State-of-the-art aged care facility a hit with residents

The facility offers state-of-the-art technology, plenty of social interaction and, for the first ‘house’, a focus on aiding those suffering from dementia.

According to care manager Mark Bramble, the homely environment has proved to be a real hit.

“In our dining room area, we’ve got visual and sensory stimulation with our food, so that encourages them [residents] to come to the table,” he said.

“We encourage families to come and have a meal with residents too.

“There’s a real consistency of care – people are monitoring them and their meals are set and put down by dietitians.

“A doctor charts everything as well so they become a lot healthier and that alleviates some of the stress associated with living by themselves.

“It’s just a different type of environment with the home-style model, and we’re hoping it will become a centre of excellence for the region.”

Mr Bramble said he believed many residents’ general quality of life had improved.

“We had one man, who was tagged as a bit of a wanderer, come here from the village,” he said.

“He has since had a major lifestyle change – he goes up to the village in a truck and helps deliver dirty linen, so he’s got an activity that he’s doing now which his wife is very excited about.

“He never would’ve had that opportunity if he didn’t come here.”

Mr Bramble added a smaller number of residents, and staff members, compared to Strathearn Village had also been beneficial so far.

“We went to the Wingen pub for our first social outing and I think a group of about four or five people doesn’t tend to draw the social stigma of ‘oh look, there’s a group from the old people’s home,’” he said.

“It’s just a few friends getting together.

“We’ve also got a small group of core staff. As we populate, two people will move from this house to the next one.

“In doing that, they are already skilled so they’ll become mentors for the new staff coming in.”