Aged care facility expansions and reconsiderations

Any sector in the midst of rapid growth requires appropriate action, and this is especially true within the aged care sector. Throughout Australia, aged care providers are taking action to handle growing accommodation demand by moving ahead with new facility developments.

Here, three developments in the Australian aged care sector have been outlined in South Australia, Victoria and the ACT.

Longridge beginning expansion

A multimillion-dollar facility expansion at Longridge aged care is currently underway in Naracoorte, South Australia. Slated to be completed in 2015, this operation will add 50 beds – spaces which will, of course, be quickly filled.

Liz Broadstock, the Longridge aged care executive and director of care, told the Naracoorte Herald when the facility would be open to residents and explained the demand for spaces.

"There's definitely demand," she said. "They are all large rooms so they'll certainly be able to cope with the high-care needs of our residents. There are long waiting lists."

New residence in Carnegie

Further north, leading aged care body Jewish Care Victoria has purchased land in Carnegie, with the goal of beginning construction of a new residential aged care facility.

This building will house 120 beds and will certainly alleviate pressure in the region. The current site has an older facility with 60 beds, which will close during December of this year. This accommodation is operated by Churches of Christ Care.

"The purchase of the Carnegie site is the final piece in the jigsaw to allow Jewish Care to deliver three senior living precincts as outlined in our Towards Tomorrow – Strategic Plan 2014-2017," said Jewish Care CEO Bill Appleby.

Chief Executive Officer of Churches of Christ in Queensland Dean Phelan explained how pleased he was that the site will continue to provide aged care over the next few years.

ACT reconsidering facility development

In the ACT, the government is reconsidering plans for an aged care facility in an area that was formerly identified as at risk of bushfires​, The Canberra Times reported.

The area is currently an ember zone, meaning the Strategic Bushfire Management Plan would prevent development of facilities such as nursing homes, aged care facilities and retirement villages.

It's still up for debate whether the facility will go ahead, but the difficulty of finding suitable sites could influence a decision.

Additional developments are a certainty over the next few years, especially as the aged sector continues to experience swelling resident numbers.

In addition to expanding facilities, these providers will need to implement strong financial strategies, and take advantage of further funding. ACFI optimisation will certainly become a useful tool.