After 60+ episodes of my "Pioneers in Aged Care" podcast, I finally feel like I know a little bit about Aged Care.
I've been recruiting within Aged Care for several years now, and in this time, I have kept meeting incredible people. I'm talking genuinely exceptional humans. Passionate, brilliant, resilient leaders who were pouring their hearts into this work.
Then I'd turn on the news or scroll through my feed and see them, their team and their industry get torn to pieces. The headlines wore them down. Aged Care Crisis. Neglect. Failure. Over and over again. And over time, I'd see some of them burn out and leave the industry.
And I'd think... where's the real story and why isn't it being told?
How can an industry full of people THIS remarkable get buried under such a one-dimensional narrative?
So I launched the Pioneers in Aged Care Podcast. Because there was another story, a better story, hiding in plain sight. I wanted to give a platform and voice to the pioneers, the innovators, the quiet champions who were building something better. Something that would attract a fresh wave of aged care professionals into an industry that desperately needed them.
And now I'm going to share what I've learned.
These are the themes that have shown up in conversation after conversation, the patterns that have emerged, the truths that have knocked me sideways.
Learning #1: The "Why" is the New Currency
If I had to pick THE most consistent theme across all 60+ episodes, it's this:
The pioneers I've spoken to are motivated by mission. By calling. By a "why" that's so powerful it transcends the daily chaos and challenges.
Almost every guest said they were "changing lives" and described their role as a "vocation and calling".
This purpose-driven mindset fundamentally changes how these leaders build their teams. Because the consensus, and I mean the CONSENSUS across every conversation, is that compassion comes first.
Jo Boylan, former CEO of Clayton Church Homes, summarised it best. Aged Care's entire model is built on one principle:
Everything else can be taught.
This "hiring for heart" philosophy solves the retention challenge. Because when your staff are aligned on a mission of kindness, they're more resilient. More engaged. More likely to stay.
Learning #2: The New Model is Here (And It's Extraordinary)
Something else became crystal clear very quickly:
A new vision for aged care is emerging..
The Baby Boomers are coming, and they bring entirely different expectations of what aging should look like.
The pioneers are building something entirely new. Something centered on community, dignity, and normalcy.
New Direction Care is building what they call a "microtown." It's a community. Their flagship site has 17 individual houses, each with only seven residents. The workforce is decentralised. Residents live with a "negotiated risk" model, meaning yes, they can cook in their own kitchen, using "big kitchen knives," because they're treated as adults.
At Curtin Heritage Living, David Cox is pioneering "placemaking", a term I learned from Charles Moore, CEO of BaptistCare. David's facility is a "precinct" that is deliberately integrated with public-facing amenities, including the award-winning Gibney Restaurant, an art gallery, a medical centre and a movie theatre. As he put it, this "breaks down the barrier between nursing home and community" and makes aged care "aspirational."
Aspirational.
When was the last time you heard that word used by traditional media in the same sentence as aged care?
Daniel Walden and Tammy Ridgeway at Mercy Health described their "household living model" which are small shared spaces of 12 to 16 beds with shared living areas and consistent staffing. The goal here is to make it feel like a home.
Because it IS a home.
These leaders are proving you can have both excellent clinical care AND a life of dignity.
Both. Together. Always.
Learning #3: The Workforce Solution Goes Way Beyond Recruitment
Now we get into my wheelhouse.
The workforce challenge came up in every. Single. Conversation.
The pioneers are tackling it with radical, human-centred solutions focused on support, trust, and belonging.
It's about retention. It's about building a workplace worth staying for.
Frank Price, CEO of RFBI, shared something that genuinely broke me. He recognised that his staff, many on modest wages, deserve security.
So what did he do?
He's building dedicated, affordable housing exclusively for them.
Heavily subsidised well below the market rate. And here's the part that made me cry on camera:
They're allowed to stay in that housing AFTER they retire.
Where do I sign?
This "people-first" approach is THE key.
- Belinda Sutherland from Wesley Mission Queensland looks for "passion and spark" when hiring new grads.
- Sarah Saeedi from Bolton Clarke fights burnout with joy. She's known as the "tutu fairy," organising fashion shows and dress-ups to bring lightness to the workplace.
- Stephen Becsi from Apollo Care responds to and celebrates every positive moment and behaviour shared by staff through their bespoke culture-building software.
- Jason Binder from Respect Aged Care ensures everyone feels heard, whether they're a cleaner or an executive. A good idea is a good idea, no matter who it comes from.
By caring for the carers, these organisations are building resilience from the inside out.
Learning #4: Technology as the Ultimate Enabler
Everyone I spoke to believes in the irreplaceable value of human connection in care.
As Paul Sadler, former interim-CEO of ACCPA, now owner & Principal of Paul Sadler Consultancy put it: human interaction is at the heart of everything.
And here's what technology does brilliantly:
Technology IS the critical enabler that bridges gaps and frees up humans to do the work that matters most.
- Craig Carter, CIO of ACH Group, has a mandate I absolutely love: "turning every admin minute into a care minute." By automating backend processes, he's returning time to staff so they can focus on residents.
- Michael Mouyis at Infinite Care is using an AI tool to scan progress notes and incident reports, identifying clinical changes and saving clinicians hours of manual review. But here's where my mind was blown.
- Gretta Wallace at Amana Living uses their NeuronsVR headsets as part of their therapy tech-stack. She shared a story about using VR for pain management, distracting and calming a resident during a painful wound dressing. It worked so well that the family mentioned it at his funeral!
Learning #5: Dignity Comes on a Plate
If I had to pick one theme that perfectly captures the shift toward human-centred care, it's food.
Food. Glorious Food.
The pioneers are reclaiming the dining experience as a cornerstone of dignity, memory, and community.
Nick Ryan at Lutheran Services noted that the two biggest complaints from residents are "food and loneliness." So he realised a positive dining experience could solve BOTH. His "Happy Table" initiative was born from understanding that the dining room is the best possible weapon against social isolation.
At Juniper, Kyrie Hall is "bringing the fresh food market to our residents" by letting them see, smell, and choose their own fresh produce. This simple act restores normalcy, choice, and connection to their past.
And the gold standard is being set by leaders like David Martin, Executive Chef Manager at St. Vincent's Care.
His chefs are culinary professionals. In 2023, they travelled to London and won SILVER at the Salon Culinaire, competing against fine-dining restaurants.
They're serving Beef Wellingtons. Confit ducks. Complex Filipino desserts.
And this is about so much more than delicious food (though yes, I got to try it!).
It's a profound statement of respect.
When you serve world-class food, you're telling the resident they are worthy of world-class care.
The New Narrative
So here's what I know after 60+ conversations:
The pioneers are building new mindsets. They're leading with kindness, purpose, and a can-do attitude that frankly puts most other industries to shame.
The real narrative of aged care is emerging.
This industry IS defined by passionate, resilient, innovative problem-solvers.
The future of aged care is purposeful. It's dynamic. It's deeply, beautifully human.
And my mission to find these stories and change the narrative continues.
Who am I?
I'm Anthony Nguyen, and I'm Bringing Sexy Back to Aged Care.
