Investing in a quality gym has always been an option as a marketing tool for village operators – now it is becoming a serious business opportunity as the new home care funding model can supplement the cost and Baby Boomers demand services to help them stay living independently for longer.

Retirement villages are evolving into a legitimate barrier to high level care, and with the Government strategy to promote wellness over care, it opens community and home care funding to gym-based activity.

The Aged Care Taskforce is currently evaluating future options for funding services with a Final Report due in December. One plank is that funding will follow the consumer, not the provider.

Under these likely changes, older Australians will be enabled to age wherever they want – and be funded to live independently as long as possible.

This is a great selling point for retirement villages, which already deliver on lifestyle, community and amenity in an age-friendly environment – but operators need to have the services in place to be able to support residents to achieve this goal.

HUR gyms: delivering on wellness and community

Here is where a purpose-designed quality gym can deliver real benefits.

Investing in equipment that is specifically designed for seniors – like the Finnish-designed HUR brand – and taking steps to encourage residents to use it – will deliver fitter and healthier residents, who are then happy to recommend your village to family and friends.

Importantly, it can also help to deliver a real sense of community and prevent social isolation, another key component of healthy ageing.

Berry Park Village, located near Maitland in NSW’s Hunter Valley region, is proving that this approach works.

The 162-home village – which is jointly owned by local businessman Hilton Grugeon and experienced village developer Gordon Eacott – began construction in 2020 with the final 30 homes due to be completed by this Christmas.

“We needed to rethink our value proposition”

The original plan for the village amenities was only for a community centre and a Men’s Shed.

But as Village Manager Katie Ambrose (pictured below) explains, this plan quickly changed on the back of their initial sales.

With an average age of 72 – and ranging in age from 55 to 90 – the village is younger in age than many others – and both residents and their families want a ‘wellness’ approach.

“We needed to rethink our value proposition,” said Katie.

“Today, retirement living is all about supporting residents to be independent for as long as possible.”

HUR equipment fully automated and easy to use

With this knowledge in mind, a new gym was a non-negotiable for Katie, who previously managed land lease communities which have a wide range of community facilities available.

“We want to keep our residents moving, and a gym is key to that goal because you’re building strength and muscle,” she stated.

After visiting several HUR gyms, the Village Manager was convinced that she had found the right fit.

“HUR equipment is fully automated as opposed to traditional-style gym equipment,” she said.

“Once the exercise physiologist has set up the program on the card, residents can just tap on the machine, and it automatically adjusts to their size and prepares their personalised exercise program.

“It’s easy to review how residents are progressing and adjust the program to meet their needs.”

Initially, the owners looked at purchasing just one or two pieces of equipment and building up the gym – but Katie quickly realised that it wouldn’t have the same impact on resident health or the sense of community.

“We just went full throttle,” she said. “But we are already seeing the benefits to residents’ health and wellbeing.”

170 gym residents creating real community

In a sign of Berry Park’s commitment to its wellness approach, the village has employed an outside exercise physiologist to complete a health assessment and set up a program for each resident at its own expense.

Since January, the EP has inducted over 170 residents and currently comes once a week to work with residents and deliver two balance and strength classes – one for fitter residents and the other for those with mobility issues.

This is delivering on both health outcomes and community building for the relatively new village.

“It is a very fun class,” said Katie. “There is a lot of laughter in it.”

Berry Park is now due to start construction on their second village, Berry Park Gatehouse next door.

While the new village will be catering to a different market, another HUR gym is at the top of the list of community facilities.

“We don’t want to be just maintaining our residents’ health,” said Katie.

“We want to be improving their wellbeing to enable them to live independently, and HUR is a good fit.”

SATURDAY: The retirement village residents of the future will be looking for help to age well at home – and have the funding to be able to meet the cost of providing these services. Operators should be examining their wellness strategies to ensure that they can meet this demand.