Overcoming bullies in Retirement Villages

Mary* is a HAAG member living in a retirement village in the west of Melbourne. She’s lived there since 2018, and enjoyed a couple of good years there before a new manager named Dean* started there in late 2019. Mary soon noticed tensions developing between her and Dean, but within a year these had erupted into outright harassment and bullying by the manager.

Dean sent Mary sarcastic and insulting emails, criticised her diet, ignored her requests, and even confiscated a chair she liked to sit in from a common area (telling her in writing he was doing this to punish her). This ongoing bullying culminated in an argument in the village dining room where, in front of other residents, he raised his voice and yelled aggressive and belittling comments at Mary.

This outburst was so severe that Dean’s superior emailed Mary to apologise; but that was all. Mary contacted HAAG’s retirement team. Although bullying can be sadly common in many retirement villages, it’s often hard for us to do anything because it can be subjective and difficult to prove. But Dean had repeatedly insulted Mary both in writing and in front of witnesses – a trail of evidence that made it unmistakably clear that this was a deliberate pattern of behaviour.

Mary’s case worker compiled the evidence and sent it to the village. Soon, the village arranged for an “independent investigator” to consider the complaint. While they never told Mary the results of this investigation, the village soon announced to the residents that Dean had resigned and would no longer work there – a great outcome.

But there was a sting in the tail. Shortly after Dean left, Mary received a breach notice with a long list of allegations against her. It was clear that the so-called independent investigator had been given two jobs: not only to investigate Dean, but also to drum up allegations against his victim, Mary. Some of these allegations were so absurd and specific they should have been easy to prove, but the village refused to provide any evidence and backed down when challenged to do so by Mary’s case worker.

Management bullying remains a persistent problem in retirement housing. If this is something you’re experiencing, consider getting in touch with our retirement team, or getting involved in our RAAG group to campaign for better protections for residents across Victoria.

*Names changed to protect identities.