Australia’s aged care reforms are built around a simple goal – helping older Australians remain independent for longer. But for retirement villages, this means their wheelhouse is shifting.
Residents are moving into villages older than they once did and staying longer. Their needs evolve faster and often, without warning. Yet retirement villages remain what they have always been: a residential community, not aged care providers.
As resident expectations continue to challenge commercial capacity and return on investment, does venturing into care become an inevitability for village operators?
For Gabbie Budai, Head of Resident Wellbeing & Experience at Levande, the line in the sand is clear and expanding into care isn’t on the cards. What villages can do better than most is connect residents to the services they need to live independently for longer.
We’re not care providers,” she says. “But we have a duty of care.
Retirement village resident experience is shifting
To this point, retirement living, home care and residential aged care operate largely as separate parts of the aged care system. Budai believes those silos are disappearing.
The reality of long waiting lists for home care, a severe shortage of residential aged care beds and a disproportionately large ageing population mean retirement villages are increasingly becoming the place where residents first need help navigating the larger aged care system. This is changing what retirement villages are expected to deliver beyond housing.
Levande has focused on building partnerships with home care providers, geriatricians and allied health services while helping residents navigate My Aged Care before they reach crisis point.
When asked what her impetus is when walking into work each day, Budai says that she has to continually ask: how can we better support our residents at home?
“Whether it’s through partnerships… or helping navigate My Aged Care… it’s about intervening early.”
What personalised care models in retirement villages should consider
The aged care sector’s conversations around wellbeing often gravitate towards activities, exercise classes and aesthetics, but creating internal programs doesn’t always reflect what residents value most.
Budai says that, for Levande, understanding and succeeding in wellbeing begins with adapting to how a resident’s needs evolve over time. Someone moving into a village at 76 has very different priorities five or ten years later. Supporting wellbeing therefore becomes less about creating more activities and more about continually adapting the environment, for ease and accessibility, around the resident.
Positive ageing relies on residents maintaining access to healthcare, continuing to participate in the communities they already belong to, and receiving support before declining health forces unnecessary or isolating decisions.
“We want to make sure you can still access the RSL, the bowls club or the library you’ve gone to for 40 years,” Budai says. “It’s not about creating these little internal hubs.”
Resident feedback can become operational gold
Measuring resident wellbeing is inherently nuanced, but Budai says Levande combines the Personal Wellbeing Index with satisfaction surveys, referral data, focus groups and continuous resident feedback to identify local priorities and guide annual planning.
Budai says when it comes to overall resident satisfaction, there is no universal formula. A walking group might thrive in one village and fail completely in another. One community may prioritise physical activity, another cultural events, another transport or accessibility.
“It’s really just listening to the community.”
The next competitive advantage may be navigating support
The future of ageing in place needs to be increasingly collaborative as no single organisation is likely to be positioned to provide every service a resident might need.
The providers that will become the best equipped to support ageing well – and report higher rates of resident wellbeing – will be the ones who:
- Cement mutually beneficial partnerships
- Simplify and guide program access, and
- Remove the hurdles between housing and receiving care.
Budai says that retirement villages aren’t replacing aged care – and don’t intend to. They’re demonstrating how independence and care can be connected long before residential aged care becomes necessary. With education, and a sense of community and purpose, residents are more inclined to access support before they’re in crisis and are at the mercy of a system under pressure.
“It’s not just buying a building and a pool,” she says. “You’re buying a lifestyle that promotes longevity.”
