In 2020 a mad dash ensued, deciphering the confusion and lack of official direction from government as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded before our eyes.
Operators banded together to share information, improve policies and procedures and most importantly, protect their residents and staff.
This created a sense of security and a powerful message; a retirement community is a place that residents can rely on. The core strengths of safe and secure, purpose-built, age-friendly accommodation is giving consumers the choices that they deserve in their retirement.
Importantly these efforts have not gone unrewarded. We have been hearing for some time now that operators are thriving in this new sales environment. It is good to have the data to now back this up.
The 2021 Snapshot Report gives us the hard data to back this information up. We looked at the impact of COVID-19 on the number of sales when compared with pre-COVID-19.
39 per cent of villages reported that the number of sales has increased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to only 23 per cent reporting less sales compared to pre-COVID-19 levels and 38 per cent reporting no change to their sales.
This uptake reflects what we are hearing from operators. Living Choice Australia has experienced a significant rise in enquiries in 2021, compared with 2020 – having risen by 78 per cent.
However, enquiries did experience a drop in 2020 during the COVID-19 confusion, yet when compared with their 2019 levels, Living Choice Australia has still seen a seven per cent increase from their pre-COVID-19 levels.
Reporting more settlements in 2021 and with very few homes available, Living Choice Australia have a growing waitlist in communities across Australia with a high-level of enquiries coming in at the start of 2022.
By all indicators, industry can look forward to more potential residents wishing to live in their retirement communities.