News & Advice

People living with dementia and their loved ones often find themselves lacking the crucial support required to navigate life after a dementia diagnosis.

Barwon Health, a health care provider in Geelong, Victoria, has launched a specialist dementia care program, offering support to people with severe behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.

Uniting NSW.ACT is aware of the criticism that is often levelled at the food served in residential aged care homes.

Retirement living is attractive, with many villages at full or near-full occupancy. However, the one question we often receive about entering a retirement village is for help to understand the financial details.

New operator Yarrum Living enters the retirement village market The Newcastle-based home builder has launched Yarrum Living as part of its plan to create a portfolio of retirement villages. They are proposing to construct a new village every two years for the next decade across Australia’s east coast. The first will be its 154-unit ‘Catalina’ development at Cooranbong on the border of Lake Macquarie and the Central Coast. They are currently seeking a partner to run an adjoining 132-bed aged care facility. Find out more here. http://yarrumliving.com.au/catalina/

Aged care providers Wesley Mission Victoria and UnitingCare in VIC and TAS announce their merger With consumer-directed care set to be introduced in just a few months, leading not-for-profit providers Wesley Mission Victoria and 21 UnitingCare services in VIC and TAS have joined forces. To be known as Uniting, the merger will make the group one of the largest providers of aged care and other community services in Victoria and Tasmania. The new organisation will have a budget of around $250M and employ 3,500 staff with another 3,500 volunteers.

WA Property Council promises development, villages and new seniors accommodation to boost the local economy With the state election set to take place in March, the Property Council has unveiled its election platform which it says will allow the $31.8 billion industry pick up where the mining boom left off. It outlines 16 policy priorities including setting targets for retirement living housing; stamp duty discounts for older people downsizing from a family home; and re-zoning existing retirement villages to provide additional housing options for seniors in Perth’s middle ring suburbs.

This average American street is not what it seems – rather it’s a nursing home in Ohio that has been created to provide specialist care for residents with dementia. The intriguing design is the brainchild of Lantern Assisted Living CEO and founder Jean Makesh, who came up with the idea while working as an occupational therapist for a major nursing home chain. When some of his patients began to exhibit signs of dementia, he was unsure what to do. When some of his patients began showing signs of dementia, he didn’t know what to do.

The site at University of the Sunshine Coast’s Novus Innovation Park is 7715sqm and was one of three sites on the market through Colliers International. Selling agent Baydn Dodds says interest for the block was substantial and it went under contract soon after being put up for sale. “The deal was set in December. It needed someone with a bit of vision as work hadn't started on the site yet,” he said. The provider plans to forge a strong relationship with the University, training them at the aged care home (nursing homes).

New UK co-housing development offers community and friendship for older women The Older Women’s Co-Housing (OWCH) is set to open its own purpose-built block of flats in London this November – 18 years after the group first came up with the idea. The £7 million project – which is the first in the UK designed for and by older people – is in High Barnet and was originally the idea of Shirley Meredeen, who co-founded the Growing Old Disgracefully networkwith Madeleine Levius.

Theme park developer takes on new challenge: creating luxury retirement villages The St. Elizabeth village at Hamilton Mountain in Ontario, Canada, is undergoing a re-development by Forrec, the company that famously built Legoland Deutschland, Universal Studios Florida and Canada’s Wonderland among other project. The bill for the development? A massive $800 million. The 114-acre site is set to be turned into a pastoral mill town, including a spinning water wheel and old-time windmill. The population, currently around 900 residents will jump to 3,000.

Southcare is a multi-award winning not-for-profit organisation that’s been offering quality aged and community care services since 1982. Our focus is on helping people to remain living independently, socially connected, healthy and fulfilling lives for as long as possible. Southcare takes a fresh approach to aged care, providing our customers with local, reliable, flexible, and innovative solutions designed to meet individual needs. Our mission is to ‘Empower People and Enrich Lives’. We support people to live vibrant, healthy, independent and connected lives.

In an innovative new pilot program, nurses at the General Hospital in Singapore can now “bid” to care for a discharged patient at home, in their own time, using a new mobile app. The Match-A-Nurse programs pairs up patients with a nurse living nearby, who can offer the services required, such as wound dressing. Like calling a taxi It works just like a taxi booking – a patient’s call is logged in the app, and nurses who successfully “bid” for a job receive a text message to let them know. After the visit, the nurse can update the patient’s information in the app.

NZ provider Ryman sets sights on fifth retirement village and nursing home in Melbourne. New Zealand’s largest retirement village operator has bought a 1.2 hectare site at Coburg, 10km north of the Melbourne CBD, where it plans to build a NZ$200 million retirement village. The site, which was formerly a school, will also feature independent living and serviced apartments plus an aged care centre and dementia care. While the price hasn’t been disclosed, Ryman recently splashed out over $30M to purchase the historic Moondah Estate at Mt Eliza on the Mornington Peninsula.

A reverse mortgage can be a great option to assist with paying a Residential Accommodation Deposit (RAD), but can be overlooked because of some persistent myths. Affinity Aged Care Senior Adviser Don Swanborough says confusion around reverse mortgages means some people are reluctant to consider them when it comes to paying a RAD. “I’ve had many clients who assume that the principal and interest can accumulate to such an extent that the home will have negative equity – that is, owing more than the value of the property,” Don said.

Well-known retirement village family open their first land lease community in Victoria The Gannon family, led by Tom and Michael Gannon, have unveiled 226 homes at the Lucas Lifestyle Estate in Ballarat. One of the industry’s biggest success stories, their villages in NSW, VIC and SA were bought out by RetireAustralia in 2006. Launching again in 2009, the brothers now have four traditional retirement villages in their portfolio.

RetireAustralia joins up with another sports club for new retirement village The Brisbane-based provider is planning 154 village units at the Ashgrove Golf Club in The Gap, 8km from the CBD. The joint venture, which would also include meeting areas, function space, a café and restaurant and an underground carpark, has given the club a financial lifeline. “Sporting clubs across Australia are doing it tough financially and the Ashgrove Golf Club is no exception,” Club president John Shaw said.

Regional NSW nursing home given lifeline by not-for-profit provider RSL LifeCare has saved the 20-bed ADA Cottage in Kandos, which is about 230km northwest of Sydney, from shutting its doors. The Cottage is operated by the Rylstone Kandos Aged and Disabled Association and its board chairperson Johanna Marr reveals the home had agreed to the merger so they can keep it running for local residents. “Each management committee since early 2000 understood that an aged care facility with less than 40 beds was not a viable option. This figure is now 60 beds,” she said.

Animal rights group lobbies Mayor to re-name Tasmania’s Eggs and Bacon Bay – to vegan-friendly option People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Australia has made a bid to the Huon Valley Council to change the name of the beach south of Hobart to Apple and Cherry Bay. So what’s their crazy reasoning? The activities are arguing the move would promote the local apple and cherry industry while encouraging residents to eat healthier.

RAAFA WA launches innovative resident-directed aged care home (nursing home) worth $30 million The leading Not For Profit has opened the 102-bed Alice Ross-King Care Centre at Bull Creek, which operates under a new resident-directed care model that lets residents decide on their daily routine before they move in.

Meet Judy Clarkson, 77, and Jodie Mitchell, a mother and daughter team who have committed to building great villages – and communities – for their residents. The pair operate two villages – the 220-unit Blue Hills Residences and Blue Hills Rise – in Cranbourne, a town about 45 kilometres outside of Melbourne. I first encountered them in 2006, when they were building a large aged care facility (nursing home) at the Residences, a contrast to the thinking at the time that said retirement villages and aged care homes (nursing homes) shouldn’t mix.

The Gold Coast-based private provider has announced its first purchase for the 2016-17 financial year, buying out the Albert Gardens retirement village in NSW’s Orange. In FY15, they added 13 villages to their portfolio, part of an aggressive “buy and build” strategy for the group which has seen their share price jump 47% in the past year. They now have 22 villages in total (1,234 units) with 33 villages (1,993 units) under their management.

Blue Mountains Villages was established in 1968. Our Mission is to provide our residents – and their families – with an affordable, safe, secure, supportive self-care village that respects individual privacy, promotes choice and wellbeing and encourages community involvement. Our values are of affordability, community, transparency, Freedom and Respect As secure, good quality, affordable housing is a basic human right. As a not-for-profit, the Blue Mountains Villages’ original philosophy was to provide affordable housing. As we grow, we aim to maintain that value.

With 89 villages and 10,968 retirement living units in its portfolio, the private operator’s earnings have leapt a huge 62 per cent to $79.9 million over the last financial year to post the result. The reason? CEO Geoff Brady has cited its sale of 799 units, and the group’s increased focus on ‘care’, namely their buy-out of Freedom Aged Care and its 16 villages. They are also expecting a raft of new village and aged care developments to fuel growth, with 301 village units due to be completed in the next year, plus 100 aged care beds annually for the next decade from July 2017.

The mutual fund group beat Lend Lease and Trinity Health’s joint venture and Singapore’s Frasers Property to gain the rights to the high-profile health precinct. In 2015, Stockland had to withdraw its bid for the site too. Plans for the five-hectare site, which sits to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, include retirement living and aged care accommodation as well as a range of health and hospital services.

Astley Care Inc, formerly known as Gosnells Community Support Service, began operating early in 1985 with the support of the City of Gosnells and a dedicated group of volunteers. The initial funding was a seeding grant from Lotteries West and over the years the organisation has attracted funding from HACC, CHSP & Home Care Package Program to support over 1,000 people living in the Gosnells and Armadale areas to remain living in their own homes.

Anglicare is a reliable and highly reputable Tasmanian not for profit organisation. Founded in 1983 Anglicare, in response to the Christian faith, is committed to achieving social justice for all Tasmanians and to provide the opportunity for people in need to reach fullness of life. Our values guide the work that we do and are based on the rights of citizenship, dignity, individual autonomy and other fundamental freedoms, which enable full participation and inclusion in society.

The 51 staff at Melbourne’s Park Lane Residential Aged Care in Melbourne’s Croydon North will each pocket over $37,000 after the division one win in the draw last week. The group which included cooks, cleaners and managers put in $2 each towards the ticket, with a member of the syndicate saying many people planned to buy a new car, put the money towards their mortgages or go on holiday.

Have you found the aged care facility (nursing home) to suit your needs but not sure if you can afford it? It’s a common concern for those considering their options and Affinity Aged Care Senior Adviser Don Swanborough says people often overlook their preferred aged care facility (nursing home) because they don’t think they can afford it. “The good news is that people now have for more flexibility in how they make their Residential Accommodation Deposit (RAD) for their preferred facility,” Don said.

800-unit residential development proposed for one of Adelaide’s most expensive suburbs The 20-storey building proposed by MichaelKris Real Estate features a three-storey retirement village with a private hospital and penthouse apartments in Thorngate, north of the CBD. The company is understood to have signed “option agreements” with about 20 residents, giving them first rights to buy their houses before November next year.

Up to 800 retirement units planned for western Sydney sports club The proposed village at the Blacktown Workers Sport Club on Reservoir Rd would also include a 160-bed aged care home. While the development is still in the planning stages, Blacktown Council has approved the Club’s decision to move its sports fields to Arndell Park to pave the way for the project. The site will also undergoes a separate Council assessment and report. A forum on the village and retirement living in general will be held at the Club on September 14.

Reader’s Digest has named Anglicare Southern Queensland as Australia’s most trusted brand in aged care and retirement villages for the fourth year running. Anglicare took out the top honour in Trusted Brands for the category, while Australian Unity and Uniting NSW.ACT were highly commended. Anglicare SQ Executive Director Sue Cooke thanked those who supported residents and clients over the last twelve months, and said the award was well-deserved. “For a provider of essential health care services to older Queenslanders, the power of trust cannot be understated.

80-year-old Judith Mackenzie has hung up her sneakers after 21 years teaching ChiBall and fitness classes to residents at Resthaven Paradise and Eastern Community Services in South Australia.

As more Victorian local governments pull out of aged care, Not For Profit Benetas is taking over services in both Baw Baw Shire and Latrobe City council areas. Benetas will run the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) services for over-65s previously offered through Council starting on 1 July, while home and community care for younger people will go to Uniting Vic.Tas, following their respective appointments by the Federal Government.

Grant Lodge, a public aged care home in Bacchus Marsh northwest of Melbourne, is receiving an extra $3.75 million in funding to add private bedrooms and bathrooms for all residents. The Victorian Government has granted the additional funding for modernisation and upgrades, which will also include making the building more dementia-friendly and better able to handle mental health needs, on top of $5.5 million from the state’s Regional Health Infrastructure Fund in 2021.

A community-owned aged care provider in Armidale, NSW, will be able to continue operating thanks to a merger with Uniting NSW.ACT.

Family-owned aged care provider Arcare is planning its first two aged care homes in the ACT, with two sites proposed for Aranda and Wright.

