Mercy Health has started work on the redevelopment which will see the existing decade-old aged care facility transformed into seven small houses across two storeys.
Designed for up to eight people, each home will have a kitchen and laundry along with their own lounge room, dining area and outdoor garden to create a home-like environment.
Residents will also have access to a café, grocer, hair and beauty salon and a games and activity room that they can enjoy with their friends and family.
With support, residents can also get involved in household activities such as cooking, laundry and gardening – just like they would at home.
“Staff will develop ongoing relationships with residents and where possible do things with them instead of for them,” Mercy Health Chief Executive Aged & Community Care Kevin Mercer said.
Just like home
It’s all inspired by the international care model pioneered by the de Hogeweyk dementia village in the Netherlands where residents live together in specially designed houses and share cooking, cleaning and shopping duties with their carers.
It’s a great idea. We know that maintaining your independence as we get older can dramatically boost our mood and wellbeing – and that’s being proven at Mercy Health’s existing aged care homes in Western Australia where this model has already been rolled out.
“We’ve seen some promising results for our residents, including a reduction in falls and medications, and an increase in weight,” Mr Mercer said.
They aren’t the only provider to push this new approach either. A partnership between aged care provider Glenview Community Services and HESTA is currently building a dementia village in Tasmania that will be based around the same home-like environment.
Will it become the norm? Maybe not – but certainly it’s a sign that aged care providers are being innovative in their approach to providing services, and that’s a great thing.
