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Is South Africa a frontrunner when it comes to residential estate management, facilities and care for the elderly, or does it lag behind? This is a question often considered by senior management of estates, including Sue Smith, the CEO of Helderberg Village.
Helderberg Village is a luxurious residential estate nestled on the slopes of Helderberg Mountain, surrounded by vineyards and the ocean. For over 35 years, Sue and the experts managing the estate have done much to refine this piece of paradise and to cater to the needs of residents, especially the elderly.
But with the residents’ needs constantly evolving, Sue is aware that there is always room for improvement. While she has in the past sought inspiration locally, she’s just come back from a trip to the United States where she attended the Club Management Association of America’s World Conference in Orlando, Florida.
Here, Sue imparts her newfound knowledge and shares some ways in which South African estate managers can ramp up their efforts, particularly when it comes to frail care, and highlights how US residential estates differ from South African ones.
CMASA organises attendees for CMAA
The CMAA’s World Conference is an annual event and each year, together with the Club Management Association of South Africa’s (CMASA) CEO, managers from various estates around the country attend the conference. The event this year was held in Florida, USA, and attracted over 3,000 delegates from around the world.
Besides Sue, the event was attended by the CEO and the Education Manager from CMASA as well as by general managers and CEOs of estates and clubs from around South Africa. They included representatives from San Lameer Estate, Atlantic Beach Estate, Stellenbosch GC and Clovelly GC, to name but a few.
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The conference centred around Leadership and Culture and how important your customer is. Topics included Vision to Action, Tools to keep strategy alive, How to create a Culture of Excellence, It’s not ‘If’, it’s ‘When’ – when dealing with the media, and crisis management and navigating emotionally charged conversations, to name a few. Sue’s biggest challenge was deciding which lecture to attend each session.
What we all have in common is that regardless of whether you manage a HOA or a Sectional Title complex, as an estate manager, you and your team will inevitably encounter emotionally charged residents. This is because your residents are your customers, you become a part of their day-to-day life, and your team’s job is to ensure a happy community.
Sue’s research expanded beyond the remit of the CMAA’s annual event. She explains: ‘I took advantage while there to add a week onto the beginning of the trip and visit other estates that offered retirement, residential and frail care facilities.’
Knowledge gained
Sue’s main ambition was to network and educate herself on the current trends in estate management, retirement and frail care facilities and to bring this knowledge back home.
Some of the key differences between the USA and South Africa were financial in nature. She explains that one of the advantages US residents had over South Africans was the increased disposable income. It was surprising to hear that almost 10,000 people per day are buying into retirement and gated communities in the USA. Understandably they have the population; however, the estates, in turn, benefit from this and take advantage of their residents’ spending power.
‘The estates spend a vast amount of money on infrastructure and you can see it in the whole look and feel of each estate. They’re in pristine condition, have magnificent gardens, huge clubhouses and there’s an emphasis on community living and entertainment.
All of them have sports and clubs on offer and, while we offer this too, the USA does this on a much grander scale.’
The one standout element is that what is on offer here in SA with regard to a frail care facility within a retirement estate is not the norm in the USA. We are unique in that one can buy into a retirement estate and have frail care within the same estate. In the USA, retirement estates do not cater for frail care. Frail care facilities are run separately and you will find that each centre caters to different needs, unlike in SA where you have a mix of frail care, assisted living and memory care in one facility.
Recommendations for SA management teams
Sue believes that the main takeaway from the conference is the critical role of innovation in providing a great experience. While creativity is unpredictable and cannot be quantified, innovation can be measured and is essential for maintaining relevance and a strategic approach. A well-crafted long-term strategic plan is vital for achieving sustained growth, enhancing brand quality, and increasing employee effectiveness.
Helderberg Village’s frail care offering has catered to residents for almost 35 years, so there is a legacy of help in place, but Sue acknowledges that it is in much need of a facelift and that things can be done to make the place run more efficiently and be more welcoming – less like a hospital.
‘The basic use of the area is such that the staffing numbers needed to run the facility are not cost-effective and this leads to higher fees being charged. We do not have sufficient rooms to cater for the increase in demand for memory care. We have also seen a greater demand for assisted living units. The need for frail care accommodation has decreased, with more and more residents opting for home-based care, mainly due to the cost of frail care .accommodation becoming unaffordable with people living longer.
‘We definitely need more assisted living rooms or units. Often it is only when one spouse dies that the decision is made to sell the house and move into either assisted living or frail care. We aim to be able to offer a better selection of the type of unit, room or care that is needed going forward.’
For Sue, the trip to America was an eye-opener. ‘The trip was amazing and I’m excited to be able to bring a new perspective into our village.’
But there are challenges that must be overcome first. ‘We unfortunately have to replace our roof and we see this as a golden opportunity to change what we have to offer to our residents and the residents for the next 35 years. This should ensure the longevity of Helderberg Village. A good friend once told me: “Never let a good crisis go to waste”.’
Some of the communities Sue visited
The Club at Ibis Residential Estate, West Palm Beach
- 1,840 residential homes (33 neighbourhoods)
- 4,000 total members, 30 clubs with 1,200 golf-only members, 450 staff
- $125,000 initiation fee, $25,000 annual dues
- Budget for $16 million loss on F & B each year – seen as a service to members
- 4 unique dining facilities: Panache – fine dining, The Atrium &Alcome, Amici – the Italian restaurant, The Pub – sports bar
- 3 Nicklaus family golf courses
- 20-acre practice facility
- 16 Har-Tru HydroGrid tennis courts
- Multiple pickleball courts
- Fitness and spa facilities
- Resort-style pools
