New facility brings sense of calm
UnitingCare Ageing’s newest residential aged care community is named after an Aboriginal word for ‘calm’ or ‘harmony’.
Elizabeth Dabbs, Chairperson, UnitingCare Ageing Northern Sydney Regional Board, with the Member for Bennelong, Maxine McKew at the opening of Arrunga.
UnitingCare Ageing NSW.ACT has opened its newest residential aged care in Sydney’s Ermington.
Arrunga was officially opened by the member for Bennelong, Maxine McKew, and was dedicated by the Moderator of the Uniting Church’s NSW and ACT Synod, Niall Reid. The facility’s name means ‘calm’ or ‘harmony’ in the Darug language.
More than 150 guests turned up to celebrate the occasion, including residents and their families.
The 96-unit facility combines innovative design and technology while enabling residents to age in place.
A key element of the new building’s design is the use of natural light. Clusters of spacious units are centred around four landscaped courtyards and linked by communal spaces. Each courtyard represents a season of the year and this theme is mirrored in the clusters’ décor.
The community’s dementia-specific accommodation has been designed to create an unconfined, homelike environment with separate dining, lounge, activity and garden areas.
UnitingCare Ageing hopes that Arrunga will become an integral part of the Ermington community.
In addition to its residential aged care amenities, Arrunga will be home to centre-based programs and a men’s shed to support older members of the community and their carers.
