NewDirection Care™ has launched its first inclusive care community at Bellmere, 50km north of Brisbane, for older people with a range of complex care needs including those with younger onset dementia.
Founder and CEO Natasha Chadwick tells us Bellmere differs from the group home model as they are an approved aged care provider and must meet all of the Government’s accreditation standards.
Ms Chadwick first tested her model by opening two houses in Wynyard, Tasmania in 2014. Bellmere features 17 houses that will be home to 120 residents plus a corner store, café, cinema, hair salon, barber shop, music room and wellness centre with gym, spa, dental and GP facilities open to residents and the public.
Based on research commissioned by McCrindle Research that showed Australians have six unique lifestyles, each seven-bedroom home has an individual style to suit their residents’ current lifestyle.
Residents receive 24/7 care from ‘House Companions’ who are trained in complex care and dementia care needs, medication administration, cleaning, laundry and personal care as well as nutrition and preparing meals in the house kitchen.
Ms Chadwick says these staff are not the people who would typically work in aged care. “While some may have a Certificate III or IV, we essentially re-train them,” she said. They also undergo a five-week induction program.
Companions are also supported by registered nurses and allied health services and mobile monitoring of residents throughout the community.
Ms Chadwick says the idea for the model came from her 20 years in the aged care sector, starting as the National Executive Officer for the National Association of Nursing Homes and Private Hospitals where she played a role in reforming the Federal Government’s Aged Care Act 1997.
She also acted as Director and Chief Executive Officer of IBIS Care Holdings Pty Ltd, which she grew to six aged care facilities, one retirement village and two more homes under development.
The model is proving attractive to residents and their families – Bellmere currently has 52 residents since it opened in September 2017 and Ms Chadwick says they expect to be fully occupied by September this year.
The facility’s RAD is also comparable to similar facilities in the area, she says.
Ms Chadwick now plans to expand the model. “We’re currently in the early stages of planning another development, this time in a more urban environment. This will be an apartment complex with a number of storeys just to show you don’t need to have space to provide this level of care and support services,” she said.
Watch this space then.
Check out a YouTube video of the community here.
