Noticeboard: Latest expansions, acquisitions
Benetas opens Corowa Court Aged Care Apartments; ACH opens Yankalilla gym for seniors; IRT announces operators of new respite centre; and Eureka acquires three Blue Care retirement villages.
In this story:
- Benetas opens Corowa Court Aged Care Apartments
- ACH opens Yankalilla gym for seniors
- IRT announces operators of new respite centre
- Eureka acquires three Blue Care retirement villages
Benetas opens Corowa Court Aged Care Apartments
Benetas Corowa Court Aged Care Apartments has cut the ribbon on its $14million extension and refurbishment project and opened its new wing, which doubles its beds to cater for an additional 60 older people on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
Along with the new wing and refurbishment, Benetas launched a new model of individualised care at the facility.
CEO Sandra Hills said that the opening of Benetas Corowa Court Aged Care Apartments signalled the business’ move away from an institutional, sub-acute model of care.
“Our aim is to create living environments which reflect normal life as much as possible, so we have developed a model where clusters of residents live in their own apartment-type configuration of bedrooms, with smaller, more private living areas and fewer residents sharing their living, dining, kitchen and outdoor spaces.
“Staff offices and work areas, including commercial and corporate activity, are positioned back of house contributing to more usual and familiar domestic spaces.”
Benetas’ new care approach took three years to develop and Corowa Court is the first of its residential facilities to incorporate the model.
ACH opens Yankalilla gym for seniors
ACH has opened a new gymnasium at its 64-bed residential facility in Yankalilla that is also open to the wider community.
Located at the ACH Group Residential Living Yankalilla Centre, the gym features a range of equipment including a recumbent stepper and recumbent bike, weights machine, free weights, therabands, tubes and chi balls.
ACH Group trainer Ruth Walwyn said the gym would encourage people of all levels of ability to stay active.
“We have cardio equipment that you would find in other commercial gyms but they have more advanced settings for people with different physical restrictions such as hip pain, knee pain and back injuries. There is also a range of strength and balance equipment to help people stay active and improve their core strength and flexibility,” she said.
Yankalilla District Council Mayor Glen Rowlands said the gym would be a welcome addition to the area and he congratulated ACH Group on making it available to the community.
Yankalilla Centre senior manager Trish Bowie said the new gym would help residents be active, connected and engaged every day.
IRT announces operators of new respite centre
IRT Group has announced that a Greenacres Disability Services and Interchange Illawarra partnership will operate a five-bed respite centre for people with intellectual disability and their carers at IRT William Beach Gardens in Kemira.
The Kemira respite centre is part of IRT’s new community for ageing people with disabilities and their carers and will open this month.
IRT Group Chief Strategy Officer Stig Andersen said Kemira was about keeping families together and the new respite centre would help that by enabling people with intellectual disability and their ageing carers to get to know Kemira residents through short stays at the centre.
“It will also assist ageing carers to take better care of themselves by having the confidence to take a break, knowing their loved one is being well cared for at Kemira,” he said.
Mr Andersen said Greenacres Interchange Illawarra won the contract because its proposal demonstrated the strongest how they would provide creative, innovative respite services in keeping with the Kemira philosophy.
Interchange Illawarra general manager Glenda Pearce said people who visited the new respite centre would be able to participate in life skill activities, such as cooking and have massages and other life-enriching experiences.
Eureka acquires three Blue Care retirement villages
Eureka Group Holdings has announced the acquisition of three Blue Care retirement villages for a total of $6,000,000 as part of an expanded partnership agreement between both organisations.
Eureka agreed to acquire and settle Blue Care’s Townsville Christine Court village (20 units), Southport Pioneer Place village on the Gold Coast (35 units) and Margate Maiala Place village Brisbane (44 units) by 30 June, 2016.
Eureka executive chairman Robin Levison said the acquisitions cemented their partnership with Blue Care as their low cost housing partner.
“The acquisition of the three Blue Care villages not only continues to meet Eureka’s required financial return hurdle rate, but the villages are also very well located with Maiala Place being 200 metres from Moreton Bay with ocean views, and Pioneer Place being situated very close to the Australia Fair shopping mall complex in Southport.”
Blue Care executive director Robyn Batten said Eureka’s purchase of the villages was good news for residents who would receive enhanced living experiences as a result.
“Eureka’s acquisition of the villages builds on our care partnership announced earlier this month, where Eureka will provide housing that is affordable, safe and well managed, and Blue Care will provide residents with a range of services tailored to their needs, complementing their lifestyle and promoting greater health and wellbeing,” Ms Batten said.
Have we missed an expansion or opening? Send us the details editorial@australianageingagenda.com.au
