Investor Cash Versus Social Housing

Why does the federal government want to hand out cash to investors and developers buying houses rather than building affordable public housing? We can build our way out of the COVID-19 economic slump, but we have to start from the bottom up https://t.co/6PaNq19lRI #everybodyshome

— Housing for the Aged Action Group (@HAAGHomeAtLast) June 6, 2020

Affordable Housing Crisis Hitting Hard

"Australia's affordable housing crisis is hitting hard with vulnerable seniors and others unable to afford market rents and forced into poor or temporary housing, homelessness and poverty" #auspol #auspol2020 - https://t.co/1QVkJ1Ya6W

— Les Scobie (@retvilldotnet) June 4, 2020

Retirement Villages Have Had Their Day

Retirement villages — walled, gated and separate seniors' enclaves — have had their day according to this article at ABC News - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-11/retire-the-retirement-village/12229702

"The word "retirement" is redundant and engagement between people of all ages is high. That's how participants in the Longevity By Design Challenge envisage life in Australia in 2050.

Their challenge was to identify ways to prepare and adapt Australian cities to capitalise on older Australians living longer, healthier and more productive lives. Their vision, outlined in this article, offers a positive contrast to much of the commentary on "ageing Australia"."

Read the full article at this link - Retirement villages have had their day

Victorian Retirement Village Act Hurts Residents

Role of government is to create an environment for commerce. The Vic #retirementvillages Act provides this but fails to protect retirees from financial and emotional harm from it. Payment of ingoing $ without transfer of property ownership major contributor. #springst #vicpol pic.twitter.com/ZyEbFE17PO

— Les Scobie (@retvilldotnet) February 19, 2020

Homelessness for older people in Victoria grew 57%

Older people are the fastest growing cohort within the overall homeless population. Homelessness for older people in Victoria grew 57% between 2011 and 2016 😦 Read our submission to the Inquiry into homelessness here https://t.co/5t90jU0RPX #everybodyshome #vicpol

— Housing for the Aged (@HAAGHomeAtLast) February 2, 2020

Government Retiree Housing Policy Self Defeating

This seems to be government policy on senior housing. Isn't the danger short term boost to spending but giant hit to an existing problem, Aged Care Funding and the impact on the budget and taxpayers. #auspol @ScottMorrisonMP @JoshFrydenberg #pensioners @MichaelPascoe01 @AlboMP pic.twitter.com/o6MHChiXz1

— Les Scobie (@retvilldotnet) July 25, 2019

Pensioners Seek Social Services Minister Anne Ruston Apology

The Senior Magazine reports -

Social Services Minister Anne Ruston has come under fire for suggesting the pension is generous, as seniors groups and Labor call for more changes to help older Australians.

Senator Ruston embarked on a media blitz on Monday to sell the coalition government's decision to give a boost to some pensioners.

"It is a generous amount of money that the Australian taxpayers make available to our older Australians," she told 3AW on Monday.

When pressed on the comments, Senator Ruston said: "In terms of the amount of money that taxpayers fund our social welfare system, we put a lot of money into it."

Read the full story here - https://www.thesenior.com.au/story/6275720/minister-in-hot-water-over-pension-comment/

Retirement Villages In Words and Pictures

A summary of the Retirement Village industry in words and pictures. @acccgovau #auspol @KenWyattMP @ScottMorrisonMP @Bowenchris @billshortenmp @abc730 @TaniaMaxwell14 @TerpsMLC pic.twitter.com/iuUf1wozsp

— Les Scobie (@retvilldotnet) March 23, 2019

Transfer of Retiree Capital Wealth to Multinationals

Sums up NSW #retirementvillage industry beautifully "Transfer of intergenerational wealth not to families, but to large multinationals" Tom Gait President RVRA. Only Labor is offering an industry Ombudsman @GladysB @smh #nswpol @michaeldaleyMP #nswvotes2019 #nswelection #nswvotes pic.twitter.com/rxhvqdsO3w

— Les Scobie (@retvilldotnet) March 19, 2019

Seniors Form Political Party

Seniors to contest NSW state election - Party formed four years ago by five seniors who had become frustrated over legislation on retirement villages which they believed favoured operators over residents. https://t.co/S3OxpHuKLF #nswpol @GladysB @michaeldaleyMP @Matt_KeanMP

— Les Scobie (@retvilldotnet) March 7, 2019

Somebody Has To Pay For Tax Concessions

Just had to post this for the next time Mr. Morrison is speaking about Newstart, Aged Pensions etc. and states but somebody has to pay for it. Well somebody has to pay for tax concessions to the wealthy as well ! https://t.co/YL3yxpkG9T @ScottMorrisonMP #auspol