Uniting NSW.ACT is looking to take over Crookwell Taralga Aged Care (CTAC)’s 23-bed Sunset Lodge aged care home in the NSW Southern Tablelands. CTAC approached Uniting to take over the home, telling locals that Sunset Lodge would otherwise fold within the year due to increased compliance and regulations. Saviour Buhagiar, Uniting NSW.ACT’s Director Ageing, said that should the merger be approved, Uniting would work to ensure continuity of care for residents.

A new aged care home is on the way for Rutherglen, in northeastern Victoria near the NSW border, with plans unveiled by the Victorian Government for a modern $57.1 million facility. The new 50-bed home, which will replace the existing 40-bed Glenview Community Care Nursing Home, will have private ensuite rooms for every resident, a dementia-friendly design, and communal areas including a community room and sacred space for residents.

Australian Regional and Remote Community Services (ARRCS) is rebuilding the Tjilpi Pampaku Ngura Flexible Aged Care home in the remote Indigenous community of Kaltukatjara, NT.

Regis Aged Care is looking to upgrade its home in Hurstville, Sydney, with a planning proposal now before Georges River Council. The current Regis Hurstville home has 96 beds along with facilities for palliative and respite care; Regis is hoping to redevelop it to house 110 beds across three to four storeys. According to planning advisory firm Mecone, Regis is proposing to build “an aged care facility that meets contemporary standards, is of high-quality design and provides an array of ancillary uses that will improve the quality of life and care for occupants.

Opal Healthcare’s latest West Australian “care community”, Applecross Shore, is set to open on the banks of the Swan River in Perth this month. The home will offer 136 single or companion aged care places with ensuite rooms; there will also be a central social hub with amenities such as café, day spa, hair salon, and entertainment lounge, and a dedicated dementia support neighbourhood. Alongside this, a Wellness Centre will help with reablement and restorative care.

HammondCare’s new multi-storey aged care home at Miranda, NSW, which features a “stacked cottage” model, is set to open later this year.

Sundale’s James Grimes Care Centre on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast has taken in new residents from the shuttered McGowan Care Centre in Nambour. James Grimes, which is going through a million-dollar internal refit, has provided the former McGowan residents with new refurbished spaces, with every resident able to stay in their own private room if they so choose. According to Sundale CEO Helen Sharpley, the new residents are now in a home with upgraded floors, lights, paint, and joinery.

Silver Chain Group, the largest provider of complex in-home health and aged care in Australia, has rebranded to Silverchain and unveiled a new slogan. Silverchain, which has been established as a Not For Profit organisation for almost 130 years, says its “Health. Human. Home” slogan was chosen to “better reflect the complex community care that we deliver every day”. “The new brand also represents our national expansion and growth, and our investment in research and innovation to find unique solutions to the challenges in the health and aged care system across Australia.

NSW-based Not For Profit aged care provider Fresh Hope Care has rebranded to Fresh Hope Communities. The rebranding – which will be rolled out over the next six to 12 months – will emphasise Fresh Hope’s focus on building communities. In an email to customers and their families and caregivers, CEO Dan Dwyer said the new brand would bring a more unified identity to the provider, which is known by a number of names including Fresh Hope Care, Churches of Christ Community Care, Fresh Hope, and Fresh Hope Venues.

Sydney’s west will gain a new multi-million-dollar health and education precinct, including residential aged care, under a Blacktown City Council masterplan. Up to 22 homes, as well as a bowling club, will be demolished to make way for a private hospital adjacent to the existing Blacktown Hospital; plans for the precinct also include assisted living and aged care, residential and commercial buildings, cafés, car parks, and an education and health hub. According to a planner, the precinct will be a key transformation project for Blacktown City.

new-estia-aged-care-home-coming-sydneys-north-shore

A new $43 million, 150-bed aged care home, advertised as Australia's first five-star Green Star rated residential facility, is set to open at Carseldine in Brisbane this July. The six-storey home by Rockpool will form part of the Carseldine Village masterplanned development, and will offer aged care, respite care, and specialist memory support care.

A new aged care home by Allity is on its way for Parramatta in Sydney’s west, after receiving unanimous approval from a local planning panel.

Weston in the ACT will soon have a new $143 million aged care village, with provider LDK receiving the thumbs-up from the National Capital Authority. The Yarralumla Views village will contain 55 two- or three- bedroom single-storey villas and townhouses as well as 261 one- and two-bedroom units in four buildings of up to five storeys each, alongside a “care hub” and clubhouse. LDK CEO Byron Cannon told Riotact that he hopes to begin construction soon with permission from the ACT Government to buy adjoining land for fire remediation. “It was a really important step to turn that approval.

Aged care provider Homestyle has opened up a new residential aged care home at Tarneit, in Melbourne’s growing outer west. Dubbed Sunset Views Manor, the 120-bed home comprises seven small houses with up to 18 residents each, one of which is set aside specifically for those living with dementia. Amenities including a physiotherapy and occupational therapy gym run by Concentric Healthcare Services, which is open to the public, as well as wi-fi, Foxtel, a complimentary café, a library, and a hair and beauty salon.

A new aged care home and childcare facility in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges is a step closer, with family-owned provider Embracia starting work on redeveloping the old Kyneton Hospital. Kyneton, 87km northwest of Melbourne, is in need of additional aged care facilities, and Embracia intends to turn the gold rush-era hospital site into a 120-bed aged care home plus function rooms, mixed-use offices, café and restaurant; additionally, a 120-place childcare facility will be built on the site.

Mildura Rural City Council will no longer provide aged care services as of next June, citing the Federal Government’s new Support at Home program as the reason for its decision. The program – which will combine existing services such as Home Care Packages and the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) into one streamlined system – has led many local councils, especially in Victoria, to pull out of aged care services; Mildura Council says it is “not in its best interests” to stay on as a provider.

The beachside Perth suburb of Cottesloe will have a new aged care home, with a historic deaf school to be redeveloped.

Heritage Care is opening its newly-renovated Northcote home in Melbourne next month, with tours available from 25 June. Located six kilometres north of the Melbourne CBD, Heritage Northcote will be a 75-bed home that Heritage Care says is designed with person-centred principles and wellness in mind. “Heritage Northcote will offer a premium choice for aged care services in the inner north community and foster strong relationships with its neighbours including TimeOut Educare Westgarth child care centre and nearby Westgarth Primary School.

A new lease on life could be in the cards for the shuttered Heathmont Lodge aged care home in Melbourne’s outer east.

Christian Not For Profit aged care provider HammondCare will advocate for better palliative care for all Australians under a new five-year strategy. With 75 per cent of Australians missing out on palliative care – and only six per cent of aged care residents able to access end-of-life care – HammondCare CEO Mike Baird (pictured speaking) has described a “postcode lottery”, with rural and remote areas receiving only a quarter of the services available in cities. “It’s time for this to change, and HammondCare is ready to be part of the answer.

Far North Queensland residents may soon have less chance of needing to leave for aged care services, with three local councils banding together to identify a site for a new 40-bed home.

Esperance Aged Care Facility in WA is seeking funding from Esperance Shire Council to reopen one of its wings for low-needs residents. The home has 20 of its 94 aged care beds empty, despite several older people who should be there instead taking up beds in the town’s hospital; it is now asking for $27,000 out of a $150,000 donation Council received from mining company IGO in 2020 in order to restart services. In a letter to Council, Esperance Aged Care Facility CEO Dr Ed Rhode said the funding would go to new mattresses and renovation works.

Not For Profit aged care provider Carinity has won a Queensland Master Builders Housing and Construction Award for its $32 million home, The Residences at Brownesholme.

CPSM Care is preparing to open its fifth aged care home in Brisbane, which incorporates learnings from COVID-19. The new $44 million, 141-bed home at Camp Hill has done away completely with hotel-style centralised air conditioning and temperature control, which business manager Shane Winterton told the Courier-Mail would not have happened without the pandemic. “All the rooms are now independently air-conditioned, which added some cost to the project overall, but protects from hotel-style cross contamination we saw during the pandemic in closed environments.

WA-based Not For Profit aged care provider Bethanie will purchase the Bert England Lodge residential home from City of Rockingham Council, having managed it for around 10 months. The home in Cooloongup, in Perth’s outer southern suburbs, can house 44 residents and has belonged to Council since 2006; however, in 2019, the City started the process to sell it to an approved aged care provider, citing the increased complexity of providing aged care services.

Two Catholic Healthcare aged care homes have been nominated as finalists in the prestigious 2022 Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) Awards for Excellence.

Greater Shepparton City Council in northern Victoria is handing over its aged care services to Calvary Community Care from 1 July. Calvary will take over Shepparton Council’s home modifications, access and support at home, and social connection programs, while Community Accessability will deliver meals from 18 July. Greater Shepparton City Council’s Director Community, Louise Mitchell, says Council will work to make sure services continue unabated during the transition period.

Not For Profit aged care provider mecwacare will take over the aged care services of City of Boroondara Council in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Council will transfer its services to mecwacare on 1 August, saying that the Federal Government’s Support at Home program has made it unfeasible to continue providing them, but that it will work to support staff and clients during the transition. “The needs and care of our community is our top priority.

Blue Care is set to kick off construction of its new Sunrise Beach aged care home at Noosa, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, next month. The 102-bed facility will come with a co-located retirement village, giving it a combined total capacity of 260 residents. Local company BADGE will build the project, which will feature eight- and nine-bed households in a “small house” model surrounding a central community area.

The Queensland Government has partnered with Blue Care in a $55 million tender to deliver palliative care services in rural and regional areas of the state. Working alongside Queensland Health, Blue Care will provide palliative care in the Wide Bay, Cairns and Hinterland, North West, Townsville, Mackay, Central West, Central Queensland, Darling Downs, and South West regions through the Hospital at Home program starting in October.

Not For Profit aged care provider Benetas is looking for more staff and volunteers as it picks up home care services from local councils across Victoria’s Gippsland and Rural North West. As of this month, Benetas has taken over Commonwealth Home Support Packages (CHSPs) from Latrobe, Baw Baw and Hepburn Shires, which pulled out due to upcoming changes in the Federal Government’s new Support at Home Program.

A new respite care cottage has opened on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula for older people who need a rest with a “seachange”. Aldinga House, located in Aldinga Beach, is run by SA-based Not For Profit aged care provider Resthaven. Located a short drive from the beach, the cottage offers day and overnight respite care, with two bedrooms available for stays of up to a fortnight. Mrs Patricia Griffin, the first client to view the house, said she was excited to come whenever she could. “The neighbourhood is quiet, and friendly.

A new aged care home is coming to the eastern Melbourne suburb of Kilsyth in November, with Australian Unity set to open its Walmsley Aged Care facility. The 120-bed home will include 84 standard rooms, 18 memory support rooms and 18 deluxe queen rooms, each with its own ensuite, arranged into seven “households” of 13 to 19 rooms over two levels. In a job listing for the new home, Australian Unity said it would be run according to the company’s “Better Together” model. “Our Better Together model focuses on providing the best care to our residents and work life balance for our staff.

Alino Living, the largest Not For Profit aged care provider on the NSW Central Coast, has developed a new staff training and recruitment program to improve its care. With the help of Employment and Training Australia (ET Australia), Alino’s new program aims to address employee recruitment and retention issues, as well as giving young people a start in aged care, says Melinda De Luca, Executive Care Manager of Alino Living.

Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has said a Labor Government would boost skills training and bring in overseas doctors and nurses to fill the shortfall in aged care workers. The Labor leader has promised 465,000 fee-free TAFE places and 20,000 new university places for areas of workforce need, including caring roles such as aged care and child care, if elected next month. Writing in The Australian, Mr Albanese said foreign workers may have to be brought in to meet short-term needs while new workers are trained.

A new 118-bed aged care facility looks to be on the way for the ACT’s historic Gold Creek Homestead, with Lendlease lodging a development application for the site. 45 independent living units will accompany the three-storey aged care facility, which will also include specialised dementia and respite care beds. Nathan Cockerill, Managing Director of Lendlease Retirement Living, told the Canberra Times that part of the original Homestead will need to be demolished for the development, though the rest of the building along with the stone kitchen and slab hut will be restored and repurposed.

Gaynes Park, a residential aged care and assisted living home in Joslin, Adelaide, has won the Urban Development Institute of Australia’s national Seniors Living Award. Operated by LifeCare, Gaynes Park – comprising the Gaynes Park Manor aged care home and Gaynes Park Suites assisted living apartments – was designed alongside Stirling University Dementia Services Development Centre in Scotland. Opening Gaynes Park Suites last year, LifeCare CEO Allen Candy said the apartments are an alternative to residential aged care.

ACH Group, a leading Not For Profit aged care provider in South Australia, is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. Founded by Sir Keith Wilson as Aged Cottage Homes in 1952, ACH was an early champion of affordable housing for seniors in South Australia, with Sir Keith’s philanthropic work inspiring the Aged Persons Homes Act 1954; the provider now has eight residential aged care homes and 700 retirement living units, with 2000 staff serving more than 20,000 clients across Adelaide and the Fleurieu Peninsula.

