VIETNAMESE Government ministers and World Health Organisation representatives have toured a Keysborough aged care residence.
Arcare Keysborough hosted the eight-member delegation on Monday 2 May.
Vietnam is entering an ‘ageing phase’, with 10 per cent of the population now aged over 60 years old.
The country’s government and the World Health Organisation are taking a study tour to learn from international experiences on health and social care needs of the elderly.
The visitors to Arcare focused on aged care service delivery models and methods for financing health and long-term care.
Arcare CEO Colin Singh said the delegates were interested in viewing the suites and were particularly surprised at their size.
“As a country, our house sizes are now among the biggest per capita in the world, and the suites in our aged care communities must reflect our residents’ expectations when it comes to living space,” he said.
“The theatre room and hair salon also provoked a strong reaction from the delegates.
“I’d suggest that with both of our countries undergoing similar demographic changes, the Vietnamese are just as concerned with their elderly maintaining their relationships and links to the broader community as Arcare.”
The $36 million aged care centre created 100 new jobs when it opened in Stanley Road last year.
“We are very excited to open our first aged care residence in the Greater Dandenong region and are looking for other places in the area to invest in as it is one of the most vibrant places to live in Victoria,” Mr Singh said at the time.
Peak aged care body Leading Aged Services Australia (LASA) brought delegates from around the country to the facility last October as part of a national LASA conference.