Study into benefits of integrating retirement living and aged care

The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has secured funding for an academic study into the health and financial benefits of integrated retirement living and aged care facilities — the continuum of care model.

The model, implemented by Ryman Healthcare in Victoria and New Zealand, offers elderly Aussies a better quality of care, reduces the cost of the aged care system on the tax payer and could alleviate pressure on public hospitals.

The study will be led by Professor David Brown from UTS’s Ageing Research Collaborative (UARC), one of the leading researchers into aged care in Australia. This was announced as Premier Daniel Andrews opened a new $30m extension to Ryman-owned Nellie Melba Retirement Village in Wheelers Hill, Melbourne — now a full continuum of care village in Australia. Andrews and Ryman Healthcare Australia CEO Cameron Holland cut the ribbon to officially open the new 41-apartment complex in Wheelers Hill.

Ryman, a New Zealand-based company that expanded to Victoria in 2014, builds and operates villages where independent retirement living and aged care services are fully integrated on one site.

This ‘continuum of care’ model has been commonplace in New Zealand since it was pioneered by Ryman in the 1980s but is only in its infancy in Australia.

Ryman villages offer independent retirement living, assisted living in serviced apartments, and a care centre onsite providing low care, high care and specialist dementia care. The company also provides its own home care packages to residents within the village.

Andrews said: “It’s a point of pride for us [in Victoria] to have such an innovative model — this ageing in place reimagined, the continuum of care — a stunning example of what’s possible if you support people in their local community and meet their needs and provide a pathway so that their needs as they change can be met.

“[This model’s] best form is the Ryman Healthcare form. This business provides the most stunning example of that model of care and it only operates in the great state of Victoria.

“This is not my first visit, and it won’t be my last because it is a stunning example of what can be achieved if you run a good business and at the centre of that business is a sense of purpose, good values and a sense that your clients are part of your family.

“It’s not by mistake that this is a really sought after option in our local community because it’s simply the best.”

The expansion of Nellie Melba comes as the University of Technology in Sydney (UTS) announced it is undertaking a research study into the potential health benefits of continuum of care villages for older Australians.

Brown said the project will also examine what barriers there are in the Australian aged care landscape to its implementation.

“Older people in Australia and their carers have great difficulty navigating their way along the care and ageing journey,” Brown said.

“This is mostly due to the highly fragmented nature of the aged care system and the complexity of the aged care transition points, such as retirement living to residential aged care, which often occur in times of crisis. This situation makes for an often costly and traumatic experience.”

Ryman Healthcare Australia CEO Cameron Holland said the expansion of its Nellie Melba village underscored the huge demand for continuum of care villages on this side of the Tasman.

“Australia’s aged care system is fundamentally broken and a new approach is needed if we’re going to fix it.

“People moving into a Ryman village enjoy an active, independent lifestyle in a vibrant retirement community, but have the peace of mind in knowing that if their health needs change they can be looked after right where they are.

“While the benefits of the continuum of care villages are obvious, we’re really excited that UTS will be doing a rigorous analysis of how they can positively impact an individual’s health and wellbeing.”

Image credit: iStockphoto.com/kali9