The Business of Ageing is a podcast for seniors living professionals
Host Shaun Alexander sits down with the industry’s brightest and bravest business leaders for an honest, thought provoking conversation on how to improve the lives of older Australians, whilst building successful, sustainable businesses.
Episode 14: Patrick Abolakian, 7 October 2026
How does a 32 year old “outsider” with no seniors living experience develop and operate one of the most impressive retirement communities in Sydney?
Patrick Abolakian is second generation residential developer from the lower North Shore of Sydney, who has recently taken the family business on a leap of faith into the world of seniors living, transforming an old suburban bowlo into a groundbreaking community hub that incorporates a luxury retirement village, integrated age care and a very rejuvenated Club Willoughby.
Without the burden of embedded industry baggage, Patrick has managed to create a community that many corporate and not-for-profit operators could only dream about.
In this episode of The Business of Ageing, we will hear how a fresh set of eyes and proper engagement with the local residents can turn the traditional model of retirement living and aged care on its head, in the process developing a proper ageing-in-place community that just works.
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Patrick Abolakian is CEO at Hyegrove
Episode 13: Simon Kuestenmacher, 4 September 2025
We are constantly reminded in the seniors living industry to "prepare for the silver tsunami” as the baby boomers enter the sector en masse. We are then told that these same baby boomers are going to “reinvent retirement” so as not to repeat the mistakes of their parents who have just “left the sector.”
So how is the baby boomer generation going to radically change the experience of ageing, and what is it about this cohort and their life experiences that has led to this rethink?
Demographer Simon Kuestenmacher is the co-founder and director of The Demographics Group. He’s a self-confessed data nerd who has made a career out of reading the statistical tea leaves and pulling out the kind of insights that sees him in constant demand from the media as well as a regular fixture on stage at industry events across the country.
In this episode of the Business of Ageing podcast we will deep dive into the psyche of the baby boomer generation, explore what has shaped their attitudes towards ageing and ask whether the industry is ready to adapt to their needs.
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Simon Kuestenmacher is Co-Founder and Director at The Demographics Group
Episode 12: Elyssia Clark, 2 June 2025
Technology and AI is fast becoming part of everyone’s lives, and the seniors living industry is no exception. As the demand for aged care services overtakes the ability of the sector to deliver it, operators are embracing these new tools for their ability to augment staff shortages, demonstrate service delivery and improve the consumer experience by helping to ease the social isolation that is sadly so common amongst older Australians.
Elyssia Clark is the General Manager of Customer, Insights and Marketing at not-for-profit aged care and community services provider, Benetas - and has been championing the use of robotics and AI through the introduction of Abi the Robot into some of their aged care facilities.
In this episode of The Business of Ageing podcast, we will be talking about some of the new technology that is being adopted by the sector, the operational impact that it’s having, and how both staff and residents are adapting to this brave new world.
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Elyssia Clark is the General Manager of Customer, Insights and Marketing at Benetas
Episode 11: Michael Doneman, 12 March 2025
Should older people fear or embrace AI, and how can it help them maintain their cognitive function as they age?
Michael Doneman is working on his PhD at RMIT’s School of Communications and Design. His study is focussed on the use and impact of artificial intelligence amongst ageing populations, specifically looking at the role of AI-enabled digital avatars in helping older people learn, flourish and ultimately age well in place.
In our conversation, Michael discusses how quickly older people move past the fear of this new technology once they understand the application and ultimately embrace its potential.
In this episode of the Business of Ageing we will be diving into the “Future Now” world of AI, what it is, where it’s going and look at the incredible opportunities that this technology can bring to older Australians once you cut through the media-fuelled noise that the mere mention of AI seems to bring.
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Michael Doneman is a PhD Student at RMIT University and the founder of Edgeware Creative Entrepreneurship
Episode 10: Lucy Sutherland, 27 January 2025
Is there a right size for a home and how is that definition changing? Do families still aspire to live in a freestanding house on a quarter acre block in the suburbs, or is our definition of The Great Australian Dream evolving?
Lucy Sutherland, Director of Insights and Trends at Temple & Webster has recently compiled a research paper called “The Future of Rightsizing in Australian Housing”, and argues that the traditional definition is definitely changing, but there is still considerable hesitation for many people to embrace higher density living.
In this episode of The Business of Ageing podcast, Lucy shares the findings of the report, discusses what “rightsizing” means to each generation and why we need to rethink our priorities in an era of ageing populations and ongoing housing affordability challenges.
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Lucy Sutherland is the Director of Insights and Trends at Temple & Webster
Episode 9: MaryAnn de Mestre, 30 October 2024
Money can bring out the worst in people. This is especially true when it comes to family estate planning where financial entitlement from adult children can put pressure on ageing parents and in some cases even tear families apart.
In this episode of The Business of Ageing podcast, we discuss how rising house prices and cost of living pressures have fuelled the growing phenomenon of “inheritance impatience”.
Estate planning solicitor and succession law academic, MaryAnn de Mestre offers valuable advice on how professional planning, family alignment and the right documentation can safeguard older people who might be vulnerable to this all-too-common occurrence.
