Right now, generative AI and education is a contentious issue, as schools and universities scramble to adapt their assessment processes to the growing use of tools such Chat GPT by students.

But not everyone in education is looking at this technology as a threat, especially when it comes to assisting older people in maintaining their cognitive function and helping them to thrive in elder hood through continuous, lifelong learning.

Michael Doneman is working on his PhD at RMIT’s School of Communications and Design. His study is focussed on the use and impact of artificial intelligence amongst aging populations, specifically looking at the role of AI-enabled digital avatars in helping older people learn, flourish and ultimately age well in place.

In our conversation, Michael discusses how quickly older people move past the fear of this new technology once they understand the application and ultimately embrace its potential.

In this episode of the Business of Ageing we will be diving into the “Future Now” world of AI, what it is, where it’s going and look at the incredible opportunities that this technology can bring to older Australians once you cut through the media-fuelled noise that the mere mention of AI seems to bring.

The Business of Ageing podcast has been produced by Shaun Alexander at Pluss Communities

Michael Doneman is a PhD student at RMIT University at the founder of Edgeware Creative Entrepreneurship

Is there a right size for a home and how is that definition changing? Do families still aspire to live in a freestanding house on a quarter acre block in the suburbs or is our definition of The Great Australian Dream evolving due to financial realities and cultural influences? And what about older Australians? How many are still living in the old family home, long after the kids have moved on, in a house that is clearly too big for their needs?

Lucy Sutherland, Director of Insights and Trends at Temple & Webster has recently compiled a research paper called “The Future of Rightsizing in Australian Housing”, and argues that the traditional definition is definitely changing, but there is still considerable hesitation for many people to embrace higher density living.

In this episode of The Business of Ageing podcast, Lucy shares the findings of the report, discusses what “rightsizing” means to each generation and argues that you can determine someone’s satisfaction with the size of their home by the number of spare bedrooms they have.

At a time of ongoing housing affordability stress and a rapidly ageing population, this conversation is incredibly timely.

The Business of Ageing podcast has been produced by Shaun Alexander at Pluss Communities

Lucy Sutherland is the Director of Insights and Trends at Temple & Webster

You can download the full Future of Rightsizing report here

Money can bring out the worst in people. This is especially true when it comes to family estate planning where entitlement and inheritance impatience from adult children can put pressure on ageing parents and in some cases even tear families apart.

This is not a comfortable conversation for most people, but it is one that needs to happen early, and preferably in the company of a specialist financial advisor and estate planning solicitor.

MaryAnn De Mestre is a solicitor and legal academic who specialises in estate planning and succession law, and believes that getting these affairs in order early, will save a significant amount of heartbreak later on.

In this episode of The Business of Ageing podcast, we discuss how rising house prices and cost of living pressures have fueled the growing phenomenon of “inheritance impatience”.

MaryAnn talks about how this has led to a sharp increase in elder financial abuse within families, but thankfully offers valuable advice on how professional planning, family alignment and the right documentation can safeguard older people who might be vulnerable to this all-too-common occurrence.

The Business of Ageing has been produced by Shaun Alexander of Pluss Communities.

To learn more about Pluss Communities click here

To learn more about MaryAnn de Mestre and M de Mestre Lawyers click here

As the Executive Director of the industry’s peak body, The Retirement Living Council, Daniel Gannon has been a highly visible advocate for the sector. This advocacy has Daniel crisscrossing the country, talking with retirement village operators and residents, lobbying governments and assuming the position of industry spokesperson to a sometimes hostile media.

In this episode of the Business of Ageing, I sit down with Daniel to gauge the success of the Council’s recent initiatives, and whether or not these are having a material impact on government policy as well as public perception of the retirement living sector.

We discuss the positive role that retirement villages can play in addressing the challenges of an aged care industry that is struggling to meet the growing demands of a rapidly ageing population.

We look at the various roadblocks that need to be removed for this to happen, and what retirement village operators are doing to create world class communities for the next generation of residents.

The Business of Ageing podcast has been produced by Shaun Alexander at Pluss Communities.

