The taxpayer-funded broadcaster has its own Fact Check team determining the accuracy of claims by politicians, public figures, advocacy groups and institutions.
Its 7.30 program last Thursday showed a 14-minute broadcast as journalist Adele Ferguson "continues her expose into the scandal plagued retirement village sector."
"Retirement villages were first created to care for Australians as they grow older, but the sector has now turned into a multibillion-dollar industry," the taxpayer funded broadcaster said to introduce the story.
The Weekly SOURCE examines the claims made in the broadcast last Thursday evening.
"Scandal plagued" is a gross exaggeration. As The Weekly SOURCE reported last Tuesday: ABC 7.30 Report’s negative retirement village exposé fails to mention pivotal facts.
"Not a lot of investigation": The resident Maurine Moore was given a disclosure statement setting out the actual costs of entering, living in and leaving the village before signing her contract and moving into an independent living unit in 2009.
Unit flooded: "They fixed the room but not the ruined bookcase and about 500 books I had to throw out": While the responsibility to insure and repair the building and property sits with the operator to coordinate, via the Village Budget, contents insurance has always remained the responsibility of the resident and is set out as such in the Resident Agreement.
"They turned what could have been a pleasant old age into a sheer hell": Maurine, by her own admission has been smoking since aged 16, smoked incessantly and the tobacco smell upset most residents.
Village rules: The rules can only be created, changed or revoked by a special resolution of the village residents. While there are subtle differences to the involvement of the operator in each state and territory under the related Act, what is consistent is the requirement of the Operator to ensure the Village Rules are complied with by all residents.
The issue: The situation deteriorated after Maurine allegedly gave up smoking after repeated warnings but was seen smoking again. A special resolution was passed by 85% of the residents that smoking was banned from the retirement village in 2019. However, Maurine continued to smoke and the residents committee kept going to management, who eventually threatened Maurine with eviction for continually and repeatably breaking the residents' special resolution.
Retirement villages evict residents when the Maximum Deferred Management Fee starts. The PwC / Property Council Retirement Census 2023 states the average stay of a resident in a retirement village is nine years. 65% of operators indicated the maximum deferred payment percentage was within six years and 89% indicated the maximum deferred payment percentage was within 8 years.
"No pets without permission”: In 2021, the PwC's Retirement Living Census reported 83% of retirement villages are pet friendly. Now, there are conditions for pet approval set out in the resident contract to ensure the pet is appropriate for the village; the resident is able to care for the pet; and should the pet survive the resident, there is a strategy in place to ensure the animal's long term wellbeing. All of which is completely acceptable to pet owners living in villages across the country.
"Mandatory medical examinations": Again, this is a standard term in most resident contracts around the country. It is a term used by the operator to have an upfront conversation with residents and their families about the possibility that a day may come where independent living isn't right for them any more. Care is a real discussion point in retirement living, even independent living, and will continue to be so with the changes to home care package funding, and aged care beds being full, and none being built.