‘It takes a village within the village’: how retirement communities are rethinking dementia

The conversation around dementia in retirement living is shifting from something to manage to something to plan for from day one.

That was the message from Marie Alford, General Manager of Growth and Innovation at HammondCare, speaking on the sidelines of the National Retirement Living Summit in Brisbane, ahead of her session on how villages and operators can design well for people living with dementia.

“The focus here – having village operators, designers and providers all talking about the intersection between care and the village setting – is really groundbreaking,” Alford said. “It’s a step forward in recognising the whole-of-journey experience.”

That journey, she explained, often begins long before dementia becomes part of anyone’s vocabulary. People move into retirement villages because they’re ready to leave a large family home, because their needs are changing, and because they want a community around them – not because they’re anticipating a diagnosis.

“They’re really looking for: how can I be supported in a community that’s still living? Still have my independence, but know I’ve got something to fall back on.”

The challenge for operators is recognising that shift and building for it.

Starting from day one

Alford is clear that the work of supporting people well with dementia doesn’t begin at diagnosis: it begins at entry.

“It’s about knowing the person,” she said. “Understanding the importance of story. Maintaining dignity and autonomy.”

Starting conversations about goals and values early, she argues, is what makes it possible to tailor support meaningfully later. Building the kind of network that can hold someone when their needs change is crucial.

“We’re not talking about retirement villages becoming residential aged care facilities. We’re talking about providing dignity and autonomy so people can have their best lives.”

She also named something the sector often sidesteps: the unintended consequences of care that doesn’t start from the person. When support is imposed, rather than built around someone’s life and history, it can strip the very things it was meant to protect.

Four things worth looking for

When asked what she watches for when walking through a village, Alford offered a framework she uses with operators: four areas she describes as “easy to measure, and sometimes a bit embarrassing.”

1. Wayfinding

 “We’ve all had the experience of being somewhere completely disoriented. We want excellent wayfinding and navigation – and that matters even more for someone whose cognition is changing.”

2. People 

Wellbeing coordinators, she said, are increasingly common in villages that are genuinely leaning into whole-of-life care – and for good reason. “It always surprises me how many villages of significant scale have only an admissions coordinator and a village manager.”

3. A whole-of-community approach 

Not just staff, but residents understanding what dementia is, and becoming part of the support network. When everyone is aligned on what to look out for and how to respond, the net for care grows ever wider, making it harder for people to slip through the cracks.

4. Relationships

Specifically, the partnerships villages build with providers like HammondCare that can extend care into the setting without displacing someone from their home.

“It truly does take a village within the village.”

Living well, not just living with

One of the most important reframes Alford offered was around the entry point for these conversations. Dementia, she suggested, shouldn’t be the opening subject.

“It’s about living well: how do we keep people living well for as long as possible? What can we do to focus on brain health, good cognition, to potentially delay onset?”

She described a vision where villages aren’t just reactively waiting for a diagnosis and then scrambling. But a place where the community wraps around people before and after, reducing stigma and maintaining connection.

“If we can delay symptoms, even by a few years, that’s years of life lived well.”

She also pointed to emerging models where on-site care options allow people to remain in their retirement village, supported by home care packages, rather than making the difficult move to residential care earlier than necessary.

The affordability question

The summit’s opening sessions touched on the growing proportion of women entering retirement living and Alford didn’t shy away from what that means in practice.

Women often enter later life with fewer assets, she noted, for a range of well-documented reasons. They also tend to live longer, which means a higher likelihood of needing support without a spouse or partner involved.

“We need to be considering affordable housing options that still meet the quality everyone deserves, regardless of financial or economic status. But also options that provide real security and autonomy – settings with engagement opportunities, community coming in, community going out.”

Quality and affordability, she said, shouldn’t be in tension. Designing well for people living with dementia means designing for everyone.