Sneak peek at new $30m aged care facility

Ozcare’s Mackay facility includes 120 private rooms with ensuites, a salon, cinema and more

The new $30 million Ozcare Mackay Aged Care facility includes landscaped gardens. The garden area of the specialised dementia care wing has paths and grasses with different textures, as well as a clothesline and a mailbox for residents to receive mail. Picture: Heidi Petith

THE new $30 million Ozcare Mackay Aged Care facility opening in a fortnight will offer 120 private ensuite rooms, two spec ialised dementia care wings and a suite of recreational features.

Ozcare head of aged care Lanna Ramsay said the 24-hour care facility included registered nurses on staff as well as a cafe, hairdressing salon with a barber chair, children’s playground, cinema, library, lawn bowls, giant chess and an activity shed.

Ms Ramsay said the building included regional elements such as salvaged timber from the area and incorporated photographic artwork of subjects like the sugar crush.

“It’s about paying tribute to the town that we’re in,” Ms Ramsay said.

“We worked really closely with the local historical society and the Mackay photographic group.”

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Mackay Ozcare facility manager Anne Crowley and Ozcare head of aged care Lanna Ramsay at the new Ozcare Mackay facility. Picture: Heidi Petith

Ozcare facility manager Anne Crowley said the team’s excitement to open the doors come July 6 was “infectious”.

“We’ve already started showing some prospective residents through the facility and they’re so excited as well,” she said.

“I get goosebumps when I see their faces.

Sneak peek at new $30m aged care facility

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“They’re just so keen and at peace to find a place that they can call their own at this stage of their lives.

“It’s tremendous. We’ve even got families that live in Mackay where their elderly relatives from other areas are moving from ­another area to be here because we’ve got a new Ozcare facility.”

Just to the right of the entrance at the new Ozcare Mackay facility is a cafe with stylish black and white photographs and fresh baked goods. Outside the cafe is another seating area and a children's playground. Picture: Heidi Petith

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Woollams Constructions managing director Craig Percival said that intergenerational link was integral to keeping families and investment in the Mackay region.

He said the project had created 600 construction jobs and would further create a business stream for many of the region’s businesses, such as those in the hospitality industry.

“It has been a privilege to be part of Ozcare’s vision for aged care living in Mackay and I feel especially proud to be delivering a state-of-the-art facility as a local company and proud local myself,” Mr Percival said.