Making sure residents feel at home is probably the most important consideration, says Residential Manager, Julie during a special tour for parish priests at the official opening in mid-November of new Residential Care Home MacKillop House, Norwest.
“We are really happy with the Home. We are in the process of inducting and providing training for all services and staff including registered nurses, the care team, catering, laundry, with staff and services undergoing their induction training. There are 27 people currently undergoing training,” says Julie.
MacKillop caters for all Residents including high-care and palliative. Each floor has two wings of 18 bedrooms; there’s a wing for mainstream care and an opposing wing for memory support. As Julie says, dementia is a growing disease so it’s important to factor this into the building’s function and design.
The facility feels more like a resort.
There’s a salon – both a hairdresser and barber – for haircuts and nail care. There’s also a gym run through Allied Health incorporating body strengthening and exercise programs for residents.
Each wing has a kitchen for residents and family that has all the food comforts of home such as biscuits, fruit bowl and food in the fridge so residents can graze all day if they want to, or just snack.
“We pride ourselves on being a ‘memory home’. Everything is set up so that our residents are reminded of beautiful memories. Our aim is to make residents feel at home, not in an institution,” says Julie.
“Our aim is to make residents feel at home, not in an institution,” says Julie.
“Food is an important part in our resident’s daily lives. We employ a chef with hot meals at lunch time, our menus are on a 28-day meal plan so there’s variety, and the food is plated in the dining room so the food tastes better."
Each level turns out onto a leafy courtyard with rabbit hutches and vegetable gardens in pots to invoke the memory of home.
Each room is appointed to regular care standards with adjustable beds, ensuites and a special memory box on the outside of each room to ‘jog’ residents' memories – slouch hats, war medals or photos of grandchildren. There’s even accommodation for couples with interconnecting rooms so that partners can stay together.
MacKillop House is the second purpose-designed building for Residential care built by Catholic Healthcare. The first was Casula. Both buildings are constructed to a high standard including high-care facilities with security access codes for families.
The piece de resistance is, without a doubt, the Chapel - a true place of reflection where services are live-streamed so that residents can attend from the comfort of their own rooms.
To take a virtual tour of MacKillop House Norwest click on the link
For more information call 1300 169 949 or visit:
https://norwest.catholichealthcare.com.au/