Older Australians living in retirement communities intentionally designed to contrive connection and interaction make for healthier and happier occupants, who are subsequently less likely to require hospitalisation.
That's the senitments of the Retirement Living Council (RLC), who have this week welcomed the findings of the Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) annual Public Hospital Report Card. The RLC says that the report serves as an important reminder for governments across the country about the health benefits of retirement living.
The AMA report found that Australians over the age of 65 represented more than 40 percent of total separations from public hospitals in 2021–22, and 47 percent of the total patient days occupying beds within public hospitals. The number of beds per 1,000 Australians aged over 65 has again fallen to the lowest number on record, down to 14.3.
While the report’s findings are concerning, there is a housing type that leads to better health, happiness and care outcomes, says RLC Executive Director Daniel Gannon, who believes an increase in retirement village stock will only provide further benefits to state and federal governments.
“Age-friendly retirement villages are leading to better health outcomes for older Australians because they are purpose designed and put social interaction at their core.
“When it comes to healthcare, retirement village residents are 20 per cent less likely to require hospitalisation after only nine months living in one of these communities, which leads to 14,000 avoided annual hospitalisations across Australia.
“Compared to people who don’t live in a retirement community, residents are 15 per cent more physically active, 41 pe cent happier, five times more socially active, twice as likely to catch up with family or friends, and have reduced levels of depression and loneliness.
“As a consequence, age-friendly communities are minimising the interactions older Australians have with GPs and hospitals, while importantly delaying entry into taxpayer funded aged care.
“All of this reduced interaction with health systems generates $945 million in annual savings for the Australian Government while at the same time freeing up aged care beds for increasing demand.
“Given the issues highlighted in this report from the AMA and the impending demographic ‘silver tsunami’, governments need to do everything they can to unleash more housing supply that keeps people healthier and happier for longer.”
The RLC has also called for the Prime Minister to include retirement units in the Australian Government’s 1.2 million new homes target while also removing financial barriers.
“The retirement sector is currently operating at full capacity, planning systems are holding up more supply, and there are too many financial barriers discouraging more older Australians from right-sizing,” Gannon says.
“Urgent reforms to Commonwealth Rent Assistance eligibility and age pension means testing are short-term priorities for industry."
Image: Arvida Retirement Village.
