who have supported the program and worked side by side with us in 2019 to ensure that members of the program are able, if they choose to do so, to work towards a Diploma of Leadership and Management.
Over the summer break, the DCM Institute team will be continuing to work to improve this program with a new learning portal due for release in April 2020.
The 2020 program will respond to the feedback of current participants and will focus on increasing the flexible learning options, adding further valuable industry partnerships and tailoring content to enhance participant learning requirements.
It will also offer four professional development workshop days to allow participants to engage in more face-to-face learning opportunities.
The DCM Institute is proud to present two days of inspiration, unique learnings in community leadership, focused technical and soft skill development, professional development and networking.
The VILLAGE SUMMIT will deliver:
A high intensity two-day forum focused on Village Managers and HO support
Extension on existing learnings and skills
Leadership skills and personal development
Leadership experts showcasing the soft skills of leading people and communities
A comprehensive review of ‘regulations’ – how they are changing the business of retirement villages and the skills required
Mastering the 8 Point Plan, the Code of Conduct and Accreditation
Technology and retirement villages: efficiencies, care support, compliance
Property and assets management
Sales and marketing skills and the bottom line impact
A deep briefing on the retirement village sector and its exciting growth future
Insight into the current and future expectations of residents
A foundation for ongoing professional development and career advancement
Networking opportunities with peers and leaders at every level of the sector
With 25 leading speakers to inspire and learn from, this is an opportunity not to be missed.
However, on the flip side the exciting news is that with all disruption comes opportunity for reframing and refocus, and we feel confident many operators are well on their way to make the most of these opportunities!
Village Managers will be at the centre. The DCM Institute is thrilled to share we have ended 2019 with over 300 members registered in the Village Management Professional Development program.
This includes private, not for profit and ASX organisations, regional and metro based, large and small.
It demonstrates the sector is responding to the suggestion that the Village Manager and their teams play the most important role in our sector in ensuring the expectations and requirements of both the operator and critically, the resident communities are a priority.
In recognition of this key role Village Professionals play in the sector, DCM Institute has committed to continue to run the ONLY Village Management focused two-day conference in the country – the VILLAGE SUMMIT – for a second year with over 300 delegates in attendance (more on that below).
The sector – via the Property Council – has launched, and will continue to implement throughout later 2020, a Capability Framework that will provide the basis for Village Professionals to map their careers.
Together, these initiatives send a very clear message to advocacy bodies and government that the sector is investing in these very important professionals to ensure that it attracts and retains a stable workforce that is willing and able to deliver on resident expectations.
It also highlights the many amazing organisations that are committed not only to the sector but the people at the heart of the sector.
Resident Associations’ views and their expectations have been heard and considered more seriously than ever previously encountered by Governments across the country, with many states enacting immediate legislated reforms.
In my own 20-plus years of experience, Ministers would barely be involved in the drafting of new Retirement Village legislation.
Yet in 2019, they were making election promises and directing drafting new legislation in various states due to the tireless advocacy work of the Resident Associations (Photographed Building Commissioner, David Chandler and Kevin Anderson, NSW Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation).
The continued slow and steady media activity via Today Tonight, The Australian and several local state-based papers has continued to confuse retirement villages and aged care.
Then we had Earle Haven Retirement Village on the Gold Coast confusing everyone when its aged care home was abandoned by the outsourced manager.
Reinforcing the media’s interest in our sector are the awards to Anne Connolly (pictured right) and her team from ABC, who recently took out the Australian Human Rights Commission’ Media Award for their ‘Aged Care: Who Cares?’ investigation which aired in September 2018.
2019 has also seen the increase in the acceptance of the Land Lease model and an extremely popular housing option for retirees.
Plus the introduction of many other hybrid model offerings such as LDK Healthcare – led by assisted living advocate Paul Browne – and their “Club membership” offer, apartment buildings with Care Concierges, etc….
Along the way village operators are building medium rise villages that look like hotels – and Village Managers will be leading them.
2019 has certainly been a year of disruption and refocus for many operators and the sector!
On Wednesday 30th October, Aminya Village residents with members of family and friends, (over 40 ladies in total), celebrated Pink Ribbon Day in our Terrace Cafe with a very enjoyable High Tea.
This is our third year for this event with Guest Speaker, Lee Christian, attending on behalf of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation to report on the many advancements and funding grants projects which we fundraise towards. Currently, to date, our generous residents have raised $1,474 with this year’s tally being $510.
