Aged-care accommodation provider Amana Living has unveiled a $300 million development program for the next ten years, which it believes is the most ambitious ever seen in Western Australia’s not-for-profit sector.
Aged-care accommodation provider Amana Living has unveiled a $300 million development program for the next ten years, which it believes is the most ambitious ever seen in Western Australia’s not-for-profit sector.
Formerly known as Anglican Homes, the organisation plans to increase its current portfolio of 828 retirement living units by about 272-units before the year 2015, and achieve higher occupancy rates through rolling refurbishments.
It will also seek to purchase a number of greenfields sites for new retirement living and residential care facilities in key growth corridors, while redeveloping three retirement village sites at prime locations in Cottesloe, Lesmurdie and Menora.
Amana Living operates 39 facilities around Perth, Mandurah, Kalgoorlie and Albany worth almost $215 million.
These include 18 retirement villages, 11 hostels, five nursing homes, three dementia-specific day centres and two dementia-specific hostels with co-located respite centres.
Amana Living chairman Peter Dawes told WA Business News the board’s vision was more than just about providing new infrastructure, but was a commitment to setting higher standards of individual care, and enhancing the independence of its residents through greater lifestyle choices.
“We’re not just looking at what we’ve got; that’s the visible part. It’s about improving the lives of people that come to us,” Mr Dawes said.
“Anglican Homes never had a longer-term vision, so we are now structuring the organisation to cater for tomorrow.”
Foremost in the organisation’s thoughts are the needs of the ageing ‘boomer generation’, who represent its clients of the future.
Mr Dawes said this generation was more informed with greater access to computers, was very conscious of lifestyle, lived longer and was active for longer.
“Boomers are the core strategic direction of our plan because they prefer to stay at home and demand their needs are met there,” he said.
All new retirement living units are to be built to universal design standards on larger footprints, and aim to deliver greater health and lifestyle benefits to residents.
The increasing emergence of dementia amongst the ageing population was also an issue the organisation was paying heed to, and one which Mr Dawes felt the government must address with greater urgency.
Refurbishments are planned for existing retirement villages at Inglewood, South Perth, Shenton Park, Coolbellup and Kalgoorlie, in addition to the development of extra accommodation and/or residents’ amenities at Kelmscott and Karrinyup.
The first major works on the Marjorie Appleton Village in Menora, and on the Sundowner Centre at Cottesloe, are not expected to start for at least another three years.
In Lesmurdie, a staged redevelopment of the ageing Parry House will likely see the retirement living units redeveloped and the residential care facility retained.
Amana Living chief executive Ray Glickman said the benevolent organisation would not be able to survive without being market competitive.
He stressed that those 1,000 residents affected would be kept well informed, and Amana representatives would consult with them all on an individual basis.
