Christian Homes Tasmania unveils ‘half-way house’ for retirees before nursing home care

Many baby boomers face life in a retirement village or aged care home but an aged care provider has a concept new to Tasmania. Read what they are planning.

Christian Homes Tasmania has plans for Pinnacle Village at Kingston.

A Tasmanian provider wants to “revolutionise” aged care with plans for a $90m development including hotel styled independent living described as “a halfway house between a retirement village and a nursing home”.

Christian Homes Tasmania is seeking planning approval from the Kingborough Council for Pinnacle Village, a new 75 room residential aged care facility and 60 assisted living at Village Drive and Alfreds Garden Kingston.

CHT CEO Glenn Hardwick said there was a critical shortage of aged care nursing accommodation and described the village as “ambitious” and a first for Tasmania.

“Everybody is reluctant to go to a nursing home because of the Aged Care Royal Commission, fears of services and downsizing from a house to one room. All those sort of fears, which are legitimate fears,” he said.

“This is a new concept.

“You have a lot more independence with services available.

“It’s a halfway house between a retirement village and a nursing home.”

The interior of a unit planned by Christian Homes Tasmania Pinnacle Village at Kingston. Picture supplied.

Mr Hardwick said there was an urgent need for improved aged care in the next 20 years with the number of elderly people in southern Tasmania predicted to increase by over 35,000.

“There’s a tsunami coming as the baby boomers reach the age which they are now, of requiring residential care,” he said.

“There is a huge shortage of beds available, so this will address part of that shortage and help meet that upcoming demand from the baby boomers who are now becoming our demographic group that we have to accommodate in aged care.

“We’re giving them an option of having this assisted living, which is not quite a residential nursing home complex. You have a lot more independence with services available.”

Mr Hardwick said assisted living apartments would “cost a little bit more in the capital cost” but residents would have access to cooking, cleaning and laundry services and the village includes a café, restaurant, commercial kitchen and hairdresser.

Christian Homes Tasmania CEO, Glenn Hardwick. Picture: Rosie Hastie.

“We have the opportunity to revolutionise aged care in Tasmania.

“With over 50 years of delivering quality care, this is our most ambitious project yet.

“This is giving you domestic and some clinical support as required.

“We will do your laundry, we’ll do your cleaning. There’s a restaurant, we’ll have social activities.

“It’s trying to remove that stigmatism of nursing homes.

“But nevertheless, when the needs required, it is right there on the same site.

“If you’re a couple and one of you deteriorate health wise, your loved one is right next door.

“You walk through enclosed corridors to see your loved one in the nursing home, you’ve still got some social interaction and independence in your own accommodation.”

Pinnacle Village has been designed by aged care experts and award-winning Circa Morris-Nunn Chua Architects, known for their luxury developments, including Saffire Hotel and MACq 01 hotel.

Moris-Nunn associate director Dik Jarman described Pinnacle Village as a “wonderful project”.

“As an architect, you often do various types of projects, and some are making, you know, edifices for the rich and other things, but this one’s really where it’s important to do good design for people towards the end of their lives. It’s really valuable,” Mr Jarman said.

“It’s one of those things that you think when you die, ‘have I made the world a better place through architecture?’

“We’ve got a wonderful client whose heart’s in the right place and it’s one of those excellent projects.”

Staff from Circa Morris-Nunn Architects [L-R] associate director Dik Jarman, leading architect Robert Morris-Nunn and project director Ganche Chua in front of the old Claremont School. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Mr Jarman said the village had been designed considering what was best for the residents and in consultation with staff.

“We considered every aspect of Pinnacle Village to meet the evolving needs of its future residents, utilising natural light-filled rooms with large windows throughout to provide multiple views to peaceful landscaped spaces and the mountains beyond,” he said.

“We’re very interested in how architecture can be more enlightened and socially humane and we have applied these ideas throughout Pinnacle Village for the benefit of the residents, staff and visitors.”

The development was advertised in the Mercury on Saturday.

Originally published as Christian Homes Tasmania unveils ‘half-way house’ for retirees before nursing home care