An aged care facility in Maylands, Perth, will have a $40 million upgrade after receiving the thumbs-up from state planners. The CraigCare home on Guildford Rd and Third Avenue East will be transformed from a 92-room facility to a six-storey building with 138 rooms following unanimous approval from the WA Government’s Metro Inner North Joint Development Assessment Panel.

A northern Queensland council is seeking funding to upgrade Monash Lodge, a 20-bed aged care home in Clermont, 274km southwest of Mackay. Isaac Regional Council is teaming up with Belyando Enterprise Network to push for $2.993 million in Federal Government funding for stage one refurbishments, including 12 independent living units and a 24/7 caretaker’s apartment. According to Mayor Anne Baker, Monash provides important services for Clermont locals, as the closest non-hospital aged care services are 100km away in Emerald or almost three times as far in Mackay.

Catholic not-for-profit provider St. Vincent’s Care Services has taken over control of the Jabiru Aged Care and Jabiru Villas at Arundel in Queensland. The site was previously owned by the Board of Benevolence and of Aged Masons, Widows and Orphans’ Fund, which traded as Masonic Care Queensland.

Based on the calculation the government uses to predict demand for aged care services, we will need 69,000 aged care beds in 10 years. However, as things are, it’s just not going to happen.

A shuttered aged care home in South Australia will receive a new lease on life, with its owners repurposing it to provide temporary accommodation for NDIS participants transitioning out of hospital.

Australia’s first 5 Star Green Star rated aged care home has opened in Carseldine, Brisbane.

A new aged care home designed hand-in-hand with Yolngu leaders – the first of its kind in Australia...

More than 40 residents of the St Basil’s Annandale aged care home in Sydney’s Inner West will have to move, with the home to shut down in September.

You may not be running a marathon as you get older but recognising the profound benefits exercise can bring to your physical, mental, and emotional well-being is essential for healthy ageing.

Aged care provider Southern Cross Care (SA, NT & VIC) has established a special

The published study has linked frailty to an increased risk of developing dementia – but also pointed to the potential for prevention strategies.

Why this photo could be the most important in your life

As we age, it’s only natural that we slow down a bit. Have those everyday tasks that you use to find easy, starting to wear you done? Have you heard of Home Care Services for Seniors? Maybe your friends are even receiving it already, but you don’t know how to access government subsidized help or where to start? Home Care Services are all about helping senior Australians stay in their own homes, by providing them a variety of services that make sure they can keep their independence and enjoy a good quality of life, all while getting the support they need.

The For-purpose aged and disability services organisation is partnering with Mannix College, a Catholic residential college affiliated with Monash University, to create a community service program, Mannix Young Hearts.

The latest initiative from NSW Not For Profit provider Scalabrini, which prides itself in putting the residents’ needs first, is seeing its residents, volunteers, and even families of those who have passed, making a positive impact on the lives of people in need.

If a loved one is in residential aged care, why not see if their home offers chair yoga?

With the population getting older, there might be more people attending these events than a football match.

Volunteers are an essential part of the aged care system.

The average age of admission to residential aged care was 83 years for men and 85 years for women in 2012-22, according to the Australian Government's Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Sam Bridgewater (pictured right), the founder of The Pure Food Co, said Malnutrition Week, 16-20 September, is an appropriate time to write about the importance of fortifying textured modified foods right in aged care kitchens, particularly with so many residents living with dysphagia.

The staff at residential aged care homes help organise some great events.

There's an exciting partnership that hopefully should spread where school children meet older people living with dementia.

Leti Asi has been working at the Not For Profit organisation Carinity's Clifford House residential aged care home in Wooloowin, Brisbane, for 38 years.

Sharron Tancred uses art, design principles and neuroscientific insights to create aged care spaces that improve the wellbeing of residents living with dementia by stimulating their sense of “beauty and wonder” and reducing stress and confusion.

The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care's Residents’ Experience Survey Report 2022 and 2023 is a testament to the country’s 846 operators, their boards and their workforce.

Mobility does become an increasing issue as people age, but no matter how difficult it is to get outside, if a person wants a good night's sleep they need to.

Intergenerational connections are known to be beneficial for everyone involved.

An international research team led by Queen Mary University of London has developed a new method for predicting dementia with over 80% accuracy and up to nine years before diagnosis.

In great news for deaf older Australians, the National Sign Language Program is being expanded by the Department of Health and Aged Care from 1 July.

Physical activity is known to ease knee pain and joint stiffness yet only one in 10 people regularly exercise.

The food served to residents in residential aged care should be one of the essential must-ask and must-see demands when deciding if a loved one should enter a particular home.

Uniting Crookwell volunteers Peter and Sylvia Cullen, Annette Cummins, Cate and Graham Stanton, Therese Harris, and Noel Bridge

#GladtoCare Awareness Week, which is from Monday, 20 May to Friday, 24 May 2024, aims to recognise and applaud the invaluable efforts of those working in the aged care industry.

Latrobe Regional Health’s Lactation Consultant, Leanne Horn, and Acting Nurse Unit Manager (Timbarra Unit), Courtney Whittaker, accepts a cheque on behalf of Respect, presented by Regional Area Manager, Rebecca Dew.

Residential aged care providers do a lot more for their residents than is often perceived.

With 80% of aged care residents now living with some form of dementia or cognitive impairment, the pressure is on providers to deliver both a ‘home’ and a safe environment for residents and staff.

Every second Monday, a small group of residents from Anglicare's Porter Lodge residential aged care home, which is on the same site as Minto Gardens retirement village, in the suburb, 50km southwest of Sydney's CBD, get ready to go out.

Colin Apelt, awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2004, is one of the volunteers at St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Brisbane.

New research has shown that just a small change to your diet could make a big impact on your later life.

Guide Park Playspace in the seaside town of Wonthaggi, 132km southeast of Melbourne, which is linked to Rose Lodge Aged Care Home, won the National Landscape Architecture Award for Play Spaces at a ceremony in Adelaide, SA, earlier this month.

The ASX-listed residential aged provider has provided a beautiful story on a post on LinkedIn. At Estia Health Encounter Bay, 87km south of Adelaide, a marriage has taken place.

Barbara Hale, who has osteoarthritis in her spine, is living proof that it is possible to manage the degenerative joint disease by working out in the gym. Aged care provider Uniting NSW.ACT wants World Arthritis Day, the global initiative held annually on 12 October, to highlight the importance of exercise in managing the symptoms of osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis.

Lead project nurse at Calvary Ryde Wei Hu and occupational therapist Linda Maher (front) listen as retired priest and project participant Fr Don Willoughby explains his goals and aspirations. There is a common misconception that there is little that can be done to support residential aged care residents living with dementia or a mild cognitive impairment to maintain their independence.

Moving a parent into residential aged care is never easy. But for one daughter, the challenge went beyond the emotional toll.

Dementia Australia research shows 81% of people with a loved one living with dementia felt that people in shops, cafés and restaurants treated people living with dementia differently.

The latest snapshot states residential aged care providers spent an average of 83.5% of the total food and ingredients costs on fresh food and ingredients, which is a 3.5% increase on the October to December quarter (80 per cent).

Noel Underwood is 95 and each week he attends rehearsals with the Hinterland Concert Band at the Mudgeeraba Music Centre in the town on Queensland’s Gold Coast. “I’m the oldest gentleman in the band. I pretty much seem to be the oldest man wherever I go at the moment,” said Noel, a resident at Carinity Cedarbrook aged care home at Mudgeeraba.

Just because people’s bodies age, it does not mean that they can not work out. There are exercises for seniors that not only improve strength, but balance as well, and that is of crucial importance as people age.

Catherina will celebrate her 111th birthday with family and friends at Southern Cross Care’s West Beach Residential Care home in the seaside suburb of Adelaide on Saturday (tomorrow). She credits her outstanding longevity to her active lifestyle, which still includes twice weekly gym sessions at the facility and regular walks.

There are over 280,000 Australians working in aged cares homes across Australia with another 80,000 providing home care support – and now it’s time to thank them for their hard work.

A clinical trial involving more than 7,000 aged care residents from 60 Melbourne and regional aged care homes in Victoria has found a small increase in the amount of dairy and protein a resident receives could have considerable health benefits for older Australians.

An Australian-first trial is seeking to address the lack of targeted treatment for social cognitive impairments in seniors. The Not For Profit home care provider Silverchain, UNSW Sydney’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), and the University of Queensland (UQ) are aiming to slow the decline of cognitive abilities and dementia by enhancing the social cognitive skills of older adults with cognitive concerns.

“Care suites” are becoming the new benchmark for long-tern aged care, the term originating from residents of New Zealand operator Arvida.

One in four adults can have a persistent cough long after having a viral infection or common cold. Is it something to worry about, especially if you are over 50 years of age?

A fall at a later stage in life can be scary, and can even cause some serious damage. A sense of balance is not something we’re all equipped with, so as you age, falls can be a real sense of anxiety. However, there are lots of things you can do to prevent falling by improving your balance.

A 10-year published study has shown that if people embrace six positive lifestyle choices the rate of memory decline slows.

It is often a gradual realisation that a parent is not coping as well as they used to at home. Even when you consider that a parent, or parents, might need some form of care there are more hurdles to overcome. Your parent, or parents, may vehemently disagree and your own partner may not support your thinking.

As we get older, taking care of our bodies becomes more important than ever. One way to do that is by incorporating exercise into our daily routines. Exercise can help us maintain muscle mass, bone density, and cardiovascular health, while also improving our balance, flexibility, and overall wellbeing.

Alino Living’s residential aged care facility Killarney Court in Killarney Vale on the NSW Central Coast welcomed two 12-week-old King Charles Cavalier puppies to its 60-people community this month.

Eating healthy is not only essential for maintaining good physical health, but it also plays a crucial role in supporting your cognitive function and memory retention. So, it's essential to incorporate healthy eating habits into your lifestyle to ensure that your brain is functioning at its best.

Falls are common in older people and they can be prevented. Unsafe footwear greatly contributes to the risk of falling. Inappropriate footwear, such as high heels or shoes that are too tight or too heavy, can make the foot or ankle unstable. It can also cause or worsen corns, bunions or other painful conditions, which have been shown to increase a senior’s risk of falling as well.

Located in Harrow northwest of London, Sai Ram Villa opened its doors recently with one major difference – there is no meat being served up in this aged care home (nursing home). Owner Sandip Ruparelia runs 16 nursing homes across the UK and has over three decades of experience in running them in the local area. So why did he decided to open a vegetarian-only home? “I have had a dream of opening a home in Harrow that serves vegetarian food only. Harrow is a very multicultural community and this home is open to everyone,” he said.

The CSIRO have unveiled the results of their annual Healthy Diet Score and it’s not good news for anyone. The survey of 86,000 people found 99 per cent of Australians were eating too much junk food – with alcohol the main discretionary food for those 30 and up – with an average score of only 59 out of 100. But when it comes to the old story that the over-50’s are the biggest drinkers, the data proved otherwise with those aged 31 to 50 edging out the older generation. 51 to 71-year-olds had an average of 17.6 serves of alcohol a week – the younger group had 19.9 a week. A daily tipple?

Australia’s first over-50 golf and country club to be built on Queensland’s Gold Coast QLD-based land lease developer Halcyon will build the village at Mirvac’s Gainsborough Greens community at Pimpama, 50km south of Brisbane. The 46 hectares (114 acres) site will be Halcyon’s eighth community and largest with over 500 homes. The deal includes the Gainsborough Greens Golf Club, 18-hole golf course and 34 hectares of residential development land.

65-year-old retiree finds new passion – designing stylish hospital gowns Bob Beveridge, a retired army sergeant, had the idea for Hospital Glamour after his wife and co-founder Sharon broke her wrist in five places and landed herself in hospital. In pain and trapped in an old, frayed gown that she couldn’t fasten up herself, she found herself feeling depressed and embarrassed. “My wife just wanted to feel more like herself in hospital which made me question why the outdated hospital gowns had never been updated over the years or designed better to ensure a bit of dignity,” Mr Beveridge says.

MiCare and Villa Maria Catholic Homes (VMCH) will take over Yarra Ranges Council’s aged care services starting next month. The local government in Melbourne’s outer eastern and northeastern suburbs is one of many in Victoria pulling out of aged care due to the Federal Government’s upcoming Support at Home program. Starting 1 July, Domestic Assistance, Individual Social Support, Personal Care and Respite Care services will be provided by MiCare and VMCH, while Property Maintenance and Home Modification services will be delivered by Uniting AgeWell.

Residents at Helping Hand’s Lealholme aged care home in Port Pirie, South Australia, will have an easier time getting around town with a new accessible 12-seater bus.

