The Business of Ageing

Technology and AI is fast becoming part of everyone’s lives, and the seniors living industry is no exception. As the demand for aged care services overtakes the ability of the sector to deliver it, operators are embracing these new tools for their ability to augment staff shortages, demonstrate service delivery and improve the consumer experience by helping to ease the social isolation that is sadly so common amongst o...

Right now, generative AI and education is a contentious issue, as schools and universities scramble to adapt their assessment processes to the growing use of tools such Chat GPT by students.

But not everyone in education is looking at this technology as a threat, especially when it comes to assisting older people in maintaining their cognitive function and helping them to thrive in elder hood through con...

Is there a right size for a home and how is that definition changing? Do families still aspire to live in a freestanding house on a quarter acre block in the suburbs or is our definition of The Great Australian Dream evolving due to financial realities and cultural influences? And what about older Australians? How many are still living in the old family home, long after the kids have moved on, in a house that is clearl...

Money can bring out the worst in people. This is especially true when it comes to family estate planning where entitlement and inheritance impatience from adult children can put pressure on ageing parents and in some cases even tear families apart.

This is not a comfortable conversation for most people, but it is one that needs to happen early, and preferably in the company of a specialist financial adviso...

As the Executive Director of the industry’s peak body, The Retirement Living Council, Daniel Gannon has been a highly visible advocate for the sector. This advocacy has Daniel crisscrossing the country, talking with retirement village operators and residents, lobbying governments and assuming the position of industry spokesperson to a sometimes hostile media. 

In this episode of the Business of Ageing, I s...

Change is hard. Most people are fairly set in their ways and naturally reluctant to alter their behaviours and ingrained habits. 

When it comes to organisational change within the seniors living industry, these challenges are amplified 100 fold, as you try to coordinate long term staff spread across multiple geographic locations, as well as elderly residents who can be challenged by sudden disruptions to t...

How much is your lifestyle worth as you age and what is the financial opportunity cost of these decisions?

Nick Donnelly from Plenary Wealth is a financial advisor who specialises in retirement living, aged care and granny flat agreements and believes that the lifestyle benefits of seniors living communities can often trump the financial cost, but alignment between family members is critical when planning ...

One of the hardest parts about ageing is knowing when it’s time to leave the family home. Do you move into a retirement village and embrace community life, or stay at home as long as possible before facing the inevitable need for care and the scramble for suitable options that follows?

If that decision making process isn’t hard enough, the financial minefield of contracts and payment options can end up tra...

Natasha and Justin Chadwick from New Direction Care are a mother and son team who have turned the traditional aged care model on its head. Their Microtown community is exactly that - a miniature community where aged care and dementia residents live in real houses, connected to a town centre complete with shops, cafes and all the services that you would expect from a real village.

This enables residents to ...

What does it actually mean to be innovative?  And how many people within your organsiation would you consider to be innovators? Is it the Head of Technology that just rolled out a company-wide digital transformation project, or could it be the carer who came up with a clever way to engage the residents they look after? 

Innovation has traditionally been seen by many organisations as something that happens ...

The majority of people who work for not-for-profit organisations are driven by a fundamental desire to help others. As a result they tend to remain in the sector, and in many cases, within the same organisation, for the majority of their careers. 

The work can be difficult, under-resourced and emotionally draining - but at the same time immensely fulfilling. Having a clear purpose in your day to day job is...

When most people think of aged care, they picture tired, dark old buildings that feel and act more like hospitals. 

Managing Director of Calder Flower Architects & Interiors, Lara Calder is determined to change that perception, believing that there is no reason why the last place that you call home in this world, can’t also be one of the best.

Through thoughtful environmental design that conne...