Newly published research from the Bolton Clarke Research Institute and Monash University reveals moving to a retirement village halves loneliness within 12 months.
As the average stay in retirement living is now nine years, this appears to be great for marketing the village sector, and supports the research by the Retirement Living Council.
The Bolton Clarke research is valuable. It identifies many of the drivers of that loneliness:
People experiencing pain were twice as likely to be lonely, with residents who had experienced one or more falls in the past 12 months also at increased risk. More than half of people experiencing loneliness also reported memory problems or a diagnosis associated with memory, such as dementia.
As villages increase the ratio of residents that are genuinely frail and waiting for a home care package or an aged care bed, operators are faced with more people isolated and fearful in their village home.
When you are not well and not mobile, you don’t want to be the life of the party (or bar) at Friday’s Happy Hour.
With new residents arriving later in their ageing journey and frailer, it is up to the management to ensure the new resident is welcomed and establishes contacts and support in the village.
Check out this Bolton Clarke video:
Aveo’s Shortland Waters Retirement Living in Newcastle, NSW, has a welcoming committee for new residents and does a good job drawing them into the community.
Should operators do more? Palm Lake Resorts provide every home with a free two-course meal voucher every week to be enjoyed in their restaurants to draw residents out of their homes. It’s a fantastic initiative.
Research released by the Retirement Living Council found that compared to older people who do not live in a retirement community, independent living residents are 15% more physically active, 41% happier, five times more socially active, twice as likely to catch up with family or friends and have reduced levels of depression and loneliness.
The customer needs retirement living, the health system needs retirement living and the more and the sector clearly has the ability to deliver on loneliness.
