City sets trend in aged care

By Shaun Inguanzo
DANDENONG will house the state’s first aged care facility that will allow ageing carers to live in the same village as their disabled adult children.
Wallara Australia will redevelop its Potter Street accommodation site for adults with a disability at the cost of $4.5 million to ensure ageing parents in need of care can still live with their disabled children in what is one of the first peace-of-mind solutions to carers’ concerns about how their children will be cared for once they enter someone else’s hands.
The project will see the site redeveloped to provide a 60-bed aged care facility and a community of 10 residential units.
It will be jointly funded by Wallara Australia and the State Government.
The project will also involve housing and care agency Wintringham.
State Community Services Minister Lisa Neville and Dandenong MP John Pandazopoulos made the announcement that the State Government would pitch in $2.3 million towards the project at a media event last week.
“This is a pretty unique model for Victoria,” Mr Pandazopoulos said of the parent and child setup.
“To be able to co-locate people with an intellectual disability with their carer or parents is a unique model, and that’s why I am excited to be involved,” he said.
Wallara applied to redevelop the site in February 2005, and now that it has received the green light and funding, it will be completed in four stages – the first two involving relocating some of its existing residents.
But the aged care facility won’t only cater for parents and carers – Ms Neville said it would include ageing disabled people.
“The proposal provides an option for aged parents of existing Wallara residents to move into the aged care facility and remain close to their families,” Ms Neville said.
“The 10 Wallara residents living on site have the opportunity to transfer to the aged care facility when they require that level of support.”
Mr Pandazopoulos said Dandenong would now be viewed as a trendsetter in tackling the ageing population.