A photo booth was created on the lounge area in the Café with some fun dress ups which created wonderful memories and lots of laughter for our residents. A great day was had by all who attended and enjoyed the spirit of the event.
During November and December 10 Regional Meets were held across the country.
Inaugural meetings were held in Perth, NSW and the Gold Coast with many of our colleagues meeting other Village Managers in their local area for the first time and Adelaide had a great turnout with a guest speaker who shared information on the benefits of meditation.
If you would like to host a meeting in the new year, contact Tania and she will coordinate the meeting for you.
Or if you would like to find out more just go to the Meeting Hub page on the DCM Institute website and follow the prompts. Please share the link to help us grow this great networking opportunity.Attend Regional MeetHost Regional Meet
This week the DCM Institute distributed and mailed out to Village Managers across NSW a guide that will assist them prepare for compliance with the new NSW Rules of Conduct regulations.
These new regulations highlight areas previously not found in legislation across the country. Check out this list – just part of the new required code:
The need for operators and their staff to maintain their legislative knowledge
Operators must have regard to the best interests of residents
Operators must exercise skill, care and diligence
Operators must act with honesty, fairness and professionalism
Operators must not disclose private and confidential information about residents or prospective residents
Operators must have an elder abuse strategy
Operators must provide information to external selling agents
Operators must not make false or misleading representations
Operators have new guidelines for marketing requirements
Operators must disclose any conflict of interests and maintain a register
Operators must have a robust complaints and internal dispute handling process, register and staff must be trained in these processes
Operators must maintain policy, procedure and registers for Village professionals ongoing professional development
Operators must monitor staff compliance with policy and procedure
During the month we have received a number of enquiries asking the difference between The Rules of Conduct and Code of Conduct. Put simply if you are operating in NSW you must comply with all areas of the Rules of Conduct by 1 January 2020 as it is a Regulation.
Where as the Code of Conduct is a voluntary industry framework that helps create the benchmark for Retirement Living operational standards and whilst this too comes into effect 1 January 2020 you are able to sign up at any point once you have completed the self assessment.
One of the domains of the new industry Retirement Living Capabilities Framework is that of Self Management.
Importantly this domain mentions the ability to regulate emotions, thoughts, and behaviours to deliver organisational outputs effectively in different situations.
First up it’s vital that we Village professionals are also focused on our own self-care.
In my experience this time of year can provide situations where Village professionals find ourselves tiring, having come out of Annual meetings, facilitated events such as the Melbourne Cup and the various Christmas activities. It is also a time of year where emotions can more easily run high.
Practising self-care involves recognising when your personal resources are running low and replenishing yourself rather than letting them run down to a point where you face the possibility of illness or burnout.
Here are 10 simple self-care activities to remember at this time of year:
Set boundaries and communicate expectations on your availability to ensure that there is not a blurring between work time and home time
Stock up on healthy treats in your bottom drawer
Make time for a walk or some additional movement
Create a habit that allows you the time at the beginning of the day to define perhaps the 3 important tasks you wish to get done
Ensure you take a break during the day, away from your office
Plan to do something that makes you smile each day
Make sure you have a jug of water on your desk
Take a deep breath before you respond to a difficult situation
Ask for help; tell/share with someone your current challenge
Arrange something you will look forward to outside of work hours
Last week the Retirement Living Council unveiled Stage 1 of its industry framework to support the careers of Village professionals and the sector.
The industry recognises that Village professionals play a vital role in the professional operation of communities and are the ones tasked with the key activities that deliver against resident expectations.
Called the Retirement Living Capability Framework, it seeks to set the benchmark for the skills and capabilities needed by we professionals within the sector.
Check the image above – it gives you a clear idea of the areas you are the key executive.
Stage 1 identifies the skills and capabilities required by a Village professionals, further work is being completed on Stage 2 which will design how this framework will operate, with Stage 3 focusing on the implementation expected to commence in mid to late 2020 (you will not be seeing the evidence of this work for a few more months).
This new framework is a welcome addition for the sector as it provides clarity and consistency for the sector and residents on the skills and capabilities they should expect from retirement living professionals.
At the DCM Institute we were grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to the Stage 1 process and are excited that this new framework provides a basis for Village professionals to commence building your ongoing career paths.
