The eight-storey Dougherty Apartments, a joint venture between Willoughby City Council and the NSW Department of Housing, in Chatswood, on Sydney’s Lower North Shore, offers an integrated model of care for people aged 55 and over.
It offers 44 independent living apartments, 70 single rooms for Assisted Living including a 14-bed dementia care facility and 37 Housing units. Residents range in age from 55 to 101.
“We are totally full,” CEO Kelvin Neave (pictured below) said.
Its continuum of a unique care model led to a delegation from Gangdong-gu Council in South Korea visiting Dougherty Apartments, as part of the sister-city arrangement with Willoughby City Council. Currently, about 20% of Dougherty Apartments’ total resident population is from a non-English speaking background.
“Many of our residents are still active members of our local community, and Dougherty’s philosophy is to encourage residents to maintain their independence, including their social links with the community, for as long as possible,” Kelvin said.
“As we showcased Dougherty Apartments, it was clear that all the "uniqueness" shared across our integrated service offering, was of particular interest in their learnings to contemplate further.
“The mix in the visitors included public officials, various Chairs to Committees along with members within both the Democratic and People Power Parties of Korea.”
The independent living apartments are leased or purchased from Dougherty Apartments with a guaranteed re-purchase price at time of departure. Assisted living is residential includes meals in the dining room, cleaning and laundry, as well as assisted personal care and medication management.
