WHETHER it is moving into a retirement village or staying at home for as long as possible, individuals and their loved ones have choices when it comes to aged care.
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With many options available to Wimmera residents, choosing the right aged care can be a confusing and – at times – stressful situation.
The region has a number of aged care facilities that offer different living arrangements depending on a person’s needs and wants.
Ingenia Gardens Horsham is located near the Wimmera River. Village manager Jaye Macumber said the community offered residents a care-free lifestyle.
“All the properties are rentals, so it’s kind of like renting through a real state agent,” he said.
“It’s definitely not a retirement village, but rather an independent seniors’ living community. We have activities every afternoon and there’s always a manager on site.”
Horsham’s Sunnyside Lutheran Retirement Village has 75 beds in its aged care centre.
Chief executive Denise Hooper said the facility always had an occupancy rate of more than 90 per cent.
“We also have 66 independent living units, which are all full at the moment,” she said.
“We have mainly Horsham residents, but people do move here from Warracknabeal or Hopetoun as there aren’t a lot of aged care facilities in those smaller towns.”
Dimboola’s Allambi nursing home recently celebrated its 50th birthday.
Co-ordinator Michelle Menzel said it was a big achievement for the centre, which has 14 beds – 12 funded for permanent residents and two for respite care.
“It was a really big milestone for us as we often struggle with funding,” she said.
“We’re really proud of our facilities. Staff put on lots of different activities – we do outings, craft, cooking and gardening.
“We just put an application in for more beds. Then there are also independent living units that surround the facility.”
For those who choose to live at home, there are plenty of options available to receive some extra help.
Horsham Rural City Council’s Meals of Wheels program provides meals to about 70 people across the municipality.
The council’s home support unit co-ordinator Mary-Anne Duke said people needed to be referred by My Aged Care.
“Our services aren’t meant to be long-term solutions, rather a temporary service for people who require extra help,” she said.
“It’s about maintaining people to live at home for as long as possible and enabling them to live independently again.”
Wimmera Health Care Group community options acting manager Fiona Welsh said the organisation offered a range of Help in the Home services, including transport, domestic assistance, personal care and social support.
“We find that some people are reluctant to ask for help, so we build our support services to be tailor-made for an individual,” she said.
To learn more about WHCG’s Help in the Home services, head to its website.
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