Community
21 November, 2024
Aged care feedback session now extended
TERANG and district residents will have further opportunity to have their say on a proposed 60-70-unit retirement village with an extension of hours for an upcoming community meeting.
As Western District Newspapers reported last week, steering committee Terang Aged Care Future is hoping to push forward with a proposal for the development of a 60-70-unit retirement village within one kilometre of the Terang township.
The move comes after a business case study found the development of a modern residential aged care facility in Terang is not considered viable due to a number of insurmountable issues including prohibitively high construction costs, challenges in attracting both the necessary funding and adequate staffing levels, and difficulty in finding a willing operating partner.
Terang Aged Care Future will be hosting a community information session next Monday, November 25 from 1-4pm at the Terang Civic Hall to give members of the community an opportunity to have their say on the proposal.
Terang Aged Care Future committee member Chis O’Connor said, due to early feedback, the decision had been made to host a secondary information session which will be held from 6-7pm on the same night, Monday, November 25, also at the Terang Civic Hall.
“A couple of people have reached out to say they think it’s a fantastic idea and they like what we’re doing,” he said.
“We want as many people who can come along to do so because it gives us an indication of how much the community supports the idea.
“We’re looking for community support ourselves, as we’re only a small committee, to make sure we’re on track.”
Mr O’Connor said a strong showing of support from the community could help to highlight to relevant stakeholders the viability of the project.
As Terang Aged Care Future had originally set out to bring a residential aged care facility to Terang following the closure of May Noonan Aged Care Facility in 2023, he acknowledged the new direction for the intermediate term was one the committee wanted to be sure had strong community backing.
“We set to do a task, and we’re hoping people affirm their support or ask questions to make sure it is something they can get behind,” Mr O’Connor said.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about the community and their needs.
“We’re always looking for feedback and we encourage anyone to come because it reassures us that we’re on the right track.
“We’ll be able to give feedback to interested parties if we’ve had good interest and measure of the town’s support.
“If nobody turns up, it show a lack of interest.”