Category: Latest industry developments

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Key things to help you everyday Latest industry developments

Royal Commission spells out 2021/22 retirement village strategy

Those of you who have been following the Royal Commission into Aged Care will be aware that the Commissioner’s Final Report, and the much-awaited recommendations, are due. 

And the opportunities for retirement villages are exciting. 

The Counsel Assisting Recommendations from last November call for both the federal and state governments – at Cabinet level – to support what is essentially the retirement village model.

In particular, we’ve been interested by paragraphs 165 to 170 at the beginning of their 450-page report. These paragraphs state:

A key element of the strategy should be about encouraging older Australians to take active steps to preserve and maintain their own health and wellbeing in later life, with the Government supporting people to take the first step.

There should be an integrated system for long term support and care of older people and their ongoing engagement with the rest of the community.

This requires the involvement of all levels of government and establishing linkages between aged care and other relevant domains, such as:

  1. the broader health sector and welfare and community services
  2. affordable and age-appropriate housing

Such a system should be the focus of a National Cabinet Reform Committee on Ageing and Older Australians.

It adds: The State and Territory governments have a critical role to play.

As you can see, a case could be made for the Royal Commission endorsing villages as a solution for ageing well.

The Final Report is released on 26 February.

If retirement villages are recognised and endorsed as a solution for ageing well, the world can be a very different place for village professionals, and most importantly our residents.

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Latest industry developments

LASA announces its Retirement Village Manager of the Year for 2020 – and three of the five finalists were members of the DCM Institute!

We love acknowledging the good work that’s going on in villages around Australia.

So we were absolutely thrilled when we learned that Lauren Jackson-Brown (pictured right) from Linton Village RSL Lifecare in Yass, New South Wales, had been named Leading Aged Service Australia’s (LASA) Retirement Village Manager of the Year 2020.

Lauren does some great work at her village, and was praised for her strong leadership skills and ability to maintain a vibrant village environment.

The five finalists were:

  1. Lauren Jackson-Brown – RSL Lifecare NSW
  2. Lean Patterson – SCC TAS
  3. Janine Thompson – Brightwater WA
  4. Sarah Mosconi – Bethanie, WA
  5. Catherine Montgomery – Cranbrook Residences, NSW

And it’s worth noting that Lauren, Janine and Sarah are part of the DCM Institute family, taking part in our professional development program in village management.

That’s three out of five finalists!

The awards are designed to recognise how diverse and dynamic our village professional roles are, and people like Lauren provide a great example for the rest of the industry.

Congratulations Lauren!

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Have your village insurance premiums gone up? Fill out this survey and let us know! ​

Here’s an initiative we invite you to take part in, based on anecdotal evidence that retirement village insurance premiums are on the rise.

The Property Council Retirement Living Council (PC RLC) is seeking to collect data on reports of premiums increasing from 50-120%, driven by fires, floods, storm damage and the impact of COVID.

Insurance can be one of the larger line items in a village budget, and increases in premiums can have an impact on a village’s bottom line.

To address the problem, the PC RLC needs to understand the lay of the land.

That way they will be able to determine whether actions like recommending certain insurance providers or pursuing bespoke insurance arrangements are worthwhile.

To participate in the survey, click here.

The PC RLC is also encouraging village operators who’ve experienced serious hikes, to email direct here.

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Key things to help you everyday Latest industry developments

Are you preparing for Accreditation?

It’s the time of year where many village professionals are starting to think about compliance with the Code of Conduct and/or Australian Retirement Village Accreditation Scheme.

One of the key activities of the Code of Conduct and Accreditation compliance is the conducting of an annual Resident Survey as one of the means of consultation. 

The DCM Group can assist you with this!

Working with the DCM Institute team, the DCM Group has designed a Resident Survey that will tick many of the compliance requirements for both the Code of Conduct and Accreditation scheme.

It will not only help you meet compliance obligations, but also provide great insight and information that can be used in future operational planning for the coming year. 

If you are interested in this great new service reach out to DCM Group’s Anna Archibald here.

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Key things to help you everyday Latest industry developments Reporting Results What the research tells us

Retirement villages have a perception problem, and this means first impressions count

Our sister company DCM Research has just completed the DCM Prospect Profile survey of 2,207 people aged 60+, and we’ve had a sneak peak at the results.

What we’re seeing is a serious retirement village perception problem.

Look at the figure above.

Just 14% of respondents perceive retirement villages to be an affordable option, and over half (51%) think exactly the opposite.

On top of this, 42% of respondents think they’re small, with little storage space.

Not great conversation starters.

