Wellness at the centre of new aged care services in Darwin

Southern Cross Care (SA, NT & VIC) has opened a state-of-the-art $18 million expansion of its aged care services in Darwin.

The expansion includes 26 additional residential aged care rooms as part of a new memory support unit at Pearl Supported Care in Fannie Bay, as well as a new age-friendly Health & Fitness Centre to slow down the onset of frailty and delay hospitalisations.

The official opening included speeches from Luke Gosling OAM, Federal Member for Solomon and David Moran, CEO of Southern Cross Care, a blessing by the Catholic Bishop of Darwin, His Grace The Most Reverend Charles Victor Emmanuel Gauci DD and a tour of the new facilities for invited guests.

A commemorative plaque acknowledging the significant funding for the project contributed to by the Australian and Northern Territory governments was also be unveiled at the opening event.

Mr Moran said the project would transform the delivery of aged care and healthy ageing services in Greater Darwin.

“The new memory support unit at Pearl Supported Care is so important. It increases our capacity to care for older Territorians by 30 per cent, incorporating a dementia-friendly design that will help residents to feel at home and enjoy a good quality of life,” David said.

The design features include views of the external gardens from every corridor through large windows – helping residents with wayfinding as well as feeling calm and connected to nature. The corridors and outdoor paths act as circuits to avoid confusion for residents as they can follow the path back to where they began.

A ‘front porch’ entry for every room creates a personalised space where residents can sit and look over the gardens, providing them with a sense of home, each bedroom door has a different color and there are memory box displays to help residents find their room and see it as their own.

Wendy Howard many years ago worked with the Council of the Ageing, and even then, became aware of the great need for appropriately accessible accommodation, and the issues with availability and demand for those with dementia.

Wendy said she was impressed by the new wing and excited for her sister Diane, who is moving in. Both of them are loving the new space, especially the dementia-friendly design elements.

“Everything about it is well designed – the aisles, the windows, the places where people can sit and look out on the gardens. Residents can walk and walk and walk and not get lost,” she said.

“The bedrooms and dining rooms have a lovely set up. There are plenty of shaded areas outside where people can enjoy the garden in the heat and the weather, and it’s easy to access for people in wheelchairs.

“The new wing is also freeing up more space for people in nursing homes – it’s just incredible the number of people that need nursing home care but can’t get in.”

The new wing at Pearl Supported Care also has a high standard of cyclone safety that will keep residents safe in the event of a weather system such as the recent Cyclone Fina.

Meanwhile, the new Health & Fitness Centre provides a specialised space for the Southern Cross Care team to use to deliver more high quality services for clients who live in their own homes. It has the potential to double the number of clients who can access these services and has already attracted more interest from the Pearl community because of the new space’s open look and feel.

“Our Health & Fitness Team has wasted no time and is already running services from the new centre, including four group sessions a day that support older Territorians to build strength, improve balance and improve their health. This will keep more people out of the hospital system and residential aged care for longer. The new facility is purpose-built for Southern Cross Care’s healthy ageing model, providing even better support to promote clients’ independence and keep them living at home with a good quality of life for as long as possible,” Mr Moran said.

The project was constructed with significant financial assistance from the federal Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, and assistance from the Northern Territory Government through provision of the land.

SCC (SA, NT & VIC) is a CHA Member