Virtual Retirement Villages - New Age Care for the 21st Century.

Are "Virtual" Retirement Villages the Next Big Thing?

Interview with Amanda Graham, Director of Australian retirement website www.SeniorsHousingOnline.com.au

1.      What are Virtual Retirement Villages? “New technology is providing a platform for thousands of seniors to develop "virtual retirement villages" - online local networks supporting people to live independently in their own homes with access to local services.  Membership helps provide staff, systems and infrastructure, supported by a centralised online network, putting a whole new high tech spin on "ageing in place" policies.” 2.      These virtual villages are springing up quickly in the U.S. but will they catch on here in Australia?   “We think they will appeal to independent minded baby boomers - who are already tech savvy.  We also think they provide new opportunities for service providers to connect with people in their local area, and provide a new approach to community based and in-home aged care in Australia.” 3.      Senior enclaves are nothing new – so what’s changed? “They have been described as a new type of "naturally occurring retirement communities" (NORCs) which have evolved from senior enclaves developing in local areas offering a senior friendly living environment.  Clusters of older residents in places with senior - orientated services and lifestyle is nothing new, but what’s changed is that there’s now an online "Village to Village Network" with tools and systems to replicate the model faster, provide basic functions and learn from shared experiences.  These online tools are accelerating the trend and enabling people to remain more independent, but even more importantly they are potentially a game changer as they shift the balance of power and put people in control of their own care. It’s another example of how the web is really democratising information and making it more accessible to everyone – and in the process, shaking up the old structures, giving more power to consumers and often cutting out the middleman in connecting people together.” 4.      Will this development threaten the business model of established retirement villages and aged care providers? “It will definitely influence the way these current businesses develop in the future, and this is just one way they will need to adapt to the higher expectations of the baby boomers, whose attitudes to aged care are very different to that of their parents’ generation. But demand for retirement villages and aged care will continue to grow strongly as we still need a range of types of service provision to cater for the increase in the older population, including high level care for those who need it. In-home care is already a popular and growing option to cater for independent seniors who may only need low level support, so virtual villages are just one way of taking this further. Many existing Australian aged care service providers are currently expanding their community based and in-home services too, so I expect they’ll be very interested in this as another way to connect with seniors in their local catchment area. It also really highlights the potential to better utilise technology to deliver services to older people.” 5.      How does it actually work in the U.S? “The U.S. based Village to Village Network - established in 2010 - already actively supports 50 village communities, and has contact with a further 3,000 as more attend workshops and join the network. It is organised by a non-profit organisation in Washington called NCB Capital Impact and Beacon Hill Village in Boston which was established 10 years ago. The network  provides a range of practical tools to speed the process of developing a virtual senior community, including sample business plans, job descriptions, online learning forums, events calendars, online membership registration, and senior oriented local service providers and businesses.  It offers a step by step checklist and do's and don'ts for independent seniors wanting to set up their own "Virtual Village" to support seniors in their local area. It also allows for consumer feedback on senior services, helping people to select the best and most reputable services available. A customised website module has been developed for the Network to manage common village activities and is available to registered members. This has been funded partly via grants and partly via modest membership fees for participating villages.” 6.      What benefits are there for seniors in getting involved? “For many older people this virtual village option offers the opportunity to link up with like-minded others, taking responsibility for themselves and remaining in their own homes for as long as possible as they age, finding and even saving money on support services - as well as better managing demand for over stretched government funded in-home support services. It will also speed up the ability to find trusted local support services and access information, including peer reviews from other consumers. For Australian senior living and aged care providers it potentially offers a way to rapidly expand their community based outreach services and connect with local seniors, so it will be interesting to see if or how the US model translates into local service provision.  Perhaps the development of effective new online tools will generate innovative partnerships between independent seniors, care providers and government for the 21st century?” More information and relevant links can be found on the Seniors Housing Online News and Information page: http://www.seniorshousingonline.com.au//templates/seniors2010_news.aspx?pageID=335