A group from Catholic Healthcare’s Jemalong aged care home in Forbes, NSW, has enjoyed a hot air balloon flight thanks to the provider’s “MyWish” program.

A new gallery room at Regis Rosebud aged care home in Capel Sound, Victoria, is giving residents a place to display their handiwork from art therapy.

Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) has now been legalised in all six states – but not the territories – with NSW passing its own bill in a conscience vote after protracted debate. From the end of 2023, VAD will available to all adults who are suffering due to terminal illnesses with prognoses of less than six months (or twelve months for degenerative neurological conditions), and give voluntary and enduring consent.

A new resource has been launched to help aged care providers deliver more inclusive and diverse care. The Inclusive Health and Ageing website, set up by Not For Profit provider Bolton Clarke with Government funding, includes information, resources, and research for aged care professionals and consumers about caring for people with diverse backgrounds. According to Bolton Clarke Principal Advisor Wellness and Reablement Kath Paine, the site helps carers better understand people’s individual needs through the intersection of diversity characteristics.

Home care workers at Goodwin Aged Care in Canberra will have a new, greener way to get around, with utility company ActewAGL and Council on the Ageing (COTA) teaming up to provide a free Hyundai Ioniq electric car for the next 12 months. Part of a new pilot program, the car will be used by nurses to deliver home care services in and around Canberra, with an ActewAGL charging station also in the bargain. According to Goodwin Chief Operating Officer Stephen Holmes, Goodwin is moving towards more environmentally-friendly aged care, including at its Goodwin Village site in Farrer.

As the Australian population continues to age, home care provider Five Good Friends has launched a recruitment drive seeking 750 new carers. Five Good Friends, which currently employs just over 1000 care staff, is looking to double that number in the next few years as the over-65 population approaches 20 per cent by 2030. According to CEO Simon Lockyer, the company wants to build out its ranks to avoid being caught short when demand spikes in the future.

A qualified dietitian is joining the 11-person Aged Care Quality and Safety Advisory Council, to offer her expertise in best-practice nutrition for aged care. Julie Dundon (pictured), Subject Matter Lead – Aged Care at Dietitians Australia, has loong been a campaigner for better nutrition standards in residential care homes, including annual food audits and mandatory malnutrition screening. Dietitians Australia Chief Executive Officer Robert Hunt described her as a “fierce advocate and tenacious champion” against malnutrition, which he labelled a “silent abuser”.

The Federal Government is investing $273.1 million over four years to provide subsidised continuous glucose monitoring devices to all 130,000 Australians with Type 1 diabetes. The devices, which monitor blood glucose levels without the need for finger pricks and previously cost up to $5,000 per year, will now be accessible by Australians aged 21 years and over through pharmacies for a co-payment of $32.50 per month, or $390 per year.

A World War II veteran has released a memoir of his extraordinary life to coincide with his 100th birthday.

Queensland-based Not For Profit Carinity has launched its 2022 Chaplains Appeal, seeking donations to support its chaplaincy programs in aged care and other settings. Carinity’s chaplains have provided spiritual services to aged care communities as well as schools, hospitals, and prisons across Queensland during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aged care chaplains such as Gill Johnson (pictured right) offer both guidance and friendly chats to residents, the provider says. “Our residents have complex needs: physical, psychological, social, and spiritual.

The Rotary Club of West Mount Gambier has donated 40 music therapy headsets to South Australian aged care provider Boandik for people with dementia. The headsets, funded by a community drive as well as a Rotary Foundation District Grant, can play preloaded and personalised music and will be used for music intervention to improve the lives of residents with dementia and their caregivers. According to Boandik’s dementia specialist, Vincent Taylor, music not only evokes memories but stimulates many different parts of the brain at the same time.

The aged care sector has a new industry peak body to advocate for reform, with Aged & Community Services Australia (ACSA) and Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) joining together as the Aged & Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) from the beginning of this month.

The Maggie Beer Foundation has partnered with Altura Learning to launch online training modules for aged care chefs and improve the food quality in residential homes. The resource, Aged care skills for cooks and chefs, features Maggie Beer herself alongside qualified chefs and dietitians, and includes 11 video training modules and assessments, with the aim of improving food standards for aged care residents. Maggie (pictured right) said older Australians deserve flavourful, nutritious food. “I’ve made it my mission to improve the lives of an entire generation of people living in aged care.

The title of a booklet caught my eye recently. It read, “I’m old, not stupid – What older people think but don’t say.” It describes itself as the ‘must read book’ for family members with elderly relatives. The title pulled me up because it echoed my own irritation about the way many ‘younger’ people so often speak to and interact with older people. As if older people (whatever age that is), despite their many decades and depth of experience on the planet, are somehow no longer normal, intelligent adults.

Australians self-managing their Home Care Packages (HCPs) feel like they receive greater choice, more control, lower costs and more consistency of care than they would from traditional home care packages managed by providers.

“That which does not kill us, makes us stronger,” said the 18th century German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche and I think that applies to the message at the heart of last week’s National Palliative Care Weekwhich was: Dying to talk: Talking about dying won’t kill you.

A Queensland aged care home has set up a model train room with the help of Dementia Support Australia (DSA) to help residents keep their minds active.

Following a successful five-year pilot, the New Zealand Ministry of Health has approved a new “small town” model for dementia care villages.

Aged care residents with mental illness are finding it hard to access mental health services, with a new study finding that less than three per cent of residents with mental health conditions obtained treatment in 2016/17.

As the latest COVID-19 wave continues, the Federal Department of Health and Aged Care will begin publishing vaccination rates for individual residential aged care homes.

At 99 years of age, Norma Clark has lived a wonderful life filled with love, happiness and family.

Moving into residential aged care can be a challenging and emotional decision for the person moving as well as their family, friends and carers.

Aged care truths: Apply for care as soon as you first think you or a loved one may need it

Some older Australians receiving the Age Pension can expect a boost in their payments as significant increases in Centrelink eligibility thresholds come into effect in the new financial year.

Enrolling in classes and courses, whether in person or online, can help retirees stay socially connected, learn new skills, and maintain good health.

What will aged care look like in 2040? Demographer Simon Kuestenmacher, co-founder of The Demographics Group, has some predictions.

New research by Colonial First State has discovered that most people approaching retirement age have no idea if they are entitled to the Age Pension.

Regis, which is one of the largest aged care operators in Australia, has launched a new initiative to host a major event every quarter, inviting residents from all its Western Australian homes to join in.

It is very rare for an ageing parent to put their hand up and ask for help. The likely reality is that the decision to move mum or dad into an aged care home generally comes after a sudden event that forces the family into action. Often this causes considerable stress for both the older person and the family as they try to navigate the system.

One of the questions we often hear at AgedCare101 is: “Can I gift some money to my children or grandchildren without impacting on my Pension or aged care costs?” If a person wants to “gift” assets to family or friends, it could potentially affect your pension and/or aged care costs so it is important to understand the implications of any gifting.

Shaz Hobbs, a Care Worker at Akooramak Care of Older Persons facility in Warwick, 139km southwest of Brisbane, loves her job.

Guide Park Playspace in the seaside town of Wonthaggi, 132km southeast of Melbourne, which is linked to Rose Lodge Aged Care Home, won the National Landscape Architecture Award for Play Spaces at a ceremony in Adelaide, SA, earlier this month.

Led by its President Rosemary Bain, the RM Begg Auxiliary Group of 20 dedicated members are drawn together to raise funds and provide support for the aged care home’s residents in the town of Kyneton, 87km northwest of Melbourne.

When loved ones suddenly need to enter residential aged care, families often face some tough decisions. The situation can be even complex when early onset dementia is in the picture. However, as one couple discovered, seeking expert financial advice can result in not only substantial financial savings but also peace of mind.

The Department of Health and Aged Care and the Maggie Beer Foundation have jointly launched online modules to instruct cooks and chefs working at aged care homes and improve the food being served to residents. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells and TV chef Maggie Beer were at the launch of the Maggie Beer Foundation Aged Care Cook and Chef Support Program at Eldercare’s aged care home in Seaford, 32km from Adelaide, this week.

When a family member enters residential aged care, deciding what to do with the former family home is important, from an emotional, lifestyle and financial perspective.

Older people deemed to be at risk of developing dementia who were given hearing aids and counselling had less cognitive decline over a three-year period, a randomised trial has found.

Did you know thar you start to lose muscle mass as early as age 35? This loss escalates after 50, reaching up to 8% each year between 50 to 70. This can impact on your strength and your risk of frailty and falls and fractures as you age.

If you want to be directly involved in the reform of aged care, the Australian Government wants to hear from you.

One in three people who notice symptoms of dementia in themselves or a loved one keep their fears to themselves for a month or longer, an Alzheimer's Society survey in the UK found.

Tens of thousands of people, of all ages, such as 90-year-old Lily Burns and 20-year-old Charlise Hannagan, volunteer in aged care homes.

Whether it’s in Residential Aged Care homes or out in the community, nurses do an incredible job. Friday May 13 marks International Nurses Day.

Dementia Australia’s biggest national fundraising event Memory Walk & Jog has raised more than $1 million with the target of $1.7 million in sight.

With more than one million Australians receiving in-home aged care, a lack of access to effective mental health treatments that meet their needs is a growing concern.

That’s the question asked in this wonderful video from Uniting, the services and advocacy arm of the Uniting Church NSW & ACT. It does come with a ‘tearjerker’ warning though. One of a series created by the group, each talk is designed to encourage “courageous action” by Uniting staff. In this clip, Hugh, who works for Newpin, a program helping reunite fathers with their children who have been taken into foster care, meets with Marianne, a doctor working in an injecting centre. The video goes for six minutes, but is worth every second. You can watch it here. Check it out HERE.

St. Vincent’s Health Australia and CatholicCare have teamed up for a project that will allow up to 120 Syrian and Iraqi refugees to be temporarily housed at St Vincent’s Care Services’ Eltham village and aged care homes (nursing homes) in northeast Melbourne. The plan, which was approved by the State Government’s Planning Minister Richard Wynne last week, will see the refugees move into rented accommodation in sixty vacant units at the site for between six months to two years.

At PresCare we’re about you and the people you love. We connect people with the services they need to live the way they choose. Whether it’s organising some help with housework, or assistance with transport to appointments or even choosing a residential community, you’ll find PresCare people listen carefully and work hard to tailor a combination of services that suit the unique needs, tastes and personalities of those we support. PresCare is a Ministry of the Presbyterian Church of Queensland and we’ve been helping Queenslanders live the way they choose since 1929.

One in three pensioners are living in extreme poverty – could you end up being one of them? Imagine being forced to live with no hot water, missing meals to pay for medication or mashing your food to eat because you can’t afford to go to the dentist. It’s the reality for many of us living on the Age Pension, according to a new study by Per Capita, The Benevolent Society and The Longevity Hub.

New Zealand has come out second overall in the latest PwC Golden Age Index which looked at how 34 OECD countries were making the most of employees 55 and over, jumping from 9th in 2003. Australia is sitting at 15th. So how did the Kiwis get this result ? Incentives for older workers The report showed nearly 40 percent of New Zealanders were working until they are 70, compared to our full-time rate of 7% for people over 65. It concluded NZ’s good record for allowing older workers flexible working arrangements and a relatively low gender pay gap were the reason behind the jump.

Did you know six men take their own lives in our country a day? That’s 2,200 every year. A new three-part documentary series is shining a light on this sobering statistic with the goal of getting men to open up and talk about their feelings – and be able to ask for help when they need it. Screening on the ABC, ‘Man Up’ is hosted by radio personality Gus Worland, who has his own personal story to share with viewers. Nine years ago, his best friend took his own life at the age of 53. “He was a hero to me. This awesome, untouchable, always positive guy.

Do you feel lonely? The answers is likely to be yes, a new survey says The survey by charity Lifeline found most people felt lonely – and they didn’t want to talk about it. The national survey, which was released last week and received responses from 3,100 people, found about 60 per cent of participants “often felt lonely” while over 80 per cent felt that loneliness was

Delivering clinical care excellence is at the heart of high quality aged care. Embedding quality clinical governance is vital for the sustainability and growth of aged care organisations. It requires a mindset of innovation and improvement, creating a coherent framework and of fostering a proactive atmosphere where new ideas can be embraced. Accurate and timely documentation is a critical aspect of quality clinical care. It is well known that paper documentation of a client’s clinical history can be error-prone and very costly.

How should you communicate with a person who has dementia? A diagnosis of dementia is almost always a life changing shock – not just for the person who has been diagnosed but for family, friends and colleagues.

That’s how big four houses being built next to Gosford Hospital on the NSW Central Coast will be after the local Council gave the green light to the project by the Tiny Homes Foundation (THF), which is designed to create more affordable housing for the homeless. Measuring just 14sqm each, the houses will be constructed for $30,000 and include a kitchen, bathroom, bed, lounge and verandah plus a shared lounge, laundry/workshop and community vegetable gardens. The prefabricated units are also simple to assemble with a proposal to let students in work programs build the units.

