General News
16 November, 2023
Sod turned on new facility
THE Allan Labor Government is ensuring older Victorians in the south west have access to the high-quality care they need and deserve, with main works getting underway on a new $39.6 million aged care facility in Camperdown. Minister for Ageing...
THE Allan Labor Government is ensuring older Victorians in the south west have access to the high-quality care they need and deserve, with main works getting underway on a new $39.6 million aged care facility in Camperdown.
Minister for Ageing Ingrid Stitt turned the first sod at the site of the future facility that will feature 36 beds over two storeys – replacing South West Healthcare’s existing Merindah Lodge at the Camperdown Hospital last Thursday.
Ms Stitt said the new facility is a significant project for the Camperdown community.
“I’m very proud to be the Minister for Ageing; I think it’s so important that, in our state, our seniors have got really state-of-the-art facilities to be able to enjoy their years in their own communities and make sure they can age in peace in facilities that are fit for purpose and are all about making sure they get, not only medical care, but care for the whole person,” she said.
“It is important we take care of our older Victorians by helping them age with dignity, compassion and comfort – facilities like this in Camperdown will mean high-quality public aged care, when they need it and close to home.
“This new facility will provide a home-like setting that focuses on independence and wellbeing, while enabling staff to continue providing high-quality person-centered care and support.
“It’s wonderful to be able to meet a few of the residents here, and I’m really looking forward to, and I’m sure they are too, watching the progress of this great project which is going to deliver 36 beds in a beautiful new facility with lots of open space.
It is also designed to deliver high care for dementia patients, as well as allowing people to remain in their community in this region, so people don’t have to leave their communities and to get the care they deserve in their later years.”
Creating a safe and comfortable place for residents to call home, the new facility will featured dementia-friendly design – providing a more modern, efficient and safer working environment for staff.
Residents will be accommodated in single bedrooms with a private en suite, in a setting that promotes dignity, people-centered care and independence.
This design also includes utilising the concept of ‘small households’ with dedicated kitchen, dining, lounge and break-out sitting areas.
It means residents can ‘age in place’ – an important approach to aged care for many older people, particularly in regional areas, as it allows residents to remain close to support networks and maintain family connections as their care needs increase.
Ms Stitt said her colleague, Member for Western Victoria Gayle Tierney, had been a strong advocate for the project which would allow residents to stay close to friends and family while receiving care.
“Gayle has been a really strong advocate for this project, and I know she’ll be dropping and checking on the progress of the project as we go towards the end of the build,” she said.
“I’m proud that we’ve got an aged care system in Victoria that puts residents first, and also understands the importance of having services not just in metropolitan areas, but in regional and rural Victoria so that everybody who’s made such huge contributions to their own communities can age with dignity and in the right settings.”
Ms Tierney has also expressed excitement that the project has begun construction.
“This is a fantastic investment for the south west – providing our older Camperdown locals a new, state-of-the-art facility with the care they need, right on their doorstep,” she said.
The new Camperdown facility will also support greater connection with the community and wellbeing of residents with the inclusion of new outdoor spaces to promote resident physical and emotional health, as well as encourage increased social interaction.
South West Healthcare board chair Bernadette Northeast said the sod turning was a wonderful mark in time for the new facility.
“The staff have advocated for this for a long time; the care they deliver is already the best, but this will now be reflected in those facilities that people are living in as well. It’s so important to our residents, who grew up here,” she said.
“When we talk about dementia-friendly facilities and designs, part of that includes the beautiful iconic landscapes, the lakes and craters and the Clocktower for example.
“They’re so much more for our residents; they’re a way to orient and connect to country and connect to memories and connect to the place they live and love.
“That will be more than just a view for them; it’s a really important part of care, and it’s a really important part of living the way we want to live into the future.”
Ms Northeast said the residents would be keeping track of the building project’s progress through the windows of the current facility.
“I’m thrilled for our staff, and I’m thrilled for the residents now and into the future, that they’ll absolutely have the facility that they deserve,” she said.
Delivered by the Victorian Health Building Authority (VHBA) in partnership with South West Healthcare and AW Nicholson, the project is on track to be completed by 2025.
The Camperdown aged care facility project is being delivered under the Rural and Regional Residential Aged Care Services Revitalization Strategy to modernise ageing facilities which are home to some of our most vulnerable older Victorians.
Ms Stitt said the project was very important.
“The Victorian Government is extremely proud to commit $39.6 million to this project,” she said.
“We’ve got a really strong pipeline of investment in upgrading and replacing a lot of our aged care facilities around the state, particularly in regional and rural areas, where we know residents are really very strongly of the view that they want to stay in their communities.
“It’s about making sure they’ve got the facilities that are fit for purpose, that are modern, that give the staff really good facilities and a safe environment to work in, and of course the residents making sure that their wellbeing is part of the consideration of the design of the new build.
“It’s part of a bigger pool of funding that we have for upgrades and rebuilds in regional Victoria.”
