Retirement villages obligations to respond to the abuse and mistreatment of older people

Amendments to the Retirement Villages Regulation 2013 (the RVR), which come into effect on 27 March 2025, introduce the requirements for all retirement village operators in the ACT to have an elder abuse strategy in place from 27 May 2025.

Every retirement village in the ACT has a responsibility to ensure their residents live in safe environments with access to services and information that support their safety and wellbeing.

The  RVR requires operators to develop and implement a strategy that supports staff and residents to identify and address abuse, neglect, exploitation or mistreatment of older people living in retirement villages in the ACT. The RVR is designed to raise awareness among operators of the potential for mistreatment, exploitation or abuse of village residents. The RVR also highlights the need for village operators to be aware of reporting options and how to help an older person if you are concerned about their wellbeing.

Under the RVR, operators must:

• Prepare and give effect to a strategy for the identification and prevention of mistreatment, neglect or abuse of an older person in the retirement village.
• Ensure a copy of the strategy is posted on the notice board of the retirement village and easily accessible to residents.
• Ensure that all of the operator’s staff are familiar with the strategy.

The strategy must include:

• Examples of common forms of mistreatment, neglect or elder abuse, as well as specific examples in relation to retirement villages.
• Information on how to identify elder abuse including signs of elder abuse and how to prevent elder abuse.
• Information on ways to respond to elder abuse or concerns of suspected abuse, including procedures for reporting abuse, escalating matters to appropriate agencies and authorities and response times.
• An explanation of the roles and responsibilities of the operator and retirement village staff in relation to elder abuse in the retirement village.
• Guidance for accessing support from the Elder Abuse Hotline or the ACT Human Rights Commission, and other relevant local services and support agencies

The amended RVR can be found here.

The ACT Human Rights Commission can help

The ACT Human Rights Commission prioritises the promotion and protection of an older persons safety, wellbeing and rights. Anyone who believes that an older person or adult with disability is subject to, or at risk of, mistreatment, abuse, neglect or exploitation can make a report to the ACT Human Rights Commission. For more information about how we consider complaints about vulnerable people, please see here: (this is https://www.hrc.act.gov.au/disability/complaints-about-abuse-neglect-or-exploitation-of-vulnerable-canberrans)

The ACT Human Rights Commission has developed a guide for retirement village operators to identify and respond to the mistreatment of older people, which you can be found here

You can also call us on 02 6205 2222 for information or guidance on your obligations under the RVR, or how to approach a resident you have identified is at risk at abuse.

If you would like the ACT Human Rights Commission to come out and give a short information session on protections for older people and retirement village residents in the ACT call or email us at HRCintake@act.gov.au