SATURDAY Issue 105

Opinion: Too hard to care? Dementia is becoming aged care’s impossible business

If purpose-built dementia units are closing and mainstream providers are turning residents away, the problem isn’t the people – it’s the business model. The sector must decide: walk away or change the rules. Around 60% of aged care residents...

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The complex village problem: dementia is real and escalating

Videri Australia’s small home dementia care is emerging as a solution for village operators facing one of the biggest challenges for village residents and management. Formerly known as Group Homes Australia, Videri Australia is the dementia care...

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Aged care providers turning away seniors with high dementia care needs

With demand for ageing services hitting new heights and the regulator rightly seeking quality care for people living with dementia in residential aged care, operators are acting. This is a scenario playing out weekly in aged care homes across...

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Dementia is “galloping” in retirement villages – and operators aren’t ready

Across the country, residents themselves are raising the alarm about a surge in dementia in retirement villages – and with aged care beds full and Home Care Packages scarce, the challenge for operators is no longer theoretical. “With the average...

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From hospital bed to nowhere: dementia care’s bottleneck

One in three Australians over 85 lives with dementia. That’s not an emerging challenge – it’s here now. And for aged care providers, the funding model isn’t keeping up. Across the country, hospitals are holding older Australians with...

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From grand finals to the frontline: Royce Simmons’ toughest fight yet

The Panthers legend opens up about his dementia diagnosis, retirement village life, and why awareness – not just research – is key to tackling the disease. When the Penrith Panthers announced their new retirement living and aged care development...

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The frontline without training armour: dementia care’s weakest link

Home care workers are the first line of defence for people living with dementia, but without proper training, the whole system is at risk. In living rooms and kitchens across Australia, the nation’s home care workforce is on the frontline of the...

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The dementia village changing the face of aged care in Port Macquarie

In a region with the second-highest rate of dementia in NSW, an aged care experiment is quietly rewriting the rulebook. Open just 12 months, Emmaus Village in Port Macquarie already has a wait list of 80 – proof that small-house dementia care is...

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Executive spotlight

Over 3,000 operators provide retirement living, aged care and support in the home to more than 1.5 million older Australians. 360,000 staff and 100,000 suppliers are engaged every day. It’s a $30 billion a year sector delivering vital services for...

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Lauren Broomham

15 Aug 2025