ACCREDITATION OFFERS COMFORT TO RV RESIDENTS

The Australian Retirement Village Accreditation (ARVA) program is ensuring that standards of retirement villages continue to be raised to new levels of excellence.

CEO for the Retirement Village Association, Jane Holdsworth, says that the number of retirement villages recognising the benefits of accreditation is increasing rapidly.

“The retirement village industry throughout Australia is absolutely committed to being highly self-regulated,” said Ms Holdsworth.

“We are a responsible industry, dedicated to ensuring that our member villages undertake the ARVA program,” said Ms Holdsworth.

The ARVA program has been developed to promote and enhance quality assurance and best practice standards and procedures in the retirement village industry.

It offers a detailed comparison of an organisation’s services and operations against a set of national standards, including such areas as Resident Service and Lifestyle, Organisational Management, Human Resources and Physical Resource Environment.

Completing ARVA is a thorough process that includes a written application and a site inspection to ensure the village complies with the stringent standards.

Ms Holdsworth said there are many benefits of accreditation, for both villages and residents.

“ARVA is about contributing to the quality of life in retirement villages. It revolves around delivering appropriate, accessible and affordable services and support to the residents,” said Ms Holdsworth.

“Villages that become accredited are built on a responsible and ethical foundation with a commitment to quality, and if a village doesn’t meet these exacting standards, then they simply won’t be approved for accreditation by the National Accreditation Committee,” said Ms Holdsworth.

“And to ensure that ARVA operates to world’s best practice, we will have the whole ARVA program accredited with the global JAS-ANZ accreditation standard by the end of the year,” said Ms Holdsworth.

‘That means the ARVA accreditation program will itself be accredited to the highest possible international standards,” said Ms Holdsworth.

Chair of the RVA’s Standards Committee, Noreen Byrne from the St Ives Group in Western Australia, said that ARVA is the national benchmark for good management practices.

“Both residents and staff can feel confident that the village is well-managed,” said Ms Byrne.

“As village residents become aware of this process, they take great pride in being a part of the program. Staff also understand the process and take ownership of it,” said Ms Byrne.

Ms Byrne said that accreditation is also a great promotional tool.

“Accredited villages are being sought by potential residents, and this will become more important as time goes on, especially with reviews of the various state Acts. Residents doing their research will look for the ‘Accreditation’ symbol and will not accept anything less,” said Ms Byrne.

The ARVA accreditation is helping to develop better managers too, according to Jane Holdsworth.

“Employees trained in ARVA standards take this knowledge with them. These are transferable skills in best practice management, and will ensure that the high accreditation standards are sustainable well into the future,” said Ms Holdsworth.

Courses to assist villages prepare for accreditation are run in every state, with details available from the RVA Standards Manager, Gary Medcalf, at standards@rva.com.au or (03) 9804 0466.

The RVA News Monitor is a weekly feature on the RVA website, and will provide updated stories on issues involving the retirement village industry.

The RVA welcomes story or issue ideas to be included in the News Monitor, or comments or opinions on stories featured. Please send your feedback to communications@rva.com.au

top of page

DEMAND FOR RETIREMENT VILLAGES INCREASES

Australia’s ageing population will be the catalyst for increased demand for retirement village living, according to a national study recently released.

Global commercial property services firm, Jones Lang LaSalle, reports that up to 140,000 dwellings in retirement villages could be needed over the next 15 years to meet this surge in demand, worth about $42 billion in new construction.

National Director of Health and Aged Care Service for Jones Lang LaSalle, Peter McMullen, who authored the study, claims that developers and institutional investors are already paying attention to this growing sector.

“We anticipate retiree housing will equate to about 7 or 8 per cent of the new residential housing market in 15 years time,” said Mr McMullen.

“Currently it is the parents of baby boomers who have taken up retirement village living. However, as baby boomers themselves are approaching retirement, we expect to see an increasing number from this generation entering retirement villages in the next 12 – 15 years,” said Mr McMullen.

Mr McMullen says that greater acceptance of retirement village living is another factor in the growth of the sector.

“Participation rates are increasing year on year. At present, approximately 5.25 per cent of the over 65 population live in retirement villages, a significant increase from the 3 -3.5 per cent benchmark only eight or nine years ago,” said Mr McMullen.

CEO of the Retirement Village Association, Jane Holdsworth, welcomed the findings from the report.

