Killarney set to be a state leader in dementia care

CIRCULAR corridor, colour-coded hallways and sensory garden are just some of the features in the $438,000 upgrade.

FILE PHOTO: Killarney Memorial Aged Care will renovate it Magnolia Memory Unit to include state-of-the-art facilities. Picture: LPETTET

AS OUR population ages the need for dementia services will increase and sensing this change, Killarney Memorial Aged Care committed to building a state-of-the-art facility to accommodate that growth.

When complete, Magnolia Memory Support Unit will feature a circular layout of colour-coded corridors, concealed doorways.

It will have a sensory garden and an abundance of natural light.

KMAC CEO Christine Scroop said the new facility would help manage dementia's complicated symptoms.

"It is about embracing a resident's freedom and dignity and allowing them to feel like any other residents,” she said.

"They will be able to walk around the unit and through the garden, while being secure.”

Old-style dementia wards are highly secure with locks and gates designed to keep residents from wandering, but Mrs Scroop said this overt sense of restricted movement created stress and anxiety.

"There was a facility that I worked in that had long corridors.

"Residents would get to the ends of corridors and get frustrated,” she said.

Those traditional ward styles may be suitable for elderly dementia sufferers with limited mobility, but the demographic has changed

"The industry is seeing a lot of younger people, and more severe cases due to alcohol and drugs, and they tend to show a lot more aggression,” Mrs Scoop said.

"There are residents in care in their 50s and 60s and with that age, they are usually very physically able and have different interests.”

When compete, the unit will feature an array of skylights to replace artificial light with sunshine.

A central courtyard will give residents a quiet place to relax, while an outdoor sensory garden will be full of sweet-smelling plants and a walking track.

Mrs Scroop hopes the garden will trigger fond memories.

"It will be full of the kinds of plants residents had when they were growing up,” she said.

"It's really about the ability to let them wander around and have the freedom to go outside.”

Work starts later this year. There will be no change to KMAC's external walls but the renovations inside will be extensive.

Residents in KMAC's Leslie Wing will move into a new wing nearing completion.

Once vacated, Leslie Wing will house the new memory support unit, while its old space will be turned into offices for administration and Allora Medical Centre staff.

Features of the state-of-the-art facility

WHEN complete, the renovated Magnolia Memory Support Unit at Killarney Memorial Aged Care will be one of the best in the state.

It will incorporate the latest concepts for managing dementia symptoms, reducing residents' stress and allowing free movement.

The key features include;

- A circular corridor system with no obvious entrances or exits. This allows residents to walk freely without feeling trapped.

- Colour-coded hallways to give subtle clues to residents who have trouble remembering where their rooms are.

- A purpose-built visitor room, complete with couches and a kitchenette, so residents have a private space to accommodate large groups of family members.

- A central, open-air courtyard.

- A sensory garden complete with a walking track.

- An array of skylights to let in natural sunshine.

- An attached multi-purpose art therapy and media room so memory unit residents can mingle with other KMAC residents.

- A central nursing station to give staff a full view of residents.

Killarney Memorial Aged Care will use a $438,000 Aged Care Regional, Rural and Remote Infrastructure Grant to pay for part of the renovations, with the remaining money drawn from KMAC savings.