Cohousing, multi-generational homes and high rise apartments – there are some interesting trends emerging in the way ordinary Australians are choosing to live.

Kay Shaylor, a 62-year-old aged care nurse from Umina Beach on the NSW Central Coast, devoted her life to helping others, but it failed to prevent two lowlifes robbing her as she was trapped in the wreckage of her car at North Gosford. Ms Shaylor had been heading to her job at the Chamberlain Gardens nursing home at Wyoming on September 3 when she was hit head-on with another car. She later died in hospital from her injuries.

Activus Transport is a not for profit organisation based in Sutherland Shire in Sydney. We have a proud tradition of providing transport to those people in the community who require additional assistance with their transport needs. The organisation was founded in 1988 with donations from a local Rotary club and the service has now grown to a fleet of 21 vehicles including wheelchair specific vehicles, buses with hoists and additional features such as lower steps and grab rails.

Launceston teacher Joan Webb completed her PhD at the University of Tasmania using her experience of teaching creative writing classes to aged care residents. She had begun her Master’s in her late 80’s and finished it in two years, but was only inspired to go onto her doctorate after she began teaching weekly writing classes to residents at two aged care homes (nursing homes). Searching out older students “There are people in high care who have lost a massive amount of their physical capacity, and still have the most amazing ideas and creativity within them,” she told the ABC.

80-year-old man with dementia lands record deal after ‘Carpool Karaoke’ video finds Internet fame Ted McDermott – known as Teddy Mac, the Songaminute Man – instantly became a worldwide viral hit after videos posted by his son Simon of the pair singing got nearly 40 million views. Now the former Butlin’s redcoat and holiday camp entertainer has released a cover of the Frank

A Ukrainian refugee grandmother has turned 90 in Australia after finding a new home at Regis Nedlands in Perth. Tamara Plastovets, who came to Perth in April with her daughter Olena, joined her granddaughters and their families following a long journey and was soon placed in Regis Nedlands after a meeting with Nedlands Mayor Fiona Argyle, Ukrainian ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko, and the local Ukrainian association. Olena Yukhymets, Tamara’s granddaughter, said it felt “like a miracle” to have found her grandmother somewhere to live close to her and her sister’s homes.

There’s no place like home, Dorothy reminded us in The Wizard of Oz… but what and where do we call home? And is it changing?

RetireAustralia is aiming to challenge people’s preconceptions of aged care with a new campaign for its Glengara Care home in Tumbi Umbi, on the NSW Central Coast. The “Your Care Factor” campaign contrasts stereotypical images of lonely and isolated older people with pictures of Glengara residents socialising and living independently. RetireAustralia CEO Brett Robinson hopes the “provocative” ads will spur viewers to think about their loved ones’ care. “People often have pre-conceived ideas of what aged care looks like, and many consider it a last resort.

Residents and employees at the Regis Playford aged care home in South Australia have been treated to an Indigenous cooking demonstration for NAIDOC Week.

As the years have passed, how many times have you muttered expletives about the design of some ordinary, everyday item that has no regard for the older user?

The first aged care workers to arrive from the Solomon Islands in years have touched down in Australia, where they will help fill gaps in the Australian workforce. Brought to the Northern Territory under the Federal Government’s Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme, the 12 graduates from the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC)’s campus in Suva, Fiji, have each completed a Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community).

NewDirection Care (NDC) is showing off its “MicroTown” model for aged care at Bellmere, Queensland, saying it offers resident-focused, lifestyle-oriented care. NDC Bellmere features 17 houses in an integrated community with shops, café, cinema, barber, salon, and wellness centre. According to CEO and founder Natasha Chadwick, it represents a radical departure from “institutional buildings filled with dozens of patients”.

HammondCare’s residential aged care home in Darlinghurst has a new $84,000 minibus – which has been named after a beloved former resident who had longed to see it happen. Dubbed “The Rolls Roy”, the $84,000 minibus – which bears the numberplate ROY 1 – was handed over by HammondCare CEO Mike Baird in honour of Roy Allen, the self-appointed former concierge of HammondCare Darlinghurst. “We had this wonderful resident who used to be with us – his name was Roy.

Australia’s largest Not For Profit health and aged care services provider, Catholic Health Australia, has launched a new campaign to push for better aged care ahead of the May 21 Federal Election. CHA – which has more than 25,000 aged care beds and 60,000 residents across its homes – started the Fight for Better Aged Care campaign to urge election candidates to commit publicly to improving aged care worker pay and training. According to CHA CEO Pat Garcia (pictured), now is the time to make sure your local candidates support making aged care better for all Australians.

Australians self-managing their Home Care Packages (HCPs) feel like they receive greater choice, more control, lower costs and more consistency of care than they would from traditional home care packages managed by providers. This is the result of a study, undertaken by Dr Sarah Russell from Research Matters, and commissioned by Mable, an online platform that connects people with home care services. The study looked at the lived experience of 30 Australians self-managing with Mable.

A new pilot program from HammondCare and Greyhound Rescue will see aged care residents – including those with dementia – given support and engagement from rescued greyhounds. Funded by a grant from Australian Ethical, the Australian-first Hounds Helping Humans program will run as a pilot at select HammondCare homes with specially selected residents and greyhounds; the dogs have been trained for the sights and sounds they can expect to experience in aged care homes.

Killarney Memorial Aged Care (KMAC), in Queensland’s Southern Downs, will be able to build a new memory support unit thanks to a generous donation.

Regis Hurstville in Sydney has established a relationship with Gumnut Early Learning Centre to form connections between residents and kids. With intergenerational activities providing benefits to both old and young people, the provider says it has been very fortunate to work with Gumnut for a recent meet-up. “Our residents were delighted to be greeted by the kids in both Chinese and English and the storytelling from both generations was a real highlight for everyone.

Not For Profit provider Bolton Clarke has showcased aged care and retirement living options to Brisbane seniors at its first ever Bolton Clarke Moreton Shores Seniors Expo. The expo, which included stalls on Bolton Clarke services as well as mobility scooters, ready meals, local community groups and men’s sheds, and other organisations, aimed to provide a “one-stop-shop” for seniors’ questions on different areas of ageing and support, said Assistant Village Manager Debbie Grice.

An 81-year-old Carinity Home Care client has released a second print run of her memoir discussing her mental health issues and experience with childhood sexual abuse.

The Movember Foundation has launched a confronting new video to highlight the high suicide rate for men. Called ‘Suicide notes talk too late’, the video is designed to encourage men not to keep silent when things get hard and reach out to others.

They couldn’t get to the Queensland Agricultural Show themselves – but residents at Bolton Clarke Inverpine aged care home still got the Ekka experience when the show came to them.

There’s a new name for a prominent aged care legal advocacy group, with Aged-care Legal Advocacy & Reform Matter (ALARM) revealing its new, snappier branding: Aged Care Justice.

Heritage Care’s new aged care home in Northcote, Melbourne, has welcomed its first resident. Brian Comas (pictured centre) has moved into Heritage Northcote, supported by his wife Irmgard and daughters Yvette and Letitia. According to Brian, the staff were attentive and thoughtful on his first day at his new home.

Aged care workers around Australia have been celebrated as part of Aged Care Employee Day on Sunday 7 August.

Professor Anton Peleg. from Monash University's School of Translational Medicine, has received a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) 2023 Targeted Call for Research Improving Infection Prevention and Control in Residential Aged Care Homes grant.

During Wound Awareness Week (2-8 September), Uniting NSW.ACT has shone a spotlight on its ‘wound care warriors’: 420 highly trained nurses who work across its services using their knowledge and skills to help reduce the significant physical, emotional and economic impact chronic wounds have on individuals, their families and the health care sector.

Prescription drug Ozempic, which is used to treat Type 2 diabetes and obesity, could also slow down the process of ageing, researchers believe.

Retired nurse Margaret Williamson is undergoing a medical trial which may revolutionalise the treatment of dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease, the leading cause of death for women in Australia.

The Victorian Not For Profit has received $192,000 from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care to trial telehealth in eight of its 14 residential aged care homes.

The efforts a community has made to reopen an aged care home that had been empty since April 2022 deserve recognition.

Most of us have a wish to pass away peacefully at home but many of Australians die in hospital or residential aged care – now a proposed national framework is aiming to increase the number of elderly people passing away at home.

Physical activity is known to ease knee pain and joint stiffness yet only one in 10 people regularly exercise.

The Australian Government’s Institute of Health and Welfare has issued its Injury in Australia report which revealed the main cause of injury in 2022-2023 was falls.

Memory can falter as people age. Forgetfulness is a scary experience, however, there are ways to fight memory loss and improve your recollections.

An international research team led by Queen Mary University of London, UK, has developed a new method for predicting dementia with an over 80 per cent accuracy and up to nine years before diagnosis.

There is evidence that there is another early severe flu season in 2024 and people are urged to get their annual vaccination.

It is the policy of the Australian Government and the wish of most people to remain in their home for as long as possible.

Ask Annie, a free and interactive app developed by Dementia Australia’s Centre for Dementia Learning, is now freely accessible to aged care workers looking to develop their person-centred care for those living with dementia.

A global cycling movement aimed at giving aged care residents the chance to enjoy cycling in the outdoors and meet new people has launched at Bolton Clarke’s Gosling Creek aged care in Orange, 254km west of Sydney.

It’s always advisable to ask what activities are available at the aged care facility being considered for a loved one. At Uniting NSW.ACT’s The Marion aged care facility in Leichhardt, in Sydney’s Inner West, there’s a theatre group.

Aged care residents take part in world-first Laughter Care program

Gwenda Darling, who lives in the NSW Riverina region in south-western NSW, lives with behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia. She has previously given evidence to the aged care Royal Commission about her experience – now she is helping the Government to advise aged care providers on how to design better aged care homes for people living with dementia.

Free education packages developed by the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre at the University of Tasmania, delivered through Equip Aged Care Learning Packages, and commissioned by the Department of Health and Aged Care, are now available.

With nearly 30 years of experience offering dementia care in small cottages in NSW and Victoria, Not For Profit provider HammondCare has opened South Australia’s first dementia village in the Adelaide suburb of Daw Park.

The love and dedication of workers to improve the health of residents in residential aged care often goes unnoticed. Joan Powell moved to Baptistcare William Carey Court Residential Care in Busselton, a city on the southwest tip of Western Australia last year, after her poor health meant she could no longer be cared for safely at home.

In what is being termed a defining moment for the treatment of dementia, trial results of a new drug have offered some people at least a year of extra time without their disease progressing.

Social connection with others is beneficial at any age, but for our senior Australians, it's instrumental in maintaining positive health and overall well-being. Determined to make a difference to the lives of seniors, award-winning aged care provider Whiddon, is promoting International Men's Health Week (12 June – 18 June) with its 'Age Well, Together' campaign.

If a person, or couple, think it is getting closer to consider entering residential aged care, it is reasonable to assume they will be mindful of their financial assets. For example, their home.

In astonishing news, there is a drug currently in clinical trial testing that seems to indicate the possibility to slow decline in people in Alzheimer’s disease – something that is a great first step in tackling the disease. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, affects up to 1 in 10 Australians over 65 years of age. This increases to 3 in 10 over 85 years, according to estimates from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Kidney Health Australia is urging adults to take a simple two-minute online test to determine if they are at risk of developing kidney disease. Of the 2 million – or one in 10 – Australian adults affected by kidney disease, 1.8 million are completely unaware of it – likely due to the lack of symptoms.

An estimated 110 Australians have a heart attack daily.

The technology in mobile phones is being seen as a vital tool for monitoring health and it can already detect heart disease, Australia’s biggest killer.

Fear of cancer reoccurring is one of the most common and debilitating concerns cancer survivors have. It is not always easy to identify in practice if a cancer is to reoccur as it is not closely related to cancer type, stage or treatment, and there can be reluctance from both survivors and clinicians to discuss it.

Concentric Rehabilitation offers a variety of services to the residents of Homestyle Aged Care. Concentric provides private rehabilitation services across all Homestyle sites, with a Wellness Centre soon to be opening at Sea Views Manor at Ocean Grove, Geelong.

Helpful resources to help people living with dementia and their loved ones will be available at a free initiative by Sydney-based Northern Beaches Dementia Alliance (NBDA).

Most people don’t according to a study by charity Independent Age[1] found many older people avoided talking about incapacity and ageing. The survey of 2,000 people revealed over 60 per cent of 65-plus people hadn’t discussed their end-of-life wishes with their family. Another quarter had no plans to talk about it. The conversation we have to have While it’s a hard topic to bring up at the dinner table, the fact is we will all die and accidents and sudden illness can affect us at any age.

Researchers are cautioning older people, particularly men, to be careful around the home after a new study showed the number of people suffering a ladder-related fall has jumped by nearly 50 per cent in the past ten years. Published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, the research by Queensland’s University of Technology found there had been a steep rise, from 3,374 hospitalisations in 2002/03 up to 4,945 in 2011/12 – an increase of 47 per cent. The group most in danger were men aged over 60.