— Les Scobie (@retvilldotnet) November 20, 2018

Chance For New Retirement Village Model

A new Retirement Village model? Well it should be! Victoria needs to change the Retirement Village laws so it can be. @LidiaThorpeMP @DanielAndrewsMP @MarleneKairouz @MatthewGuyMP @heidivic @FionaPattenMLC @JaclynSymes @timpallas @rwynnemp #vicpol #springst @Assemble_AUS https://t.co/oIGxre9UWu pic.twitter.com/BS3M7bYoNQ

— Les Scobie (@retvilldotnet) September 30, 2018

How Retirement Villages Work

WOULD YOU? Lease car for 7 years, pay 100% up front but no ownership, pay all running costs, maintenance costs, restoration cost, 35% residual, get a now devalued 65% of upfront payment back. NO! But this is how retirement villages work. @DanielAndrewsMP @MatthewGuyMP #springst pic.twitter.com/Yk0FkqDh1s

— Les Scobie (@retvilldotnet) September 19, 2018

Shift in Accommodation Payment Choices

Australian Ageing Agenda reports -

"Daily payments were preferred over lump sums to pay for residential aged care accommodation in 2016-17, the first time since the 2014 reforms, the sixth Aged Care Financing Authority report shows."

The full story can be read here - https://www.australianageingagenda.com.au/2018/08/29/acfa-report-shows-shift-in-accommodation-payment-choices/

The full Aged Care Financing Authority report can be read here - https://agedcare.health.gov.au/sites/g/files/net1426/f/documents/08_2018/acfa-sixth-report-2018_0.pdf

Retirement Village Residents Decimated Financially

Can a Retirement Village resident be decimated financially? Can a resident be totally wiped out financially. The answer is YES and there is no legislative protection against it, in fact the process is openly encouraged by governments. @Matt_KeanMP @MarleneKairouz @M_McCormackMP pic.twitter.com/cGIrxoEClP

— Les Scobie (@retvilldotnet) August 9, 2018

Retirement Industry Code Of Conduct Criticised

In a letter to the Property Council a retirement village resident of 11 years has criticized the proposal of the retirement living industry to establish an industry Code of Conduct.

The code is voluntary and the only punishment for not upholding the standards espoused in the code is, after repeated breaches, to have the name of the organisation removed from the code.

The letter -

"Thank you for the opportunity to make comment re a 'Retirement Living Industry Code of Conduct'.

Although admirable to some within the retirement living industry, an aspirational code of conduct is no substitute for consumer protections under law. If there is to be a code it should only be a short, sharp commitment to operate lawfully, morally and ethically. Only legislation and then regulators ready to enforce that law can truly protect retirees. An industry ombudsman is of the greatest need with fast, affordable, decisive enforcement of that law. Not even a not-for-profit operator has been a guarantee of ethical or lawful behaviour within the retirement living industry.

History has recorded self regulation as a fail and although we may self regulate with the best of intentions, the dark motivation to step over the line of morality and legality comes from a basic human weakness. A weakness to firstly protect or advantage oneself at the cost of another, and secondly in many cases a weakness to protect or advantage the organisation one serves at the cost of many. The aspiration to a retirement living code will last as long as the desire to advantage the resident is in the best interest of an individual operator, when the opposite is true the code will often most assuredly fail. Only the strength of the written law together with a ready and simple path to justice, such as an industry Ombudsman, will see the rights of residents truly protected and where necessary redressed. Anything else is in my personal view simply a mechanism to divert the eyes of the legislator away from the need to legislate.

If the objective of the code is to help elevate the currently held poor community view of the industry, then the industry must join with residents and their representative bodies and drive legislative reforms that truly protect retirees. It is what is actually happening to village residents that is driving down the reputation of the industry. The community not just residents are shocked at the lack of legality and morality in the operations of some, will the code truly drive improved legality and morality amongst operators. Improved legislative protections for residents however will generate greater confidence in the industry, confidence in both those coming baby boomers thinking of moving toward this sector and of course just as importantly their family members. A new found confidence that could propel the Australian industry closer to the penetration levels seen overseas.

Good operators are seeing the retirement living industry trashed by bad operators, of all the times operators and retirees should share a singular desire of a better industry it should be at this point in time. A Retirement Living Industry Code of Conduct may give some industry players a warm and fuzzy feeling, but it makes zero, zero contribution to tangible protections for retirees. The industry, not just residents, should be campaigning for an Ombudsman in every state.

No modern responsible industry should be afraid of the law nor be ready to hide behind any weaknesses in it. If an industry has to write down to remind itself to operate lawfully, morally and ethically then that industry has already failed both their customers and the community generally. To be a respected industry you don't aspire to ideals, you live them.

Thank you,"

Things You Need To Know About Aged Care

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald by Rachel Lane of Aged Care Gurus sets out some very important distinctions between an Aged Care facility and a Retirement Village.

