The Diana Isaac Retirement Village team has picked up an Aged Advisor People’s Choice Award, with the gong showing up the special bonds within the community of residents and village team members.
Diana Isaac took out the Best Large Retirement/Lifestyle Village category in the category for South Island villages. The awards are based on hundreds of reviews and ratings for retirement facilities throughout the country.
Aged Advisor NZ, which runs the awards, provides consumer information and also news about the aged care industry and village living offerings.
Diana Isaac Village Manager Tracey McCullough said everyone within the village had played a role in the win.
Diana Isaac was also close runner-up in the 2020 awards and had previously taken top spot in 2018 and 2015.
Tracey said recent events such as the Walking for Wellness fitness challenge, and the Yuri Bear (support for Ukraine) story had highlighted how residents were keen to participate in challenges and how close-knit the Ryman community was. The connections made during the events added a feel-good factor to daily life at Diana Isaac.
“It’s the best large retirement community, and it’s people’s choice… we’re very happy with the fact the awards picked on that,” she said.
The Diana Isaac village, and other villages within the Ryman fold, have a high focus on an enriched lifestyle for residents.
Ryman recently invited independent Diana Isaac residents to the launch of a brand-new Ryman resident app and a fun-filled enhanced activities programme. “We’ve got the resident experience coordinator role, so they’re helping bring to life the digital technology and calendar with our enhanced activities programme for independent residents, which is really exciting.
“We’re also letting people know what's on in the village, on our TV channel, in the village now, which is very cool. There’s always lots of innovation coming through Ryman which keeps our residents focused, engaged and up-to-date with the modern technology and what’s going on in the world.”
There are existing services such as an e-cab (an e-taxi for residents), a dedicated café, a Village Host, and the Resident Experience Coordinator provides a wide range of enhanced activities.