AgedPlus Magazine

AUSTRALIA | A new sensory room at Discovery Parks – Goolwa is being used to test how holiday environments can better support people experiencing sensory overload, with findings from a 12-month research project intended to help shape more inclusive tourism. The new sensory regulation space has opened ahead of the summer school holiday period, providing people of all ages with a quiet place to reset when the sights, sounds and activity of a holiday become overwhelming.

NEW ZEALAND | Bupa New Zealand launches Blua app, giving whānau greater visibility of everyday care. Bupa New Zealand has launched Blua, a new digital app giving whānau and friends greater visibility of the everyday care, wellbeing and activities of residents living in Bupa care homes. The app has been rolled out across Bupa’s 40 care homes in New Zealand, supporting thousands of residents and their whānau to stay connected and informed about the day-to-day life of residents.

NEW ZEALAND | For aged care and retirement living operators, the push to keep older people active is increasingly extending beyond organised exercise programmes and into the communities around them. Bupa New Zealand is expanding its Healthy Cities movement across Aotearoa this September, partnering with ACC, Christchurch City Council and EcoMatters Environment Trust to connect physical activity, social participation and environmental regeneration.

NEW ZEALAND | Leadership at Alzheimers NZ is changing at a time when the dementia sector is pushing for greater recognition within New Zealand’s health and aged-care system, with Dave Robinson appointed as the organisation’s new chief executive. Robinson will take up the role on 14 September, succeeding Catherine Hall after her 14 years leading the national organisation.

ANZ | Summerset Group Holdings has increased first-half sales and cash generation while deliberately tightening development and capital settings, as the retirement village operator responds to an uneven property market and continuing cost and funding pressure. For the six months ended 30 June 2026, Summerset reported IFRS net profit after tax of $171.4 million, up 92 percent on the first half of 2025.

Dane Ambler is the Executive Director of Buy NZ Made, we caught up with Dane to hear his thoughts on the lockdowns and the…

Andromeda Robotics just raised $23 million on a $100 million valuation, and its companion robot Abi is now operating full-time across all of mecwacare's Victorian homes, supporting over 1,500 residents. That's the largest deployment of its kind in Australian aged care. It's also happening faster than the regulatory framework meant to govern it. For operators here and in Australia weighing their own technology investment, that gap is the story, not the robot.

I'll be honest, the premise of Bad Neighbours isn't new. Homeless man dies outside a fancy apartment block, residents are a bit too relieved about it, turns out someone in the building is involved. You've read some version of this domestic thriller setup before, and if you're a regular crime fiction reader you'll probably clock the shape of it early. But it didn't matter, because this was still a really good read. Joanna Jenkins's pacing is what carries it.

Most aged care operators can show that staff have completed training. The harder question is what happens when that training is needed at 7pm, when a resident is distressed, does not want to change their clothes or becomes upset by something a staff member has said. There can be quite a gap between understanding person-centred dementia care in a training module and recognising how to respond when that situation is happening in front of you.

Water damage is one of the biggest issues facing rest home operators today. Whether it’s caused by a hidden plumbing leak, a resident leaving a tap running, or an unforeseen equipment failure like a burst sprinkler system, the consequences can extend far beyond a quick mop-up operation. Severe water damage is not only costly to repair it can also mean a loss of income if residents need to be relocated while work is carried out. The ripple effect of gradual and unseen leaks.