In the article Rachel Lane states:-

"The first lesson in this story is that retirement villages and aged care facilities are not the same thing. Retirement villages operate under completely separate, state-based rules, while aged care facilities operate under federal legislation. The rules governing their legal and financial arrangements are as different as apples and oranges.

Just because you are a resident of a co-located village doesn’t necessarily give you priority or make you the “next cab off the rank. "

This important story can be read in full here - https://www.smh.com.au/money/super-and-retirement/three-things-aged-care-rachel-lane-20180704-p4zpfa.html

New Retirement Village Contract Options For Lendlease

The Sydney Morning Herald reports:- An article by Rachel Lane from Aged Care Gurus on new retirement village contract options for Lendlease.

"These new payment alternatives are more like the options you get when buying a mobile phone or a luxury car. Lendlease said it came up with the options by researching the market, including consumers who rejected the current offering. The feedback suggested that for some people a capital gain was important, others wanted certainty they'd get back what they'd paid, and a third group desired the ability to pay month by month.

So what are the options?

Lendlease will still offer its current contract, whereby you pay an ingoing price and when you leave you receive the sale price, less a deferred management fee of up to 35 per cent of the sale price, and any reinstatement fees and selling costs.

The first alternative is a prepaid price whereby you pay the management fee upfront (about 18 per cent of the purchase price), you still pay reinstatement fees and selling costs at the end but you receive all of the capital gain (or loss).

The next option is a refundable contribution whereby the amount you pay is refunded in full within 60 days of leaving. With this option a non-refundable establishment fee of 3 per cent is charged upfront.

The final option is to pay as you go, whereby you pay a monthly charge and a security deposit equal to 24 months' “rent”. The security deposit is refunded to you within 60 days of leaving the village. There is an establishment fee equal to three months' rent. Currently this option is only available on serviced apartments."

How does it affect the price?         

Read the full story here:- Doing the sums on Lendlease's new contracts"

Technology Helps with Caring for Seniors from a Distance

Article by Lydia Chan. http://www.alzheimerscaregiver.net/ 

A senior’s caregiver, such as an adult child, often can find the caregiving task stressful and exhausting. Also, it can be scary when the caregiver is not able to be with the senior 24/7, as is the case for most people. With the cost of nursing home care rising every year to astronomical rates, many are looking for cheaper, but still effective, ways to provide care. One way to reduce costs is to find a solution that allows a senior to stay at their home. This trend of senior care facilitated to a large extent by technology. Here are some tips on how to take it vantage of today’s technology to care for your senior loved ones from afar.

Photo Credit: Pexels

Technology such as wellness system trackers and smart home appliances permit remote monitoring of seniors. For example, the Nest camera systems can be positioned throughout a senior's home so that children can remotely check in on their senior parent. These cameras can also send notifications when there are visitors and can be set to alert when motion is detected. The cameras record data in the cloud, which can be configured to archive for a particular period. Live feeds and video files are accessed through a website or smartphone app. It can be reassuring for a caregiver to be able to open their phone and see that their loved one is safe.

Other technologies can help with tracking medication by providing reminders to both the caretaker and senior. And technology can help seniors who have dementia, as well. A particularly ingenious app, designed by a 12-year old granddaughter, addresses forgetfulness by setting alerts when it notices repetitive phone behavior - such as calling the same number over and over - and integrates facial recognition to prompt the user, too. Often an Alzheimer's patient recognizes the face of a loved one but cannot call up their name. This app may be an excellent tool for assisting those with memory loss.

And technology is not only about keeping tabs on mom or dad it’s also about giving them quality of life. Tablets are so intuitive that practically anyone can master them. Their ease of use enables seniors to play games, listen to music, browse news and stay up-to-date with family and friends through social media.

Tablets, smartphone and smart TVs also encourage communication in ways that connect people much more closely than with just voices. Video calling encourages face-to-face interaction between a senior and different family members. Since grandchildren and other relatives can be spread out over geographic areas, the ability for the senior to connect is priceless.

A problem with the senior community that is often overlooked is the existence of substance abuse either in the past or as a continuing struggle. Some of these technologies can help by allowing others to monitor activity but can also aid by reconnecting family members who may have been hurt by a senior's prior addiction. Video chat can be a way for old wounds to heal gradually.

Like many aspects of our life, technology has the ability to improve senior care. It provides levels of monitoring and connectedness that are almost as effective as living with a senior. These apps and devices allow caregivers to lead a less burdened life, while resting assured of their loved one's health and safety. At the same time, the technology permits a senior to retain the dignity of living on one's own. Until such time that the senior's health requires assisted living, families can take advantage of new technologies for monitoring, safety and more.