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