What We Do at SARVRA

• We advocate on behalf of retirement village residents within Government for policy changes that may impact the lifestyle of residents
• We provide information and advice on how these policy changes may affect members
• We support and mediate conflict resolution in retirement village communities
• We provide guest speakers at forums relevant to retirement villages and retirement village residents
• We regularly visit retirement villages to update residents on changes that may affect them (see below under Village Representatives)
• We lobby for policy changes that enhance then lives of residents of retirement villages
• We provide advice and guidance on setting up residents' committees (see below under Residents' Committees)
   

Village Representatives

An important role within SARVRA is that of SARVRA village representative. Village representatives are the presence of SARVRA within a retirement village.

They assist by distributing the SARVRA quarterly newsletters (for those members who do not receive it by email), encouraging residents to renew their membership or to become members. From time to time vacancies arise for the role of village representative within the 500 or so villages in the Adelaide metropolitan and country areas. If you would like to take up one of these important roles as the SARVRA representative in your local community, please contact us here.
 

Residents’ Committees

SARVRA encourages all retirement villages to have a residents’ committee and will help the retirement village establish its own. The function of a residents’ committee is to consult with the operator of the retirement village in relation to matters of interest to residents and to represent the interests of residents.

For further information, OFTA has produced a fact sheet about the structure and function of a residents’ committee within a retirement village.

Living in a Retirement Village - residents' committees.

Best Practice for a Retirement Village Residents' Committee.
 

The Retirement Villages Advisory Committee (RVAC)

This committee is comprised of representatives from the Property Council of Australia’s Retirement Living Committee, Aged & Community Services SA & NT Inc., the South Australian Retirement Villages Residents Association (SARVRA), Council on the Ageing, the Seniors Information Service and the Office for Ageing Well (formerly OFTA) staff.

RVAC members are nominated by their respective associations and are therefore considered to represent the views of their associations’ membership. SARVRA has two members on this committee which is facilitated by the Office for Ageing Well (formerly OFTA), representing residents living in retirement villages.