Eden-on-the Park a model retirement village
KUCHING: Retirement Living Asia Summit 2017 was held in Kuching for the first time from July 18 to 21, 2017.
The high level International Summit was organised by Singapore Based EQUIP GLOBAL for the first time outside of Singapore.
This event was held to bring together captains of the retirement living and aged care industry, academicians and consultants from around the region.
Key players and speakers from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, India, China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia gathered in Kuching to share their experience in the nursing care, seniors living and retirement village business.
Kuching was chosen for this year’s Forum as for the first time in South-East-Asia there is a fully operational integrated facility for participants and industry captains to study as an Asia model designed for the Asian market.
Eden- on-the-park Sdn Bhd’s Integrated Seniors Lifestyle and Care Residence Resort in Kuching is the first of prototype retirement Village which has successfully incorporated the best practices drawn from the very well established Australian industry and adapting it to the local social needs, cultural values while addressing the negativities of the aged old taboos of Asian societies.
During the three day Conference the Retirement Living Asian Summit speakers shared experiences in their own country on lessons learned in setting up typical retirement villages, nursing homes.
They also discussed regulatory issuesandhowgovernmentcanplay a role in stimulating the growth of this industry. Speakers felt that government involvement was vital for the orderly development of the industry in their respective countries.
Conference delegates were also given deep insight into financial viability of such investments, return on investments, stateofthe- art technology in energy utilisation and innovative building materials used to reduce construction and operating cost.
A number of case studies were presented on how various models of nursing homes were run both on a small scale commercial enterprises in Indonesia and the Philippines and as not- forprofit initiatives by charitable organisations in Singapore and Malaysia.
A number of developments in Malaysia for seniors living were also used in case studies. These include a multi-generation living condo developed in Kuala Lumpur and an independent senior living housing project in Ipoh.
Founder and Managing Director of Eden- on-the- Park Sdn Bhd, Victor Fong, the developer of the integrated seniors Living and care residence resort presented to Summit participants with his model of the integrated Senior Living and aged care facility.
He explained that while Australian and New Zealand have probably the most advanced aged care systems in the world, their whole sale introduction into Asia may not be acceptable to the local community.
Fong shared that Malaysia does not have a social welfare system. The prototype which he has designed for Asia has addressed the much of the issues unique to the Asian environment.
These include the need for sustainability, negativity associated with local cultures and taboos towards the use of retirement and nursing homes. Other issues include local architectural requirements and affordability.
On top of these, the legal and regulatory guidelines which govern the medical and care industry currently make the cost of building nursing and care homes prohibitive.
Eden- on-the- Park Resort commenced construction in May, 2013 and was completed in February, 2017. The integrated aged care and seniors living resort caters for active independent residents.
It also provides a high end care residence for assisted and nursing care. These three separate individual components allow residents and property owners within the resort to “AGE IN PLACE”.
Eden- on-the-Park Resort adapts Person- centric and Relationshipcentred practices. It’s nursing and care practice involves making the resident or patient understand his own care needs and physiology.
It also engages family members in the care plan allowing them greater understanding of the relatives’ care needs and helping to manage the emotional needs of family members as well as the patients or residents themselves.
Eden- on-the- Park has since being recognised by Pemandu as an EPP and granted EPP17 Status on June 23, 2014. It received pioneer incentives from MiDA and awarded multiple recognitions as the Best Retirement facilities in the region and Malaysia by a number of international aged care and retirement villages forum.
The concept Eden- on-the-Park promotes the concept of Aging With Dignity Equip Global, the conference organisers are hopeful that housing developers in the State and in Malaysia will venture into construction of such retirement facilities with the hope that more of such integrated senior lifestyle and care facilities would be available to the public.
Malaysia according to the Ministry of Welfare, Women and Community Development will be an Aging nation by 2020 with 15.6 per cent of its population over 60 years of age. The organisers believe that this is the next growth sub sector within the construction and medical sectors.