Experience

HammondCare’s Marie Alford shares what retirement village operators should be doing now to support residents living with dementia – from wayfinding to wellbeing coordinators to community partnerships.

With registered nurse supply a structural problem and care minutes accountability locked in, Lutheran Services’ Transition to Practice Program offers a replicable model for providers tired of losing ground to the external recruitment market.

Jennifer Andrewes worked as a communications expert in government. She’s seen a lot of leadership approaches. It was those she encountered post sharing her diagnosis who landed what is the substance of leading. She’s now walking the walk, in more ways than one.

Far from the sterile books on power plays in leadership, Jennifer Andrewes, a long-time government professional in communications, shares walking a different walk. Vibrantly candid, kind and competent, Andrewes’ story is one of honesty and grit in sticking to your values and having each others’ backs.

Australia’s aged care sector is being reshaped by a $610 billion global longevity economy. What does that mean for the leaders running care organisations — and are they ready for the shift?

New AIHW data shows record resident satisfaction in aged care — but ED presentations are also at a high. We ask what the numbers are really telling us.

The latest Ageing in Australia Community Expectations Report 2026 spotlights that aged care providers need to close the gap between perception and reality in aged care. Broken trust might be the biggest barrier, but it’s also the greatest opportunity.

New data from Edelman’s 2026 Trust Barometer shows Australians are slightly more trusting of institutions – but also more insular, more fragmented, and more likely to trust a familiar face than a system. For aged care leaders, this is both a challenge and a clear directive.

The debate over “two-tiered” dining in aged care isn’t new, but it is resurfacing with sharper edges. As expectations rise and funding constraints persist, providers are navigating a delicate balance between offering choice and preserving dignity. The real issue isn’t whether premium options should exist, but how to deliver them in a shared living environment without creating division at the table.

Concerns in aged care rarely start as complaints, but poor communication and delayed responses can quickly erode trust. Why leadership, especially over weekends, determines whether issues escalate.