Investment frontier forums boldly go where no one has gone before

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With limited spaces, for Retirement Villages….the New Investment Frontier forums, the RVA is encouraging stakeholders to register quickly for Australia’s first comprehensive forums on the industry.

RVA CEO, Jane Holdsworth, said the forums would be held across the country, with the first in Sydney on February 4, and had rapidly attracted strong interest with a range of senior managers, particularly from city councils, registered to attend.

Investors, developers, retirement village owners and operators, representatives from financial institutions, real estate professionals and managers from all levels of government are attending.

“Along with our partners, Macroplan and Gadens Lawyers, I’m very pleased to present these forums into our industry. I think we all agree that they will provide a close-up view which will be beneficial to so many groups and individuals,” Ms Holdsworth said.

While the current economic crisis sinks in, the Retirement Village industry is assured of growth as Australia’s population begins to age at an unprecedented rate.

“At present there are about 145,000 to 150,000 or 5.25 per cent of seniors living in retirement villages. Even with no change in demand we would still need over 65,000 dwellings to be constructed over the next 15 years,”

“I think that’s an exciting challenge. It means positive growth for the industry, job creation for Australia and it’s also helping meet a social need within our communities,” Ms Holdsworth said.

The forums are backed by in-depth research and knowledge as well as presenters with years of experience in the industry who will provide insight into the future of the industry.

Topics will include: the size and value of the industry, retirement living trends, expected growth of the industry, optimum locations and hot spots, demographic shifts, economic benefits, social impacts, pricing levels, legislative frameworks and investment opportunities.

“There’s so much involved and so much to learn. These really are the forums we had to have,” Ms Holdsworth said.

Forums will also be held in Perth on 18 February, Brisbane 11 March, Melbourne 18 March and Adelaide 25 March. Visit www.rva.com.au to register.

or further information or to make comment on this story, please email communications@rva.com.au

The RVA News Monitor is a weekly feature on the RVA website, and will provide updated stories on issues involving the retirement village industry.

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Exercise helps body and mind

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Health experts are urging older people to get active after proving for the first time that just 20 minutes of activity each day can prevent memory deterioration.

In a world-first, a team from the WA Centre for Health and Ageing (WACHA) based at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) has shown that regular physical activity can lead to a lasting improvement in memory function.

WACHA director, Professor Leon Flicker, said people over the age of 50 could pro-actively prevent memory deterioration by joining in simple and easy exercises each day.

"What our trial tells us is that older people who take up some form of aerobic exercise for as little as 20 minutes a day will be more likely to remember things like shopping lists, family birthdays and friend's names," he said.

"People don't have to run a marathon to get the benefits - it's as simple as doing some forms of simple activity, like walking or dancing, every day for around 20 minutes."

"The results of this trial are very encouraging and a great step forward in helping older people improve their memory and potentially delay the progression of dementia which can eventually lead to Alzheimer's disease."

Today, almost 190,000 Australians live with dementia, a number that is expected to increase with an ageing population, and one in four people over the age of 85 have moderate to severe dementia.

"What's interesting about this study is that physical activity doesn't just have benefits for memory and preventing Alzheimer's disease, it highlights the importance of exercise to boost overall wellbeing and mental health," Professor Flicker said.

"We all know that exercise can help ward off physical conditions like heart disease and obesity and assist in overall wellbeing and fitness, but this study adds another compelling reason to that list."

During the trial, 170 volunteers aged 50 years and over were divided into two groups, a control and a group which undertook to achieve a 150 minutes of activity each week, ranging from walking, ballroom dancing to swimming, for a six month period.

Participant cognition was tested during intervals over an 18-month period - those who took part in physical activity continually scored better than the control group, which actually reported an overall decline in cognition.

Source: Natural Health Society of Australia. www.health.org.au

For further information or to make comment on this story, please email communications@rva.com.au

The RVA News Monitor is a weekly feature on the RVA website, and will provide updated stories on issues involving the retirement village industry.

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Sustainability and cost cutting a matter of team work

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As global consciousness focuses on environmentally friendly living and the reduction of green house gas emissions some people in the retirement village industry are turning their big reductions into big savings.

Simple steps, which have helped build more energy efficient retirement village communities, have meant reduced energy bills with no reduction in lifestyle and comfort.

Director of Sanctuary Energy, Mark Marjoribanks, said the focus of his organisation was currently on implementing renewable infrastructure, like Solar Photovoltaic Cells, in residential property developments at no cost to the Property Developer or the resident.

“We believe Retirement Villages are ideally placed to take advantage of newly introduced legislation that allows you to generate electricity from Solar Photovoltaic Cells and sell the excess back to the grid.  Hence, Retirement Villages have a fantastic opportunity to generate a revenue stream and reducing their carbon foot print at the same time.”

Christine Daly, Manager of the Lakes Estate in Taylors Lakes, Melbourne, said working as a team within the community has also produced savings in energy and water consumption.

“I am lucky to work with such an innovative and forward-thinking group of people.  Not only the Resident’s Committee and all the residents, but council, contractors, maintenance people and other organisations have helped us initiate some great cost saving and environmentally sustainable practices to achieve our goals,” she said.

In an effort to reduce energy consumption Ms Daly and the Resident’s Committee took advantage of an Australian Government scheme to phase out inefficient lighting. 

The savings to the environment and the economy are considerable. Across the country, the move to more efficient lighting, such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), is expected to save more than four terrawatt hours of electricity (equivalent to decommissioning one of Australia's smaller coal-fired power stations), up to four million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions (equivalent to one million cars off the road) and more than $400 million per year (saving more than $50 per year per household).

“Enviro Savers supplied and installed energy efficient light globes at no charge.

“We think this could save up to $100 per year in electricity bills,” Ms Daly said.

The next project at the Lakes was water saving devices.

Showers typically use about 30 percent of a household’s water use. By changing over to a water efficient showerhead, villages can save around a third of this water use and reduce total household water use by 6 to 7 percent. 

A typical inefficient showerhead uses approximately 20 litres of water per minute. The latest water efficient showerheads use as little as 9 litres per minute – an immediate saving of 11 litres per minute.  

“Simply by introducing these steps, we have reduced the costs to residents, we have reduced the cost of water and electricity.  We have actively contributed to reducing greenhouse gas emission and are helping to save the environment,” Ms Daly said.

“Keeping shower time under four minutes helps reduce water and energy bills too,” Ms Daly said.

Mark Marjoribanks said there were many ways in addition to Solar Energy for communities to save money while, at the same time, reducing their impact on the environment.

“Retirement villages are a great example of how communities can work together and really be smart about their energy use.

“One of the most satisfying parts of my job is working with clients to help reduce their carbon footprint. We can usually achieve it at no extra cost, if anything, it’s usually at a reduced cost,” Mr Marjoribanks said.

For further information visit : www.sanctuaryenergy.com.au
A proud RVA corporate partner.

For further information or to make comment on this story, please email communications@rva.com.au

The RVA News Monitor is a weekly feature on the RVA website, and will provide updated stories on issues involving the retirement village industry.

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