Our Forever Home: A Qualitative Study of Retirement Living Residents and Their Changing Needs, Desires, and...

BackgroundWith the median entry age of Retirement Living Communities (RLC) in Australia rising from 65 to 75 years, traditional models that excluded care services must pivot toward comprehensive service delivery spanning health and domestic support to facilitate ageing in place.ObjectiveThis qualitative study examined the evolving needs, desires, and expectations of (RLC) residents to provide major industry stakeholders with data and recommendations to make evidence-based resident-focussed sectoral decisions for a portfolio of 17,000 residents.MethodsUsing an adapted World Café method, data were gathered from 517 participants across 12 events and subject to reflexive thematic analysis to distil findings.ResultsResidents identified growing appetite service provision for ageing in place including domestic assistance, meal preparation, technology support, and in-home care. The study highlights a paradigm shift requiring operators to develop integrated service provision models addressing residents' determination to age in place with dignity, challenging existing RLC frameworks.