The Not For Profit operator is set to open doors on a 72-place early learning centre adjoining its 100-bed aged care facility in Merbein, just north of Mildura, early next year after putting the finishing touches on construction.
CEO Darren Midgley told the ABC earlier this year, the success of the Music Generations Program, where children connect with aged care residents through music, has been the driving force behind the intergenerational centre.
“Care recipients with dementia and were no longer about to speak would sing the words to the songs and residents who would sit in chairs and not move, you’d see them tapping their fingers or their feet to the beat of the music,” he said.
“Children would form strong connections with the care recipients, touching them, dancing with them, singing, visiting and bringing them gifts.”
As we reported here, Midgley was among the witnesses to give evidence at the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety last year about the costs of providing services in regional areas.
