Show them how much you care RETIREMENT VILLAGE ACCREDITATION

Show them how

much you care

A giant leap

Retirement villages have been a popular destination for senior Australians for more than 30 years, providing suitable accommodation, great amenities and convenient access to services and activities for those looking to make the most of their retirement. There is an imminent explosion of the Australian senior population, as baby boomer retirees, accustomed to a terrific lifestyle, seek a suitable option to spend their next 15 to 20 years.

Standards are rising, and to assist the industry meet the increased expectations of the next generation of retirees, the Lifemark Village Scheme has been developed to assist retirement village operators to assure your village’s quality and guarantee a path of continuous improvement.

What is Lifemark?

Lifemark is an enhanced accreditation scheme for retirement villages across Australia, containing the highest standards of any scheme in our industry’s history. A Lifemark- accredited village will have met 26 standards relating to every aspect of your resident’s experience and your village’s operations.

Operators and villages which achieve Lifemark accreditation can display the Lifemark logo on its premises and its various publications, and provides a strong platform for operators to assure prospective and existing residents that they are committed to standards that go well beyond what the law requires.

The Lifemark Village Scheme is the gold standard for retirement communities, and a must for your village.

Derek McMillan – CEO, Australian Unity Retirement

Living and Chair, Retirement Living Council

"The Lifemark Village Scheme is an industry initiated and led accreditation scheme, created for those who aspire to deliver a superior living experience and high resident satisfaction. Adoption of Lifemark accreditation at your village sends a strong message of your commitment to quality and ensures that our industry will have a strong and prosperous future."

Mary Wood – Executive Director,

Retirement Living Council

“An increasing number of older Australians are choosing to live in a retirement village because they offer independence, friendship and support. Senior Australians can trust that a Lifemark accredited village is well governed, comfortable and safe, as the standards are rigorous and applied by independent experts.”

04

Why was Lifemark created?

The retirement living industry is a strong supporter of village and operator accreditation, going back to the Australian Retirement Village Accreditation (ARVA) Scheme. After a review in 2012, it was clear that a new scheme was necessary, to ensure consistent rigour of results, and because modern governance standards require a fresh model. An industry accreditation scheme helps operators deal with the ever-changing regulatory environment in which villages operate. Consumer and governments are increasingly placing pressure on all human services industries to ensure standards are high and transparent.

The value of high standards is well accepted by our industry, which has always had a strong commitment to excellence. The more operators signing up to Lifemark reduces the risk of further government regulations, which are often imposed in ignorance of key aspects of village life.

Why should we apply for Lifemark

accreditation?

Lifemark accreditation is proof of your commitment to residents of your all round ex-cellence all around, and the best possible way to boost your marketing. The Lifemark seal, which accredited operators are entitled to use, will come to be seen by residents as a mark of quality.

For smaller operators, Lifemark provides a defined path to excellence, and allows your village to compete with the bigger operators – already Lend Lease, Aveo and Stockland have committed to Lifemark accreditation.

Lifemark is also the best risk minimisation plan your business can possibly have. Going through a thorough external auditing process identifies all the potential risks your village faces, and gives you the chance to address those proactively, before a serious incident or accident takes place.

www.propertyoz.com.au/accreditation

Rachel Gibbons, The Manor –

Batemans Bay Retirement Village

“Whilst the staff and directors of The Manor are constantly self-assessing and striving to improve the experience of our residents, we believe that it is important to have our processes and procedures assessed by an independent professional third party. “This independent assessment provides our residents and their families with the

reassurance that the level of professionalism and care that our staff provide to our residents satisfies not only our own high internal standards, but also the standards of one of Australia’s experienced accreditation and certification bodies.”

What are the Lifemark standards?

The 26 Lifemark standards align with international standards and capture the essence of high performance from a resident’s perspective. The standards are divided into six categories of village performance:

LIFESTYLE

What social activities the resident can access, what transport is available, and how involved residents are in decision making

PEOPLE AND STAFF

Evaluating the performance of the village’s staff and their development as employees, and ensuring resident privacy is respected at all times

REGULATIONS

Compliance with food and catering requirements, financial reporting, insurance and occupational health and safety

SUPPORT

Ensuring the right information is communicated to residents efficiently, and that residents are aware of every-thing the village offers

SAFETY

Covering security, safety, emergency arrangements and disaster planning at your village

VILLAGE POLICY

Having a process for dispute resolution, maintenance and participation in resident meetings.

08

What is involved in the

accreditation process?

All operators will first undergo a self-assessment, using a form provided by BSI, so operators can assess themselves against all 26 standards. After the official application for accreditation, the BSI assessment begins, including a resident survey, desktop review and on-site audit.

A preliminary assessment report is created, which will contain the results of any standards where the operator and village did not comply, with recommendations for a resolution. Once non-conformities are resolved, a final assessment report is issued with a recommendation whether to issue accreditation or not.

Successful operators will then receive their Lifemark accreditation, valid for three years, pending an 18 month ‘surveillance assessment’, where BSI will conduct a check to ensure that all the standards are being maintained.

Who evaluates the standards?

All Lifemark audits are conducted by BSI Australia, a JAS-ANZ accredited conformity assessment body. (JAS-ANZ is the government-appointed accreditation body re-sponsible for providing accreditation of conformity assessment bodies in the fields of certification and inspection.)

BSI audits dozens of schemes for a variety of industries and complex consumer-oriented businesses, including Woolworths and McDonalds, and health and human services providers. BSI is responsible for, and will work with you through, all aspects of the accreditation process.

www.propertyoz.com.au/accreditation

John Krnel – BSI Australia

“As a third party auditing body, BSI is proud to be part of the Lifemark Village Scheme. The core objective of the Lifemark Scheme and BSI is to assure current and potential retirement village residents about the quality management and services on offer in a retirement living communities.”

How much does accreditation cost?

Each accreditation will have a different cost, depending on the size of the villages and the operator. www.bsigroup.com.au/lifemark for full information and to make an inquiry, and BSI will respond with a tailored quotation.

To reduce the cost burden, BSI has implemented a multi-site sampling audit system for those with two or more village sites, in recognition of the evolution of operational systems for many multi-village owners.

If there are costs associated with any additional work required to do the audit, such as resolution of non-conformities, these costs will be charged to the operator.

How long does the process take?

For a single visit, approximately two months; for larger operators, three to six months. Preparing for accreditation requires a commitment of resources to satisfy each element of the Lifemark standards and depends upon maturity of systems, staff availability, experience and skill level of staff, degree of documentation, competing projects and project management skills.

Operators should allow three to six months to prepare for accreditation where part-time resourcing is used.

For more information or to speak with someone

regarding the information in this brochure please

phone (1300 237 808) or visit our website

bsigroup.com.au/lifemark

AN INITIATIVE OF MANAGED BY

Michael Eggington – Managing Director of

Retirement Living, Lend Lease

“Lend Lease can leverage its scale and resources to assist in developing best-practice solutions in our industry, for the benefit of residents. The Lifemark Village Scheme is an incredibly important initiative for our sector and – more importantly – our residents, and Lend Lease is proud to support it.”

12

BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION

Suite 2, Level 7, 15 Talavera Road Macquarie Park, NSW 2113

bsigroup.com.au/lifemark Phone 1300 237 808 Fax 1300 730 135