By Eric Martin
The redevelopment of Catholic Homes’ historic St Vincent’s building, located on the Swan River’s edge in Guildford, was recently completed in December 2019 and the organisation is pleased to announce that the opening ceremony, on 28 February, marks an important date in the improvement of aged care in the Swan Valley region.
Catholic Homes Chief Executive Paul Andrew said the transfer of its residents on 11 February was an “overwhelming success”.
“The move to this wonderful new facility has been such a positive experience for everybody, talking to people yesterday really conveyed just how uplifting it was, moving from a building that was, essentially, built in 1969 to these new facilities, finished to the standards we expect in 2020,” Mr Andrew told The eRecord.
For over 50 years, Catholic Homes has dedicated itself to caring for ageing Western Australians and have demonstrated that the love of Jesus is the best foundation for providing a service based on our values of joy, love and hospitality.
“Here at Catholic Homes, we view the provision of our ‘Care with Purpose’ services as a ministry; we want to honour our Catholic commitment to provide holistic quality care, act with compassion and promote wellness for all persons,” Mr Andrew explained.
“Home is the place where people love you, where you should feel safe and secure and where you are treated with dignity and respect.”
The new two-storey building includes 87 bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and embraces a shift from the traditional aged care model to a modern approach with the latest technology incorporated into a light and spacious design.
Honouring the heritage of the site, the original homestead Bebo Moro – built in 1890 in the Federation Queen Anne style – has been retained and restored to its former glory to house a Day Therapy Centre, gymnasium, physiotherapy and podiatry rooms, a GP, communal lounge, and pastoral care offices.
The Day Therapy Centre provides services to people living in the community aged 65 and older to help maintain health, restore or develop their skills.
Catholic Homes’ model for care, Care with Purpose, is based on Montessori principles where the aim is to encourage residents to remain active and busy for as long as possible and to continue to do the things that bring them joy.
The Montessori Approach has been shown to be a flexible, innovative way of circumventing some of the losses associated with ageing and can also be used to improve quality of life for residents with cognitive impairment such as dementia, as well as older adults in general.