The time to comment on the new Australian Retirement Village Accreditation Scheme is now, as the consultation period for the draft standards draws to a close.
Over the past 15 months, a joint working group led by the Property Council and Leading Age Services Australia, or LASA, has developed a new accreditation scheme from scratch.
The Australian Retirement Village Accreditation Scheme, or ARVAS, has been designed to independently certify the quality and consistency of services and operational processes in Australia’s 2,300-plus retirement living villages.
“Independent accreditation is a practical tool for retirement village operators to demonstrate their commitment to operating high quality villages,” says Ben Myers, the Property Council’s executive director for retirement living.
“It will also give residents peace of mind that their choice to live in a retirement living village is the right one.
Sean Rooney, chief executive officer of LASA, emphasises the importance of a unified scheme.
“The fact that this scheme has widespread support in the industry demonstrates the commitment of operators to provide high quality services to older Australians,” Rooney says.
In February, the Property Council and LASA appointed Quality Innovation Performance, an experienced not-for-profit provider of accreditation services, to operate ARVAS on the industry’s behalf.
Rooney says QIP has a “strong track record” providing accreditation services to community organisations and health care services and is “well placed to support the retirement village industry”.
ARVAS standards reflect the key indicators of satisfaction with village life, Myers explains.
The standards focus on seven quality areas: community management; human resource management; resident entry and exit; resident engagement and feedback; environment, services and facilities; safety and security; and, where applicable, resident care.
The first six standards apply to all retirement communities and must be met to achieve ARVAS accreditation. Some criteria within each standard may not apply to all villages. Applicability guidelines are provided with the explanatory notes for each criterion.
The ARVAS standards link directly to the recently-released Retirement Living Code of Conduct, which Myers says “completes a clear pathway to quality and accountability”.
“As the final step of the ARVAS standards development process, we are seeking comment from the retirement living industry, residents and other interested stakeholders,” Myers concludes.
ARVAS is expected to be operational by June 2019.
Download the draft ARVAS standards and provide your feedback before Friday 12 April 2019.