Adelaide Now is reporting Country Health SA is being pressured by the local community to re-open the Kalimna Hostel aged care centre at Strathalbyn, 55km from Adelaide, after it was shut down in January.
The building had been found to be non-compliant with fire safety regulations with its 24 residents given just five weeks to relocate.
An architect report concluded it would cost less to replace the hostel – $7.5M – than it would to upgrade it to meet safety standards.
The news follows private operator Beaumont Care’s buy-out of PresCare’s 38-bed Roslyn Lodge (pictured), in Mount Tamborine, 75km from Brisbane.
The town’s only aged care home had been due to close on March 31 after the Not For Profit found the facility was no longer viable. PresCare CEO Greg Skelton told the Gold Coast Bulletin the takeover only took place after past plans to expand and sell the facility had failed.
It’s a sign of the difficulties faced by regional operators in keeping small, low-care facilities viable.
Credit: Gold Coast Bulletin.