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MaryAnn de Mestre is the Principal at M de Mestre Lawyers
Episode 8: Daniel Gannon, 16 October 2024
As the Executive Director of the industry’s peak body, The Retirement Living Council, Daniel Gannon has been a highly visible advocate for the sector. This advocacy has Daniel crisscrossing the country, talking with retirement village operators and residents, lobbying governments and assuming the position of industry spokesperson to a sometimes hostile media.
In this episode of the Business of Ageing, Shaun sits down with Daniel to gauge the success of the Council’s recent initiatives, and whether or not these are having a material impact on government policy as well as public perception of the retirement living sector.
We also discuss the positive role that retirement villages can play in addressing the challenges of an aged care industry that is struggling to meet the growing demands of a rapidly ageing population.
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Daniel Gannon is the Executive Director at The Retirement Living Council
Episode 7: Sarah Wright, 16 September 2024
Change is hard. Most people are fairly set in their ways and naturally reluctant to alter their behaviours and ingrained habits. When it comes to organisational change within the seniors living industry, these challenges are amplified 100 fold.
Luckily, there are Change Managers like Sarah Wright who have spent a career in helping organisations navigate these major transformations of their businesses.
In this episode of The Business of Ageing, Shaun sits down with Sarah to understand what makes a successful change manager and learns what practical steps every company can take to ensure that long term change will be embraced by the entire organisation and its residents.
Sarah Wright is the principal at Wright Change Consultants
Episode 6: Nick Donnelly, 22 August 2024
How much is your lifestyle worth as you age and what is the financial opportunity cost of these decisions?
Nick Donnelly from Plenary Wealth, a financial advisor who specialises in retirement living and aged care, believes that the lifestyle benefits of seniors living communities can often trump the financial cost, but alignment between family members is critical when planning for this life stage.
In this episode of The Business of Ageing, we will be discussing the best ways for people to educate themselves on the options available to them and why getting organised early can save a lot of heartbreak down the track.
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Nick Donnelly is a Financial Advisor at Plenary Wealth
Episode 5: Rachel Lane, 13 July 2024
One of the hardest parts about ageing is knowing when it’s time to leave the family home. If that decision making process isn’t hard enough, the financial minefield of contracts and payment options can end up trapping even the most savvy consumers.
Luckily Rachel Lane from Aged Care Gurus simplifies this process by breaking down these complex concepts into easy to understand, practical information.
In this episode of The Business of Ageing, Rachel shares some of the trends she is seeing from consumers when it comes to retirement living and aged care, and how there can often be a disconnect between these expectations with the reality of what providers can deliver.
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Rachel Lane is the Principal of Aged Care Gurus
Episode 4: Natasha and Justin Chadwick, 3 June 2024
Natasha and Justin Chadwick from NewDirection Care are a mother and son team who have turned the traditional aged care model on its head. But like any revolution, change is hard and takes a certain type of visionary with an unflinching drive and an even thicker skin to navigate the regulatory hurdles and cynical naysayers who said it could never be done.
In this episode of The Business of Ageing, we learn what it takes to instigate real change in the aged care industry and the implications for not only residents, but also staff who are used to highly repetitive, task-based work.
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Natasha Chadwick is the Founder and CEO of NewDirection Care
Justin Chadwick is the Director at NewDirection Care
Episode 3: Merlin Kong, 24 April 2024
Innovation has traditionally been seen by many organisations as something that happens by senior people within a board room, but Merlin Kong, the former Director of InnovAgeing believes that anyone can become an innovator if given the opportunity to think, and a platform to share their ideas.
In this episode of The Business of Ageing, we discuss how innovation should be viewed as a cultural mindset within every organisation, and that aged care providers and government regulators need to build more “slack” into the sector’s workforce to give employees the opportunity to stop and think, rather than just running around, putting out fires.
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Merlin Kong is the Founder of Youtopient
Learn more about Merlin Kong and Youtopient
Episode 2: Mike Jeffrey, 15 April 2024
What do you do if 20 years into your career you feel that you need to make a major change to your status quo, but don’t want to compromise your core values? Mike Jeffrey did just that, taking a major leap of faith by leaving a stable 20 year career in a church-based aged care organisation, for the uncertainty of a tech startup.
In this episode of The Business of Ageing, Mike talks us through this experience and how his early days as a youth worker showed him the importance of “community” in developing and maintaining people’s sense of purpose. We have all heard about “transferable skills” but Mike Jeffrey’s experience is a story about “transferable values.”
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Mike Jeffrey is the CEO of Pluss Communities
Learn more about Mike Jeffrey and Pluss Communities
Episode 1: Lara Calder, 10 April 2024
When most people think of aged care homes, they picture tired, old buildings that feel more like hospitals. Architect Lara Calder is determined to change that perception, believing that the last place you call home can also be one of the best. In this episode of The Business of Ageing we discuss sensory-enhancing design, co-generational living and other models of seniors housing that are transforming the concept of what “home” can mean as we age.
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Lara Calder is the Managing Director of Calder Flower Architects.
Learn more about Lara Calder and Calder Flower Architects
The Business of Ageing is a podcast for seniors living professionals.
Host Shaun Alexander sits down with the industry’s brightest and bravest business leaders for an honest, thought provoking conversation on how to improve the lives of older Australians, whilst building successful, sustainable businesses.
The Business of Ageing podcast has been produced by Shaun Alexander at Pluss Communities
If you would like to be featured on the podcast, or have any feedback please get in touch here