Digging a little deeper

DCM’s research partner, Australian Online Research (AOR), wanted to know why people felt this way, so they compared the perceptions of non-residents to people who had just moved in to a Village.

And the difference couldn’t be starker:

More often than not, many of the Potentials had been to a village many years ago and had a dim memory, or simply had a rough opinion that has over time become a firm opinion.

AOR found visiting one or more villages turned most people around.

The hard part is getting them to the village.

First impressions are so important

I’ve often said in the retirement living industry it’s the one-percenters that count.

Retirees are increasingly using digital platforms and your website may be one of the first points of interaction with potential residents.

So, it pays to look at your website with a fresh pair of eyes.

Rather than ticking off the list of all the information we as operators feel like we need on our websites, consider “how you build connection” as part of the impression.

Two easy solutions:

  1. Invest in photography and video that highlight the personality of the village and the people. Ensure it has an element of authenticity, that represents what they will find. Do not try to be all things to all people. 
     
  2. Present the village homes as real homes, that people can see themselves living in. Show the village as an optimistic, vibrant place where real people enjoy living. Consider virtual tours with real residents and staff showcasing the style of living and how it caters for individual taste. 

While these strategies are not particularly ground-breaking, they require investment and creativity.

But in my experience, the return on investment is great.

And in these uncertain times focusing on foundational activities such as these will be vital.

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Key things to help you everyday Latest industry developments Things to watch

People – the most important investment a retirement village will make!

At LASA’s National Integrated Seniors Housing conference, I had an opportunity to conduct a poll about the topics keeping village professionals up at night.

For over 50%, it was the best way to provide support for their residents.

This discussion led me to consider two things:

  • Are we expecting too much from Village Professionals?
  • What can be done to support them in their roles?

A Village Professional is expected to be a property manager, financial analyst, social worker, meditator, allied health advisor, lifestyle coordinator, social secretary, compliance manager, administrator, communications specialist, marketer, sales consultant and often hospitality manager of food and linen services.

More often than not those that succeed as great village managers are problem solvers, people that like people, doers, charmers, givers, forgivers, ideas people and those that have strong tenacity, integrity and a huge sense of humour!

But there’s also a troubling amount of churn in the sector today, whether this is through burn out, lack of support or finding the sector is just not for them.

So, what can leaders in the sector do to support these very important professionals?

Right systems, right knowledge, right support

Nadine White (pictured right), General Manager Retirement Villages and Sales at WA sector leader Bethanie, is using the DCM Institute Professional Development Program as a content platform.

To do this, Nadine has developed a One Time One Voice training calendar.

This calendar schedules dedicated time for team meetings, combined sales and operations meetings, Policy and Procedure discussions, and importantly ongoing professional development.

This calendar schedules dedicated time for team meetings, combined sales and operations meetings, Policy and Procedure discussions, and importantly ongoing professional development.

The Bethanie team uses the DCMI Knowledge Centre as the basis for their professional development.  Nadine schedules a topic each month for the team to complete individually through the DCMI online portal.

This topic then forms the basis for the team’s professional development discussion, which assists to cement the learning and drive continuous improvement in the organisation.  

Personally, I believe this kind of initiative and commitment will drive some very important outcomes for Bethanie and the sector as a whole:

  • Increase knowledge of those serving residents at the front line
  • Continue to develop trusted relationships with residents
  • Increase retention of those within the sector
  • Drive opportunity for individual and workforce growth
  • Establish high standards amongst operators and their teams
  • Establish village professional roles as desirable careers
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Latest industry developments

ARVAS is building – and more assessors are needed

ARVAS – the exclusive accreditation scheme for retirement village and seniors housing operators – has a large number of villages registering to undertake accreditation.

It’s a single, unified scheme for the industry, developed following extensive consultation with resident groups, retirement community operators and the general public.

The idea behind accreditation is to continuously improve outcomes for our senior community. It is strongly based on the concept of creating a positive community that’s focused on sustaining a high standard of living for residents.

ARVAS was developed and is co-owned by Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) and the Property Council.

ARVAS also fits in the Retirement Living Code of Conduct, which came into full effect from January this year.

More ARVAS Assessors needed to fill the gap

With the increase in interest in ARVAS, QIP is also looking for more assessors to join their team.

Being a QIP Assessor is a unique opportunity to see new ideas and innovative solutions, and to offer mentorship by showing villages how to transform with sustainable change.

Being trained as an assessor to accredit retirement villages and communities against an industry set of standards (ARVAS) is a unique opportunity to support village management, staff and most importantly residents.

