‘Cluster’ home opens in Sydney
A modern ageing-in-place facility made up of a number of neighbourhoods has opened in Sydney’s northwest.
The new Brian King Gardens facility in Sydney’s northwest is made up of 14 ‘neighbourhoods’.
Anglican Retirement Villages (ARV) has officially opened a new, 238-place ageing-in-place facility at its Castle Hill campus in Sydney’s northwest.
Brian King Gardens is made up of 14 cluster ‘neighbourhoods’ which can accommodate low and high level care needs, including palliative care and dementia care.
Each cluster area accommodates 17 residents and has common neighbourhood spaces such as a kitchen and a ‘family’ area.
A dedicated care team is attached to each cluster with higher staff to resident ratios than conventional nursing homes, enabling more one-on-one personal care.
Residents will be encouraged to meet, socialise and interact within their neighbourhoods.
“Each cluster has its own facilities such as coffee and tea facilities, men’s sports rooms, craft centres, mini libraries, dining and lounge rooms, sunrooms and music areas,” said the CEO of ARV, Ken Barber.
Resident bedrooms in the new facility will have individual air conditioning controls to set personalised temperature settings.
In another departure from conventional nursing home design, Brian King Gardens features a separate rear entry for all services, staff and deliveries.
The facility is named after Bishop Brian King, who served as the Anglican Bishop of Western Sydney from 1993 to 2003.