It would appear that few operators in the village sector are closely following the Royal Commission on the Care of the Elderly – which is a serious mistake
While there are very few industry submissions among the 10,000 and more received, the opportunities presented among the 124 recommendations made by the lawyer assisting the Commissioners over the last two days of Thursday and Friday are breathtaking
Over 450 pages with supporting documentation, along with Commissioners’ comments, individual recommendations and their basis should be brought together to conceptualize the opportunities
I’ll draw a few here and add to the discussion on future issues
I’ll be using the 80-page summary that our editor-in-chief Lauren Broomham has prepared for our readers subscribing to the Daily COMMISSION
Villages are resident-funded, purpose-built housing that provides housing and management that supports residents as they age, including safety and social connections
The Royal Commission is charged with studying how to achieve better and safer care for the elderly, with care for the elderly starting with care at home
With home care, the villagers live in the ideal environment to maximize their quality of life and minimize the time likely to be in a senior care facility
However, the number of retiree villages under construction is less than half of the number required to maintain penetration due to land zoning restrictions and the lack of a clear, bankable business model
Based on the recommendations made last week, we hypothesize that a variant of the village model can be offered to the federal government which will achieve many of its goals and absorb a large number of future elderly clients, while offering a quality of life for a large number of self-funded older Australians
The & 2 recommendations 1 state that the existing law on elder care should be rejected and replaced with a person-centered (client) approach and that the federal government work with state governments with a national cabinet ( similar to COVID) to ensure the health and care systems of the elderly are working for one result – better support for older Australians
These actions can focus federal action and funding for a redesigned retirement village model, and cause state and federal governments to focus on national legislation and regulations that may also encompass zoning models. and housing
Senior assistant lawyer Peter Gray QC (pictured above) said the legislation could include key principles from the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights for Older Persons, including independence, participation, care, personal development and dignity
M Gray said there was also a need to create a new National Cabinet Reform Committee on Aging and Aging Australians that would be established between the federal and state and territory governments and coordinate care, health and welfare. -be elderly
« We also believe that there is considerable potential for intergenerational engagement in programs connecting older people to their communities, » he said.
This committee would report regularly on its progress and its strategy – which was to be established by December 31, 2022 – would cover a period of 10 years before being thoroughly reviewed to develop the next strategy
Recommendations were also made to make all home care available on an as-needed basis, meaning that if a person is assessed as needing home care, they get it within three months.
This will allow village operators to confidently specify that a villager will receive government funded financial support, while the village will provide security, community and social support
Assisting Counsels and Commissioners believe that support and care is best provided in « small homes », not in large retirement homes for the elderly
Our hypothesis is that this can include retirement villages as long as a concept of a new village design can be approved and promoted by the government / s
Assistant senior lawyer Peter Rozen QC says residential care operators are expected to move to smaller-scale housing models integrated into the local community within four years as part of a housing strategy for the elderly
He argued that the Royal Commission had shown that smaller-scale accommodation provided a better quality of life and better residential care for the elderly than larger-scale models
Recommendation 57 – Improve the design of elderly care facilities in a three-step process: develop and publish a comprehensive set of national principles and guidelines for the design of elderly care on accessible and responsive design dementia for residential care by July 1, 2022; implement a program to adopt these principles and guidelines by July 1, 2023; and the modification of the National Building Code so that new developments are informed by these principles and guidelines by July 1, 2025
Recommendation 58 – Equipment grants for « small house » housing models to be provided by the Rural, Regional and Other Special Needs Construction Fund as of January 1, 2022
M Rozen said the recommendation was aimed squarely at reversing the trend towards larger, more institutional residential care.
« This is a product of the operating market, essentially, of the governor’s lack of steering of the system that has allowed accommodation – residential care facilities for the elderly to grow in size, particularly over the course of the last ten years, and it would appear that if there is political intervention, these trends will continue, ”he said
The village sector can formulate a housing and aging service, based on their track record and experience, which offers much of what the government is looking for and with the added benefit that villages are more efficient at providing. of services, have a track record and real and well-being, and are ready to go
To gain the ear of the government, it will take a single voice and the support of all operators
ACSA, LASA and RLC are ideally placed to fulfill this role if they come together as a unified ticket They must speak now and be ready when the final report of the Royal Commission is released on February 26, 2021
It will either be an exciting and tailor-made future or a future of declining market penetration It’s up to members to make their voices heard through the summits
Chris has been a journalist and weekly commentator on the Retiree Village and Elderly Care sectors for 15 years He has interviewed residents and management of over 250 villages nationwide, visited nursing homes for seniors across the country and studied homes and management in America and Africa As co-founder of the DCM group, he has guided the growth of the company and is a sought-after advisor to boards of directors and management.
Retiree Community, Australian Elderly Care, Elderly Care, Royal Commission
World news – AU – Retiree Village operators must demand that ACSA, LASA and RLC now team up to capture unique opportunity offered by Royal Commission – The Weekly SOURCE
Source: https://www.theweekly
SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com
