Southern Cross Care unveils state-of-the-art memory unit in Fannie Bay
Southern Cross Care has opened an $18 million expansion to its Darwin aged care facility, with 26 new rooms forming a specialised memory support unit.
A state-of-the-art, $18 million expansion to a Darwin aged care service has opened.
Southern Cross Care hosted an official opening on Wednesday for 26 additional residential aged care rooms at its Pearl Supported Care facility in Fannie Bay, which form a new memory support unit.
It also established an age-friendly health and fitness centre to help slow down the onset of frailty and delay hospitalisations.
Southern Cross Care chief executive David Moran said the project would transform the delivery of aged care and healthy ageing services in Greater Darwin.
“The new memory support unit at Pearl Supported Care is so important,” he said.
“It increases our capacity to care for older Territorians by 30 per cent, incorporating a dementia-friendly design that will help residents to feel at home and enjoy a good quality of life.”
Mr Moran said the health centre also had the potential to double the number of clients who could access its services.
“Our health and fitness team has wasted no time and is already running services from the new centre, including four group sessions a day that support older Territorians to build strength, improve balance and improve their health,” he said.
“This will keep more people out of the hospital system and residential aged care for longer.”
Design features aimed to help with memory and confusion include difference coloured doors for each bedroom, memory box displays by each door, and circuit corridors and paths.
Entries to staff entries are also concealed to help residents feel they are at home and not a workplace.
Diane is one of the residents moving in to the new wing.
Her sister Wendy Howard said she was well aware of the issues with availability and demand for those with dementia in the Top End, so was excited for Diane.
“Everything about it is well designed – the aisles, the windows, the places where people can sit and look out on the gardens. Residents can walk and walk and walk and not get lost,” Ms Howard said.
“The new wing is also freeing up more space for people in nursing homes – it’s just incredible the number of people that need nursing home care but can’t get in.”
The project was constructed with significant financial assistance from the federal government, on free land provided by the NT government.
Originally published as Southern Cross Care unveils state-of-the-art memory unit in Fannie Bay
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