Auditing the safety and quality of services involves conducting interviews and observing the village’s processes and procedures and considering whether these can be enhanced.

Improvement opportunities and recommendations can be offered by the assessment teams as part of the accreditation report provided to the organisation.

A commitment to assessing can easily fit in with your current professional and personal life.

Assessors are required to complete a minimum number of two assessments per year and there’s no requirement to ‘give up’ your current role.

QIP’s portal allows self-nomination for upcoming assessments to suit both your availability and travel preferences of staying more local or opting to go further afield. Travel, meals and incidental costs incurred as part of an assessment are covered AND you get paid for your time!

To express interest please email the QIP team directly at workforcemanagement@agpal.com.au or via the QIP website.

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Latest industry developments

Property Council Award Finalists announced

The DCM Institute team would also like to acknowledge the wonderful contribution of all those who dedicate themselves to a career in this sector.

The Property Council of Australia’s Retirement Living Council has released the detail of the finalists for the National Retirement Living Awards this month.

I was honoured to be nominated as a judge in this process and was humbled by the dedication, passion and initiative shown by the finalists.

And we’d like to extend a special mention to the DCM Institute program participants and their organisations who have been nominated as finalists:

  • Jodie Shelley, Broadwater Court (Living Choice Australia)
  • Sarah Robinson, Bankstown, Kankama, Yagoona, Mirrambeena (Uniting)
  • Kelvin Lloyd, Veronica Gardens (Aveo)
  • Glynis McEwan, Glengarry Village (Masonic Care WA)
  • RAAFA Meadow Springs Hall Refurbishment Project (RAAFA Western Australia)
  • Bethanie Esprit Retirement Village Cottages (Bethanie Group)
  • Lendlease Remember When (Lendlease Retirement Living)

This is a great acknowledgment of dedication to communities, sector and career and we look forward to walking beside you and sharing your progress in this wonderful sector.

Congratulations to all finalists.

You can find a full list here.

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Key things to help you everyday Latest industry developments Things to watch What the research tells us

Independent resident surveys and the importance of benchmarking the sector

It’s time of year where many operators need to consider their requirements under regulations, the Code of Conduct or Accreditation to invest in an annual resident survey.

If you are a NSW village you are required to conduct a resident survey under Rules of Conduct, for instance.

We’re a huge supporter of this process.

It’s an opportunity for residents to be heard, and for operators to obtain information that can develop into future services and business plans.

Personally, we prefer surveys that are undertaken by a third party, and provide the opportunity for benchmarking across the sector.

Why is benchmarking important?

Benchmarking is how we, as an industry, identify the highest level of achievements in the sector, so we can improve our performance standards.

This is valuable data that can be presented to governments and the media.

In-house resident surveys are still a valuable exercise and can be useful for operational decisions.

But we believe it is far more powerful to understand where you fit in the sector.

This highlights areas for immediate attention, areas for celebration and possibilities.

Here are some key questions to answer when considering your survey process:

  • Does it cover the key elements of the ARVAS standards?
  • Will it address key legislation requirements to provide evidence of review?
  • What performance and speciality areas are investigated?
  • How engaged will residents be?
  • What information could you collect that would benefit residents?
  • Which survey format is best for your village – written, online or a mix of both?
  • How are you going to collate and interpret results?
  • What is the best mechanism to share results?

There are a range of survey services, including the DCM Research one stop outsourcing program.

 Drop me a line HERE and I can let you know your choices.

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Latest industry developments What the research tells us

Join the Property Council Retirement Census

The upcoming PwC/Property Council Retirement Census is open and just around the corner.  

It’s open to all Australian retirement village operators and there is no cost to participate.

The Retirement Census profiles the physical characteristics of villages, ownership details, business attributes (e.g. tenure, financial structure, operating overheads), sales, resident profiles (e.g. demographics, length of stay), and future development.

We’d encourage all villages to participate, as the census is vital for:

  • Tracking the state of the sector
  • Comparison with international markets
  • Government lobbying
  • Providing data and facts for operators

Operators who participate in the survey get a free 60+ page report to helps them benchmark their business and keep up with sector trends. 

For more information, click here.

DCM Research National Resident Survey 2020

We’d also like to draw your attention to DCM Research’s National Resident Survey.

This piece of research is designed to help village professionals understand their residents and allows you to benchmark your community against the sector.

Participating villages will receive:

  • Final report in hard and soft copy (175 pages+)
  • Net Promoter Score (NPS) for each village and operator.
  • ResiRating – Score out of five for village and marketing purposes.
  • Resident satisfaction score out of 100.

The National Resident Survey is in the field in September. For more information, click here.