Looking at art can benefit people with dementia by taking away the anxiety of trying to recall things, a study on the dementia access program run by the Art Gallery of New South Wales has found. Dr Gail Kenning from the University of Technology in Sydney conducted the study of the program, which has been running at 2010, said the findings showed people were able to experience the “in the moment” pleasure of looking at art, rather than worry about memory.

University of Tasmania’s dementia course listed in most popular 50 online courses internationally The university’s free online course Understanding Dementia has been ranked as one of the top 50 online courses of all time. It was also listed highest in the health and medical category in the rankings put together by open online course (MOOC) aggregator Class Central. The nine-week course has drawn over 70,000 people from 170 countries since it began in 2013 and was developed by the University’s Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre.

Architectural practice ThomsonAdsett appoints Ann-Maree Ruffles to its Seniors Living portfolio The new Group Director has over three decades of experience, including 20 years running her own practice designing luxury homes, multi-residential apartments and disability housing. ThomsonAdsett is a local firm that is now the second largest internationally for retirement and aged care, with over 1,000 in their portfolio. They also have a number of village, care and hospital developments in Asia, many of which are eclipsing Australia in their advanced technology.

Technology Assisting Disability WA (TADWA) is a not for profit organisation whose purpose is to enrich lives through solutions for independence for people with disabilities, older people and those caring for them, through the application of technology and the skills of volunteers and staff. Since 1984, TADWA has provided customised aids, equipment and technology designed to assist you in getting the best possible solution to meet your individual needs.

With $1.2 billion cuts to aged care funding this year, and home care set to see considerable changes in February 2017, the Australian College of Nursing (ACN) is pushing for nurses to be given a greater say in our changing health and aged care sectors. So what is the key to their plan? They have released a white paper titled ‘Nurses are Essential in Health and Aged Care Reform’ designed to highlight the critical role our 360,000 nurses play in the health system – and encourage the Federal Government and healthcare groups to invite nurses to the table when it comes to implementing new reforms.

Given the remarkable pace of medicine breakthroughs I am quietly confident they will achieve this goal. Maybe in time to save me – and of course the other 1 million Australians predicted to be diagnosed with dementia in my lifetime. Can you imagine that?

The disease is also expected to become our leading cause of death within five years. In the latest annual report on death, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released figures showing that 12,625 people died from the disease last year alone. In 2015, the death rate for dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, jumped to 40.1 deaths per 100,000 people, up from 28.6 in

Clarence Care and Support is an independent and not for profit organisation that enables individuals and families to achieve a lifestyle of their choice. Every individual that connects with Clarence Care and Support is looking for the assistance they need to enrich their lives. The services we provide help them live and choose their lifestyle and remain living in their community. We are here. We are here to listen. We are here to act. We are here to help. We are here for you. We will create a care plan that suits each individual’s and family’s needs.

Regular medication reviews of aged care residents can lower the risk of death, according to a study from the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).

Telehealth appointments for COVID-19 antiviral treatments will from next week be covered by Medicare until the end of October.

The Australian Aged Care Collaboration (AACC) has launched an aged care scorecard, tracking the commitments made by Labor, the Coalition, and the Greens on delivering Royal Commission reforms. The scorecard measures whether each party has committed to a list of six reforms – fully, substantially, partially, or not at all.

The Federal Government has placed two COVID-19 antiviral drugs on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for people over 70, to expand access to the treatments. The oral pills will also be made available on the PBS to people aged over 50 with two or more risk factors for severe disease and Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people aged over 30 with two or more risk factors for severe disease; people over 18 with compromised immune systems may also be eligible.

Not For Profit aged care provider Bolton Clarke has partnered with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to increase evidence-based aged care nursing practices. Bolton Clarke and QUT have appointed Dr Linda Schnitker (pictured, centre right) to a conjoint research position to develop knowledge that will help staff better care for older people. Linda, an academic at QUT’s School of Nursing, is also a dementia care research leader and an advocate for aged care nursing careers.

NSW is set to pour an extra $743 million into palliative care to 2027, in addition to the $300 million the State Government already spends on end-of-life care every year. Premier Dominic Perrottet (pictured) announced the funding for this month’s State Budget, which will be released on 21 June. “We’re committed to ensuring NSW has the best palliative care services and support in Australia, if not the world.

Some good news for aged care residents worried about COVID outbreaks: the Federal Government’s emergency leave provisions have been extended another 12 months.

Ambulance Victoria is rolling out a new system to better triage Triple Zero (000) emergency calls from people in aged care homes. The Residential Aged Care Enhanced Response (RACER) pathway will see Referral Services Triage Practitioners either dispatch an ambulance or direct callers to other services such as Residential-In-Reach or the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED).

Aged care residents with mental illness are finding it hard to access mental health services, with a new study finding that less than three per cent of residents with mental health conditions obtained treatment in 2016/17.

NSW has become the latest state to lift COVID-19 vaccination restrictions for aged care home visitors, joining Victoria and Queensland. Unvaccinated visitors will now be allowed, though are still “strongly encouraged” to have received jabs for both COVID and the seasonal flu; visitors should also provide evidence of a negative rapid antigen test just before entry.  

As the latest COVID-19 wave continues, the Federal Department of Health and Aged Care will begin publishing vaccination rates for individual residential aged care homes.

Anyone who watched the opening episode of Maggie Beer’s Big Mission on ABC, will remember how she recoiled in disgust when she first tasted the lunch food being served to residents at Meath Care's Dr Mary Surveyor Centre in Kingsley, 20km from Perth, Western Australia.

Paula Duncan, who is perhaps best known in the role of Detective Danni Francis in ‘Cop Shop’ (1977-83), celebrated her 72nd birthday in September.

To help offset the rising cost of living, the Age Pension will rise when the latest indexation takes effect on 20 September 2024.

The fourth annual event by peak body Aged & Community Care Providers Australia recognising the caring and professional work of over 280,000 aged care staff was held across the country on Wednesday.

The peak body for residential aged care operators will hold an annual Aged Care Employees Day on Wednesday 7 August, which will feature for the first time Excellence Awards.

Perri Waddell has dedicated her career to aged care, to personally building her knowledge and experience, to providing excellent care to her residents, and to training and coaching others.

With residential aged care beds already beyond a scarcity in the NSW Illawarra region, and the situation likely to be replicated across the nation in the future with more than one in four people aged over 65 in two years’ time, new or forgotten initiatives must be brought out.

The Department of Health and Aged Care has announced that it wants people in residential aged care, Home Care Package recipients, the carers, and their families to give their feedback on:

It turns out our bee industry is the only one worldwide that hasn’t been hit by the varroa mite, which has killed masses of colonies in the US and Europe.

The ride service, popular with young professionals, has launched a phone-booking facility designed to attract more older people.

Federal Government is planning for the new Aged Care Act to come into force on 1 July 2024. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety found that the current Aged Care Act is no longer fit for purpose.

If your ageing loved ones, be they your parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles, are becoming frailer in their mental and physical health, perhaps it is time over the holiday period to discuss their future needs.

At AgedCare101, there’s a question that we are asked more than any other: "Do we have to sell our family home to enter aged care?" The second most-asked question is: “Will the family home be counted in the means test for aged care?”

The latest assurance review of the Home Care Packages Program and the Pricing Transparency on the Government’s My Aged Care portal is advising existing or potential care recipients to carefully check pricing information on its website.

When it comes to aged care planning, it's not only the emotional toll that families have to confront but also a maze of financial complexities. In a recent case, a family found this out the hard way

You may now be eligible after increases to the income threshold for the Card, which can save couples up to $4,000 a year on health costs. The income threshold for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, which was indexed in line with inflation on 20 September, sees the threshold for singles rise to $95,400 from $90,000, and to $152,640 for couples, from $144,000.

The Federal Government’s Aged Care Taskforce is currently reviewing funding arrangements for aged care and developing options for a better system – and they want your help.

Making the decision to place an ageing parent into residential care because they can no longer live independently at home is not an easy one – and is often complicated by the finances involved. It’s a good idea to consider obtaining financial advice – here, we share a case study where the family saved thousands of dollars, but only after seeking professional help.

On 1 July, there will be changes to the aged pension system that directly impacts individuals aged 60 and above. The pension rate remains the same, but the thresholds that determine how much pension is paid have been adjusted to cover for the rate of inflation, now 7%.

It is only May, but already $88.7 million has been stolen from people through investment scams, by far the most popular form of theft.

Nearly three-quarters of all Australians are willing to sacrifice their own inheritance so their parents and grandparents can enjoy the retirement they deserve, according to a new report by B2B aged care service CompliSpace.

Some surgeons are hitting patients with thousands of dollars in fees while others charge nothing – why is the gap so wide? Australians pay more for medical procedures like prostate surgery, heart bypasses and hip and knee replacements than the US and Europe[1]. There are also huge variations between states. In the ACT, patients had out-of-pocket costs of $2802 for endoscopic prostate procedures – in South Australia it was only $183. A number of recent reports highlight the discrepancies in specialists’ fees.

WA Labor announces policy to free up government buildings and land for nursing homes The Opposition says the plan will fast-track new facilities by converting existing government buildings and land into nursing homes if it wins next year’s election in March. The Opposition leader Mark McGowan (pictured) has also vowed to reduce red tape for developers, saying they were being put off by the regulations under local government planning schemes.

Second jury dismissed in case of NSW aged care nurse accused of murder The trial of Megan Haines, 49, who is accused of murdering two women at a north coast nursing home, has been shifted to Sydney for a third trial after the first two juries were dismissed. It’s alleged the nurse gave lethal insulin injections to 82-year-old Marie Darragh and 77-year-old Isabella Spencer at the St Andrews aged care centre at Ballina in May 2014.

The Australian Taxation Office has come out in top in the continuing battle over whether retirement village developers can claim the 10 per cent GST on their costs, the same as normal housing. Last week, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in Brisbane found the case in favour of the Tax Office, but developers are certain to appeal the decision in the Federal Court. While Not For Profits developers can recover the money spent on projects, private developers can’t which put them at a disadvantage according to Matthew Cridland, the head of GST in Australia for law firm, DLA Piper (pictured).

Private health cover costs have risen 35 per cent since 2010 – are consumers being ripped off? That’s well above the inflation rate. Australians paid a massive $22 billion in premiums over the last financial year. In the latest rate rise approved by the Federal Government back in April, that figure increased by another 5.59% – for the average family, that works out to an extra $200 a year they need to pay. However, average household income grew by just 1.8 per cent during the same time. We’re also getting less return for our hard-earned dollars too.

Over 30 per cent of nurses planning to leave the profession in the next 12 months – how will this affect our aged care system? A survey of nurses and midwives[1] just released by the Monash University has found over 30 per cent of respondents were “likely or “very likely” to leave the job within the next year. It sound much more likely than earlier figures that have estimated the turnover rate in nursing at three to six per cent every year.

Is our PM a “stingy” man? Graham Long, pastor of Wayside Chapel, says no Malcolm Turnbull came under fire on social media recently after pictures surfaced of him giving $5 to a homeless man in Melbourne. The PM was widely criticised for being “stingy”, especially considering he was captured holding a money clip in the other hand.

Former nursing home employee Garry Steven Davis had pleaded not guilty to murdering two residents and attempting to kill another, but has been found guilty after a four-week trial. Davis, 29, a team leader at the SummitCare nursing home in the Newcastle suburb of Wallsend had been trusted to care for the residents, but instead was accused of injecting them with large doses of insulin over two days in October 2013. As a result, residents Gwen Fowler, 83, and Ryan Kelly, 80, died. Audrey Manuel, 91, recovered from her overdose, but has since died from unrelated causes.

Brisbane Council faces backlash over incentives to solve impending seniors’ housing crisis Lord Mayor Graham Quirk revealed the plan to boost the number of retirement village and aged care homes (nursing homes) in the Brisbane area this week. The package includes cutting infrastructure charges for aged care units by 33% for three years. That’s a big decrease, from $8,000 down

Banksia Village Business Profile Set in the heart of Broulee on NSW’s pristine south coast, Banksia Village offers an ideal opportunity for a secure and rewarding lifestyle, close to both river and the sea. A fully accredited aged care facility, Banksia Village offers a complete range of retirement living and aged care services, from independent living villas for people over

Apartment building to drop by half by 2020 The housing boom is over, with construction of apartments set to plunge by 50 per cent in the next four years, based on a new report from economic forecaster BIS Shrapnel. The Building in Australia 2016-2031 study shows multi-residential buildings will fall from around 107,000 a year currently to just 53,800 by 2019-20. Its Associate Director Dr. Kim Hawtrey blames a backlog of housing completions and declining population growth for the expected over-supply after building peaked at an “improbable” 220,100 new dwellings in 2015/16.