“This research by Jones Lang LaSalle confirms what we have been hearing from our members over the past few years,” said Ms Holdsworth.

“We, as an industry, anticipated a shortage in retirement lifestyle living with an ageing population, and development of villages has been growing at a rapid rate,” said Ms Holdsworth.

The report ‘Is Supply Meeting Demand or Missing The Mark?’ indicates that retirement village development is well underway, with 500 new villages with over 51,000 new units either proposed, approved or under construction.

And, according to Mr McMullen, the development doesn’t stop there.

“In addition, another 20.700 new units are either proposed, approved or under construction in existing villages,” said Mr McMullen.
Ms Holdsworth says although the current developments will fulfil about half of the required units, developers are already embracing the challenges for the future.

“Our members are committing huge resources to the development of retirement living solutions, and, as this report highlights, a lot more needs to be done to ensure that today’s baby boomers can continue to enjoy their independent lifestyle in retirement,” said Ms Holdsworth.

“Limited land availability in popular locations means that developers are looking at innovative ways to provide the number of dwellings required, which is why vertical living villages are coming into vogue,” said Ms Holdsworth.

The RVA News Monitor is a weekly feature on the RVA website, and will provide updated stories on issues involving the retirement village industry.

The RVA welcomes story or issue ideas to be included in the News Monitor, or comments or opinions on stories featured. Please send your feedback to communications@rva.com.au

top of page

SAFETY AND SECURITY KEY DRIVERS FOR RETIREMENT VILLAGE LIVING

Security, safety and sociability are among the key factors retirees consider when choosing a retirement village in Australia.

A recent study into the residential transition of Australian seniors has highlighted that planned and regulated communities, such as retirement villages, are becoming increasingly popular.

The authors of the paper, Professor John Piggott and Renuka Sane from the University of New South Wales, have used previous research by Robert Stimson from University of Queensland to identify some of the reasons why seniors choose retirement village living.

According to the research, there are demographic, social, psychological and practical factors that influence the decision-making process.

CEO of the Retirement Village Association, Jane Holdsworth, says that feedback from village managers and residents support this research.

“We consult regularly with village managers and conduct resident surveys, and we hear many reasons why the over 55’s are looking at retirement villages as a seniors housing option,” said Ms Holdsworth.

“The opportunity to maintain an independent living lifestyle within a supportive and social environment is very important for retirees, and this is certainly a key factor in their final decision to move out of the family home,” said Ms Holdsworth.

“The high standard of contemporary retirement villages, and the excellent facilities that they offer, also attract people to this lifestyle,” said Ms Holdsworth.

Standards Manager for the RVA, Gary Medcalf, said that 99% of residents surveyed indicated a positive attitude to safety and security within their village.

“Our own research of villages through our accreditation process mirrors the factors identified in the research,” said Mr Medcalf.

“The safety and security aspects of retirement village living come up time and time again as key reasons for choosing to live in a village. 85% of the residents said that they always felt safe and secure living in their village, whilst another 14% felt mostly safe,” said Mr Medcalf.

“The fact that they can lock up their unit when going on weekend trips or longer holidays, and know that it will be looked after whilst they are away is a major consideration,” said Mr Medcalf.

Ms Holdsworth said that the sociability aspect was another important factor in choosing a retirement village.

“Residents love the independent living aspect; however, they also love the community environment. They make new friends and participate in village activities,” said Ms Holdsworth.

Ms Holdsworth said that location played a vital role when deciding to move into a retirement village.

“We are constantly told that most residents live in a village that is located within 10 kilometres of their previous family home,” said Ms Holdsworth.

“Residents feel comfortable in an area they know well, which has familiar facilities, such as shopping and medical facilities, and their circle of friends close by,” said Ms Holdsworth.

Ms Holdsworth said that other factors identified by Stimson, such as the availability of units in a village, the initial and on-going affordability of a unit, and family attitudes are also significant reasons for choosing a retirement village.

The paper, Contextualising Retirement Villages in Elder Residential Transition: Economic and Financial Aspects of Senior Living Alternatives in Australia, is part of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Project on Senior Living.

The RVA News Monitor is a weekly feature on the RVA website, and will provide updated stories on issues involving the retirement village industry.

The RVA welcomes story or issue ideas to be included in the News Monitor, or comments or opinions on stories featured. Please send your feedback to communications@rva.com.au

top of page