To learn more about Pluss Communities click here

You can learn more about Daniel Gannon here

Change is hard. Most people are fairly set in their ways and naturally reluctant to alter their behaviours and ingrained habits.

When it comes to organisational change within the seniors living industry, these challenges are amplified 100 fold, as you try to coordinate long term staff spread across multiple geographic locations, as well as elderly residents who can be challenged by sudden disruptions to their day to day lives.

Luckily, there are Change Managers like Sarah Wright who have spent a career in helping organisations navigate these major transformations of their businesses.

Sarah has recently been guiding one of Australia’s largest seniors living organisations through a fundamental digital transformation of their operations, and in the process armed its leaders with the tools they need to drive successful change.

In this episode of The Business of Ageing, I sit down with Sarah to understand what makes a successful change manager and learn what practical steps every company can take to ensure that long term change will be embraced by the entire organisation and its residents.

The Business of Ageing podcast has been produced by Shaun Alexander at Pluss Communities.

To learn more about Pluss Communities click here

You can learn more about Sarah Wright here

How much is your lifestyle worth as you age and what is the financial opportunity cost of these decisions?

Nick Donnelly from Plenary Wealth is a financial advisor who specialises in retirement living, aged care and granny flat agreements and believes that the lifestyle benefits of seniors living communities can often trump the financial cost, but alignment between family members is critical when planning for this stage.

In this episode of The Business of Ageing, we will be discussing the best ways for people to educate themselves on the options available to them and why getting organised early can save a lot of heartbreak down the track.

Nick will be diving into the detail of retirement village and residential aged care contracts and what people need to be aware of as they transition from one to another.

We will be learning about the concept of “granny flat agreements” and how these can be a win-win option for multigenerational families looking to delay aged care as long as possible.

The Business of Ageing podcast has been produced by Shaun Alexander at Pluss Communities.

To learn about Pluss Communities click here

Click here to learn more about Nick Donnelly

Click here to learn more about Plenary Wealth

Is there someone that you’d like featured on The Business of Ageing? Send Shaun your guest ideas here

One of the hardest parts about ageing is knowing when it’s time to leave the family home. Do you move into a retirement village and embrace community life, or stay at home as long as possible before facing the inevitable need for care and the scramble for suitable options that follows?

If that decision making process isn’t hard enough, the financial minefield of contracts and payment options can end up trapping even the most savvy consumers.

Luckily Rachel Lane from Aged Care Gurus simplifies this process by breaking down these complex concepts into easy to understand, practical information, whilst also keeping the providers and policy makers honest by calling it exactly as she sees it.

In this episode of The Business of Ageing, Rachel shares some of the trends she is seeing from consumers when it comes to retirement living and aged care, and how there can often be a disconnect between these expectations with the reality of what providers can deliver.

The Business of Ageing podcast has been produced by Shaun Alexander at Pluss Communities.

To learn about Pluss Communities click here

Click here to learn more about Aged Care Gurus

Is there someone that you’d like featured on The Business of Ageing? Send Shaun your guest ideas here

Natasha and Justin Chadwick from New Direction Care are a mother and son team who have turned the traditional aged care model on its head. Their Microtown community is exactly that - a miniature community where aged care and dementia residents live in real houses, connected to a town centre complete with shops, cafes and all the services that you would expect from a real village.

This enables residents to thrive in an active, inclusive and fulfilling environment that’s a far cry from the nursing homes of old.

But like any revolution, change is hard and it takes a certain type of visionary with an unflinching drive and an even thicker skin to navigate the regulatory hurdles and cynical naysayers who said it could never be done.

In this episode of The Business of Ageing, we learn what it takes to instigate real change in the aged care industry and the implications for not only residents and their families, but also for care staff used to highly repetitive, task-based work.

The Business of Ageing podcast has been produced by Shaun Alexander at Pluss Communities.

To learn about Pluss Communities click here

Is there someone that you'd like featured on The Business of Ageing? Send Shaun your guest ideas here

Click here to learn more about NewDirection Care