“Am I just a nurse?” – Australian nurse’s powerful Facebook post goes viral Caitlin Brassington, 38, a registered nurse from Toowoomba has made headlines around the world after posting a moving open letter on Facebook. Stopping at a shop in her scrubs after work, she had run into an old acquaintance who had never seen her in uniform and said she didn’t realise she was “just a nurse”. “Wow! Over my 18 year career I have heard this phrase many, many times, but today it got to me. Am I just a nurse?” she wrote.

Aged service group calls for a comprehensive review of aged care funding Aged & Community Services Australia (ACSA) is calling for any review of the $1.2 billion in cuts to the Aged Care Funding Instrument (ACFI) to be comprehensive rather than quick, following the collapse of a Senate vote for an inquiry by the Greens and the Xenophon team. The Labor Opposition announced in September they would introduce a private member’s bill into Parliament to look at aged care funding.

The Sheriff’s Court ordered the auction of Trevor Sampson’s Clovelly Park house after he didn’t pay a $17,370 debt owed to Allity, owners of the Somerton Lodge aged care home (nursing home) where he resides. Mr Sampson, a paraplegic, says he cannot pay the debt because he is broke after trying to make his house wheelchair-accessible. Despite this, he still paid $10,000 of the debt in May. The Aged Care Act lets provider find “suitable alternative accommodation” for residents who have unpaid fees of 42 days or more.

Aged care provider splashes $14 million at Brunswick in Melbourne The anonymous provider beat off rival offers from another operator and an Asian developer to secure the 5200m2 site on the corner of Brunswick Rd and Barkly Street. They are just one of a number of aged care providers looking to build in Melbourne’s waterside and eastern suburbs. Bupa recently paid $23 million for the empty Oakleigh South primary school in Beryl Road.

A recent study by Carers Queensland has found 59 per cent provided more than 12 hours of care a day. Nearly half said they worked 120 hours or more a week. To put that figure in perspective, the average full-time Australian worker puts in 40 hours a week. The ‘Quality of Life’ study surveyed 494 respondents and revealed why many of our unpaid carers are at breaking point. It’s a figure that will only increase too, with the number of unpaid carers – including sandwich carers, people caring for more than one person across two generations – predicted to rise dramatically in coming years.

South Australian Senator Anne Ruston will be Australia’s next health minister if the Coalition is returned at the May 21 Federal Election. Senator Ruston, currently Minister for Families and Social Services and Women’s Safety, will replace retiring Health Minister Greg Hunt in the health portfolio in the event of a Coalition victory. Ms Ruston praised Mr Hunt’s work as Health Minister, and promised to prioritise regional health should she succeed him. “It is an absolute honour to be named the next health minister should the Australian public honour us with returning us to government.

RSL LifeCare temporarily closes beds in Merimbula, NSW

Palm Lake Care is shutting down its Redland Bay aged care home in Brisbane, with plans to demolish it and build residential apartments on the site.

A Victorian state MP has called for more funding to upgrade the outdated Numurkah Pioneers Memorial Lodge aged care home in northern Victoria. Located 40km north of Shepparton and built in 1976, the home has 34 permanent beds, as well as two respite care beds and two transitional care beds, in individual ensuite rooms.

Labor has promised $6.1 million to Sri Om Care, an aged care provider focused on the South Asian community, as part of a push for more culturally sensitive aged care should it win Saturday’s election. The ALP’s candidate for Parramatta, Andrew Charlton (pictured right, image from Fiji Times), made the announcement at an event in western Sydney; the money would go to supporting Indian and Hindu seniors in aged care as well as building up Sri Om’s assisted living services.

The Federal Government will invest millions into helping First Nations Elders access aged care, with $106 million to provide face-to-face support and $115 million to build culturally safe aged care facilities over four years.

Aged Care Employee Day is only a month away, which means it’s time to start thinking about – and thanking – the hard-working people who look after older Australians. The fourth annual Aged Care Employee Day, an initiative of the Aged & Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA), falls on Sunday 7 August this year, and ACCPA Interim CEO Paul Sadler says that “superhero” workers have gone above and beyond the call of duty in dealing with floods and the continuing coronavirus threat.

The National Aged Care Advisory Council will have a new voice to support First Nations aged care with the addition of Yugambeh woman and care expert Jody Currie.

Kiama Municipal Council’s Blue Haven aged care business, including its Bonaira retirement village, is staying in Council hands after it overturned its own decision to sell the business off. Though the business on the NSW South Coast was labelled “financially unviable”, Council took the 5-4 decision in an extraordinary general meeting not to sell the 134-bed residential aged care home and 259 independent living units, as well as Blue Haven’s home care services, in the face of community opposition.

BaptistCare NSW has celebrated hitting $255,000 in its flood appeal – more than double its initial $100,000 goal. Around 40 local NSW Northern Rivers-based staff members have received $5000 each in gifts and grants to help them rebuild their lives, with other money going to emergency response and relief efforts. BaptistCare CEO Charles Moore said that efforts are ongoing to distribute funds raised to affected residents, clients, tenants and staff.

Council on the Ageing (COTA) Australia has released its policy agenda for the next Federal Parliament, with tackling ageism and elder abuse high on the list of priorities. The peak body and advocate for older Australians set out 12 public policy areas and 37 recommendations for the 47th Parliament following next month’s Federal Election, with the agenda available to view online. According to Chief Executive Ian Yates AM (pictured), the next Government and Parliament will have the opportunity to improve the lives of older Australians. “We are not apportioning blame for the past.

There’s a new name for a prominent aged care legal advocacy group, with Aged-care Legal Advocacy & Reform Matter (ALARM) revealing its new, snappier branding: Aged Care Justice.

A shuttered aged care home in South Australia will receive a new lease on life, with its owners repurposing it to provide temporary accommodation for NDIS participants transitioning out of hospital.

UnitingCare Queensland has become the first non-Catholic aged care organisation to join Catholic Health Australia, which is the country’s largest non-Government provider group for health, community and aged care.

A year-long campaign by a local seniors’ advocate has spurred the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder Council to lobby the Federal Government on the aged care services it is able to provide.

94 residents from 17 of Regis’ residential aged care homes in Victoria came together for a memorable day out on the iconic Puffing Billy steam train last month.

Findings from a new study from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health suggest older people with mild cognitive impairment who engage in high levels of activities such as word games and hobbies have better memory, working memory, attention and processing speed than those who do not.

Innovative Melbourne-based aged care provider Lifeview holds an annual Positive Ageing Celebration (PAC) gala for the residents and families from its four residential homes.

Samantha Armytage, who left Channel 7 in August after 21 years, has jumped over to the Nine Network to host an Australian version of ‘The Golden Bachelor’.

Dementia Advocate Jim Rogers (pictured above with his daughters Daisy and Millie) has been busy recording seven episodes for Dementia Australia’s first podcast, Hold the Moment.

Rakshya Karki and Prasamsa Khanal were both healthcare professionals in their home country of Nepal in South Asia.

“I’ve grown up within these walls,“ said Amanda Collins, whose Mum remembers being able to bring her children into Sundale Palmwoods Garden Village Care Centre in Queensland's Sunshine Coast, during the summer holidays.

Sas Peiris, Executive Chief at the Not For Profit's aged care home in Perth, Western Australia, where Maggie Beer's Big Mission was filmed, said he enjoyed being part of the series.

It takes a special person to work in aged care: kindness and empathy, passion, compassion, resilience, ability to communicate, willingness to listen and learn, patience and understanding and the ability to not take oneself too seriously.

When a beloved family member is assigned to residential aged care it is probably the most shocking thing a person experiences in their life.

Imagine the fun the residents and staff get up to at Uniting Starrett Lodge Hamlyn Terrace in the NSW Central Coast, 77km north of Sydney's CBD.

It had been almost 50 years since Norman ‘Dot’ Kitson has been riding the barrels on his surfboard.

Julianne Tombleson, caregiver for Home Instead Sydney Eastern Suburbs and Sutherland Shire, has been named in-home aged care provider Home Instead Australia’s CAREGiver of the Year for 2023. Awarded at a gala event in Sydney, Julianne said she was honoured to win among an incredible field of finalists.

Ken Weeks, a resident at Whiddon Grafton in NSW’s Northern Rivers region, celebrated his 110th birthday on Thursday, 5 October, and received a special present. The father of two is partial to Heinz baked beans.

In the final episode of the seventh series of ABC TV series ‘Kitchen Cabinet’ next week, the Minister and mother-of-three will reveal if she is the cook in the household. In this series, which first went to air in 2011, the host Annabel Crabb prepares a meal with a politician, using the relaxed environment to get her subjects to reveal a more candid side of their personality.

Retirement living provides a community for its residents and providers, such as South Australian operator ECH, are among a number creating intergenerational activities.

The host of Network 10’s show Have You Been Paying Attention? has a very personal reason for writing a new comedy musical about aged care.

One form of exercise that is becoming popular amongst older people is yoga. This ancient practice combines different postures, breathing techniques and meditation. It is low impact, which makes it a perfect option for anyone looking for a gentle form of exercise. The benefits include:

Umbrella Multicultural Community Care Services Inc. “Being part of Umbrella means belonging to a fun and caring multicultural family.” WHAT DO WE DO? All of our aged care programs and services, including Home and Community Care (HACC) and the new Home Care Packages, are designed to assist older people to remain living independently in their homes by giving them the flexibility

He was ousted from the Prime Ministership, but Tony Abbott is still making a contribution to Australian society, this time in the new edition of the Australian National Dictionary. Oxford University Press head Peter van Noorden has singled out the former Coalition leader for lightening up the Australian language. “We’re a bit disappointed that Tony Abbott isn’t as prevalent anymore on our TV screens,” he said. What were his favourite ‘Abbottisms’? “He certainly brought us some beauties in terms of ‘shirt front’, which was a real winner,” Mr van Noorden said.

Everyone can now experience the beauty of Uluru thanks to this bird’s eye footage captured by the first drone allowed to operate inside Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. The incredible video provides a new look at the 3.6km long rock, showing the 600 million-year-old monolith in amazing detail. Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia released the footage with approval from the traditional owners and hope that it encourage more travellers to visit the site for themselves. Watch it here for yourself. http://www.voyages.com.au/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUADPqYbnvI

SYDWEST MULTICULTURAL SERVICES is the largest multicultural organisation in the Western Sydney region, a leading not-for-profit organisation assisting & empowering culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities for more than 30 years. SydWest provides quality Aged Care Services to assist people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to live independently in their homes and in the community for as long as possible.

It’s the newest hobby for those recently retired and was pioneered by former palliative care nurse Katie Williams, 77. She began the project in 2010 in Rotorua – the idea has since proved so popular, there are now a dozen clubs around the north and south islands. She developed the idea as a way of helping people have a funeral that reflected their life. “Because of my work and my age I had become a perpetual mourner,” Ms Williams told the Guardian. “I had seen lots of people dying and their funerals were nothing to do with the vibrancy and life of those people.

Dressage rider Mary Hanna breaks record for Australia’s oldest Olympian The 61-year-old grandmother surpassed the record set by equestrian rider Bill Roycroft set back in 1976. And she’s already making plans to do it all again, with plans to compete at the 2020 Games in Tokyo with her daughter Gitte Donvig. Speaking to The Australian, she said: “One of the reasons I love this sport so much is that you get better the more you do it.

That’s what English actor Ian McKellen has said he hid in a recent interview with The Daily Mail. “I was offered $1.5 million to marry a very famous couple in California,” the 77-year-old actor said. So why did he turn the offer down? The actor would have had to don his Gandalf costume again, the character he performed in the movie adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The offer allegedly came from the billionaire founder of online music company Napster, Sean Parker, who had a $10 million Lord of the Rings-themed wedding in 2013.

Don’t look down! China opens terrifying cliff-side glass walkway You’ll definitely need a head for heights to visit China’s latest tourist attraction. The 100-metre-long glass path is just 1.6m wide and stretches along the Tianmen Mountain in Hunan province – complete with a jaw-dropping view of a 300-metre vertical drop below. Known as the Coiling Dragon Cliff skywalk, it’s located in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and is the third glass skywalk to be built on the mountain. Check out this video of the skywalk here.

Would you get on a bus if there wasn’t a driver behind the wheel? That’s the aim of the new RAC Intellibus™, a $250,000 electric shuttle bus that is undergoing a three-month trial in South Perth by motoring group RAC. The French-made vehicle, which seats 11 passengers and runs at an average speed of 25km per hour, is equipped with front and rear cameras, GPS technology and multi-sensor technology so it can detect traffic, pedestrians and cyclists. It can also be manually stopped by an on-board chaperone with an Xbox controller.

