Many retirement village residents have been demanding that the staff in their village be vaccinated against COVID-19 – now Australia’s largest village operator Aveo is taking action, becoming the first retirement living provider in Australia to formally request employees be vaccinated against the virus.
Current staff are now expected to have received their first vaccination by 1 November 2021 and their follow up vaccination by no later than 15 December. All new starters joining the business going forward will need to be fully vaccinated before commencing work.
Aveo CEO Tony Randello (pictured) said more needs to be done in the retirement living industry to protect residents and workers from the virus.
The operator has over 12,000 residents in 92 retirement communities across Australia.
“Aveo wants to do all it can to provide a safe living and working environment for valued residents who call our communities home and our employees, which is why we have taken this step,” he said.
Unlike aged care homes, there is no mandate for village staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Yet there are over 2,000 retirement villages across Australia, with an average resident age of 81 years – the average age of residents in Aveo’s communities is around 82 years.
The Property Council’s Retirement Living Council has been advocating on the issue – but it is up to the States and Territories to mandate vaccinations for people working in retirement communities.
With COVID-19 cases expected to significantly increase as the states look to reopen, is it time for other operators to take similar action?