71-year-old semi-retired engineer breaks record of Britain’s oldest dancer A former electrical engineer and mathematician, Doreen Pechey has become the oldest person to ever pass the Royal Academy of Dance’s ballet grade six exam. Mrs Pechey studied for two years before taking the exam, practising daily at home and at thrice-weekly classes. She then had to prove she could perform a number of complicated moves to the exam’s testers. Why did she take up dancing? As a girl, she had wanted to study ballet, but her parents couldn’t afford the costs.

Residents at the Regis Legana aged care home in Tasmania have received 14 music therapy headsets to support people living with dementia. The program was made possible thanks to a $1,500 grant from Rotary Australia Compassionate Grants and the Dick Smith Foundation, and has shown positive effects for residents with dementia – bringing up positive memories, increasing movement, calming nervousness, and encouraging social interactions. According to Regis, residents in the program have been “thriving”.

Arcare Aged Care homes across NSW, Queensland and Victoria have celebrated National Take Your Dog to Work Day, with staff members bringing their canine companions to meet the residents. Arcare Noosa held a Pet Parade (pictured), with 15 pooches walking the runway to the delight of residents; Residence Manager Laura-Jo, who brought her own dog Harry in for the event, said it was a great day for all involved. “It was such a wonderful turnout of residents, some choosing to even watch from their balconies with a cup of tea.

Aged care residents in a northern Victorian town will have a new activity bus, with a fundraiser hitting its $90,000 target in just three months.

Residents at Arcare’s North Lakes home in Queensland have enjoyed a visit from baby animals at a mobile petting zoo. Piglets, a one-month-old calf, and a three-week-old goat joined other animals like ducks, chickens, sheep, and guinea pigs at the Arcare home, with delighted residents exclaiming over how they’d like to take the critters home with them. According to Lifestyle Coordinator Maree, the visit helped residents share stories and recall fond memories of their own younger years working on farms.

Dementia experts will host Q&A sessions following screenings of a new documentary film, Everybody’s Oma, which follows the story of a NSW Central Coast grandmother with dementia and her family.

Legendary Aussie singer Kamahl will headline a free Christmas in July concert hosted by the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) next Tuesday.

Catholic Healthcare residents at two NSW aged care facilities recently had a chance to travel the world – without even leaving their homes.

Do you recall Kate Fischer? She was the model, actress and TV presenter famously engaged to billionaire James Packer until a highly-publicised split in 1998 led her to move to Los Angeles and retire from public life ten years ago.

Joffre Bell, who is one of Australia’s oldest living World War II veterans, recently joined the Carinity Brownesholme community in Highfields, a town in the Toowoomba region.

The latest Carer Wellbeing Survey from Carers Australia has highlighted the continuing challenges facing the three million-plus unpaid Australians caring for others.

Todd Murfitt (pictured centre) with Mable CEO and cofounder Tony Charara (left) and co-founder Peter Scutt (right)

Robert Fitzgerald AM, Age Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission, has released new research 'Shaping Perceptions: How Australian Media Reports on Ageing'.

Art can stimulate the senses and provide spaces for mindfulness, as well as creating social contact.

Co-creating rainbow-inclusive care for gender and sexually diverse people in residential aged care is the first study of its kind in Australia, states the university based in Lismore in NSW's Northern Rivers region, 374km north of Sydney.

With a new national framework on dementia training and education set to launch in July, a new online tool is making it simpler for aged care providers to upskill their staff.

Cognitive decline is cited 37 times in the new strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards, up from just one citation – now a new platform is aiming to help home care staff meet the new requirements.

Executive Director, Peter Reilly OAM, and CEO Samantha Jewell are putting the smiles on the residents faces in its four boutique aged care homes in Melbourne.

Independent Queensland MP Bob Katter has highlighted a growing trend in Australia that has seniors’ advocates on the warpath.

You may not be able to turn back time, but there are steps that you can take to keep your brain young – here’s what science has to say.

It’s a question we’ve been asked this week as Labor and the Coalition continue to argue over the $5 billion in funding announced in the recent Federal Budget.

The Aged & Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) wants to honour excellence across the aged care sector – and they need your help.

Imagine being hit with a lower credit rating if you didn’t call your parents It sounds ridiculous, but it’s what can happen to residents in Shanghai after the Government introduced a law that says adult children living away from parents “visit or send greetings often”. It’s not the only law about taking care of your elderly parents in China, where filial piety taken very seriously by the authorities. Children are legally required to look after parents, with over 1,000 court cases involving elderly Chinese forcing their children to pay assistance costs.

The latest topic for debate in Federal Parliament would certainly have you think so, with new National Party MP Andrew Gee using his maiden speech to put forth the argument that the fish-and-chip shop classic, the Chiko Roll, was created in his electorate in the town of Lithgow.

Tough question: how do you talk to a smart, responsible man, aged about 70, and tell him he must plan for his life possibly going wrong? Events such as strokes, accidents, back injuries, mental illness and divorce can happen to anyone, but few people want to talk about what this could mean for their future, especially us men.

Yes, this $3.8 million oceanfront house could be yours – and all for the price of a raffle ticket. The property in the Sydney suburb of Freshwater is being raffled by Home lotteries group RSL Art Union to raise money for veterans.

Dame Helen Mirren takes down British talk show host Michael Parkinson – in 1975 This interview was dug out of the archives this week, reminding us yet again why we love the iconic British actress.

Research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Western Australia has shown travel can actually slow the ageing process.

When Bruce was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease nine years ago, the couple started to consider their home support options. They wanted support that fit their lifestyle and helped them remain independent.

Medical experts say that sarcopenia – the loss of skeletal muscle as we age – could be more common than osteoporosis in Australia, affecting up to 30 to 40 per cent of those aged over 65.

It’s often said that today’s youth just don’t have the nerve of the older generation – and watching this clip we would have to agree.

It’s not been an easy week for those working in aged care so when we came across this wonderful video, we knew we had to share it with you.

One comment repeated by aged care workers in the Four Corners program this week was that families are often ‘taken in’ by the amenities offered at facilities – and these don’t always reflect the quality of the care.

It’s true. The US maker of the popular Easter chocolate is stocking up on its ingredients ahead of the country’s exit from the European Union. Why?

A Canberra dance group for people with Down Syndrome and other disabilities has racked up over 2.5 million views after they posted a clip showing off their moves to Ciara’s new music video ‘Level Up’ – and the singer called them out.

Last year, 36 per cent of Australia’s 510 organ donors were aged 55 or older when they died – at least one was older than 80.

The ‘Desert Rose’ house has been designed to make it easier for people with dementia and aged-related disabilities to live independently at home – and it’s a real insight into the future.

Electricity prices are usually a painful topic of discussion (just ask me about my last power bill), but the African country’s government ministers have been left in fits of giggles after one MP began listing villages not connected to the national grid – and the names were unexpectedly racy.

It’s become the classic Aussie way to celebrate – sculling a tinnie from a sweat-soaked shoe.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has just released a guide which is designed to help consumers understand their rights after they are approved for a home care package.

We’re always hearing about how great dancing is for us as we get older – now we’ve found a Melbourne couple who are living proof thanks to the ABC.

Words I never thought I would write. An Adelaide man has become so fed up with having to pick up dog poop from his front lawn, he installed a CCTV camera to catch the errant pet owner in the act – and laminated her picture to stick beside the offending evidence.

Dana Maree Grey, 59, is facing at least six months in jail for inflicting “gratuitous cruelty” on an 85-year-old woman with dementia at a North Epping aged care home last year after footage of the incident was recorded by the co-worker.

We have the third-highest rate of relative income poverty for people aged over 65 in the OECD – only retirees in Korea and Latvia are worse off.

Two years of bad harvests and Millennials’ enduring love for avocado toast have sent the price of New Zealand avos up to an average of $5 – and “opportunistic” thieves are cashing in on the growing black (green?) market.

Looking for love online? Punch above your weight, says science

The University of Tasmania survey of more than 11,000 residents in 150 audited homes found two-thirds were taking tranquillizers, anti-psychotics or anti-depressants – despite research showing that they have limited benefits for residents and are linked to serious health risks including strokes, falls and seizures.

Tweeting about the wildfires that have killed at least seven people and forced thousands to flee their homes, the US President Trump called on the Democratic California Governor Jerry Brown to “allow the Free Flow of the vast amounts of water coming from the North”.

The national broadcaster’s RetroFocus project has discovered a report about an experimental breeding program the Zoo ran in the early 1970s to encourage the Australian white ibis to roost in its grounds on Sydney Harbour.

That was the view raised last week by Kathryn Greiner AO, who headed up the NSW Government’s retirement village inquiry into the sector, at the Property Council’s annual Retirement Forum.

Here’s an interesting stat for you. A major US study has found women admitted to the ER for a heart attack had a significantly higher rate of survival if another woman oversaw their treatment.

Yes, it’s true. Every citizen of this fair country is entitled to the unexpected perk under the government-funded “constituents’ request program” which was introduced in 1990 according to VICE.

One-third (33%) of us expect our future care to cost less than $200 per week, according to the study released this week by Absolute Care & Health and researcher firm McCrindle.

You won’t believe how this one plays out.

The bill – known as the ‘United States Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act’ – would allow the US President to raise US taxes on imports and exports, completely undermining the whole World Trade Organisation (WTO) system, according to a leaked draft obtained by news site Axios.

Uniting has converted an empty aged care home in the inner city into a shelter for women aged 45 and over while the property waits to be demolished and redeveloped into retirement living early next year.

Another week, another story lifted straight from the US sitcom. This time, a Broken Hill man has been convicted for trying to get a refund on thousands of beverage containers from NSW under South Australia’s bottle deposit scheme.

Australia is falling short on supplying suitable housing options for our nearly four million over-65’s, according to the Property Council’s latest Retirement Living Planning Report Card.

Carved into a dry lake bed in Marcus Hill, Victoria, the image is so (ahem) impressive it’s been picked up on Google Maps – garnering dozens of five-star reviews and making headlines around the world.

That’s despite older adults having more time to have fun – seven-and-a-half hours a day compared to 35- to 44-year-olds, who only have around four hours according to a 2016 study.

New Zealand made history last year when its 55,000 aged care, disability and home support workers won pay rises between 15 and 50 per cent, bringing their wages up to match those of workers in the hospital system.

Waking up someone who’s dozed off in their car is usually considered an act of kindness, but in this case, this Good Samaritan is now wishing he’d just let the guy sleep it off.

The not-for-profit Whiddon Group is running a five-part series on its Facebook page from now until November to focus on the stories it says are common in aged care but rarely see the spotlight.

If you find listening to other people’s ringtones annoying (if I hear ABBA’s ‘Ring Ring’ one more time), spare a thought for the people of Lucerne where the local Catholic church has replaced its hourly bells with a classic iPhone ringtone while the building is renovated.

Baby boomers are driving the housing market as they sell the family home – and retirement villages are their destination of choice, according to Downsizing with Ease Founder Lorraine Cox. She’s told 2GB most of her clients downsize to retirement villages to avoid the costs and upkeep of a large family home – and they aren’t waiting to make the move. “They don’t want to wait until they’re 70 or 80, they can see the benefits in freeing up, going to a smaller place and doing what they’ve wanted to for years,” she said. Seek financial advice on Pension payments But will your Age Pension be affected if you do downsize? While your place of residence is exempt from the asset test, the surplus from any sale could be considered an asset. As we reported here, there is a new incentive for over-65s who sell a home they have lived in for 10 years or more the chance to make a concessional contribution of up to $300,000 – or $600,000 for couples – into their super. However your super balance does count towards the assets and income test. If you are thinking of downsizing, it’s worth seeking professional advice from a financial adviser – it could save you a lot of money in the long run.

No, seriously. Mayor Tom Tate is pushing for people to spend their afterlife sleeping with the fishes with the council floating the idea of building a memorial dive site in the city’s Broadwater.

The village manager is a central figure who is critical to the success of the village and the happiness of its residents. Learn everything about what makes a great village manager here.

Australia has one of the leading aged care systems in the world. Everyone receives equal, high quality care – in our homes and in aged care homes (nursing homes).

My aged care is a government website providing the main access point to the aged care system in Australia.

An ACAT assessment (aged care assessment) is an assessment organised by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT, or ACAS in Victoria) and is required for a person who needs to be approved for Government-funded services including; a nursing home (aged care home), home care, residential aged care, transition care or respite care. An ACAT assessment is used to make a recommendation for the type and level of care that will best meet your needs.

A nursing home (aged care home) is a place that provides residential accommodation and health care for elderly people who can no longer live at home. Nursing homes are also known as aged care homes or residential aged care facilities.

Aged care is the living and nursing care services for older Australians who can no longer live independently or need help to stay in their homes. These services include both residential aged care in nursing home and home care services.

An enduring power of attorney is a legal document that appoints someone of your choosing to make personal, financial, legal and property decisions on your behalf. They would do this if you lose capacity to make decisions yourself because of illness or injury.

In July 2014 the Federal Government started changing the aged care system. The last changes will be completed in January 2017 but the impact will still be coming into effect out to 2022.