It will be the end of an era when Henry Kendall Aged Care, Wyoming, closes its doors at the end of October, after 34 years of serving elderly residents.
Despite a $2M investment since aged care provider, Allity, acquired the building in 2013, the decision was made in September to shut the facility, with 40 of its 69 residents already having moved to alternate accommodation.
Henry Kendall Operations Manager, Deborah Karam, said the home was a landmark that had served the community well. “Henry Kendall is an older home, and it has become evident over time that the building cannot be modified extensively enough to meet the accommodation needs, expectations, and preferences of residents going forward, ” she said.
“Meanwhile there is no shortage of vacant aged care places on the Central Coast. “Newer homes with better facilities continue to open in the region, with a total of 525 aged care places to become available over the next five years. “With more choice than ever on their doorstep, we feel our residents will be better served in other, newer homes in the local area.
“That’s why, after much consideration, we have decided to initiate the process of closing the home. ” Karam said that over recent years, many residents had also become eligible for specialist disability housing under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
“We have been working closely with each of our residents, alongside their families and representatives, to make sure that their next home meets their individual care needs and personal preferences, ” she said.
“We are also supporting our 94 full-time and parttime staff with options for re-deployment, as well as outplacement services, including resume writing and interviewing skills. “Many of our care staff already work part-time in other homes in the area, so there’s a good chance that our residents will continue to see familiar faces when they move.
“Our commitment to our residents and our employees is to keep disruption to a minimum and to make sure that everyone involved is fully supported throughout the transition process. ”
Source: Media release, Oct 15 Apollo Communications for Henry Kendall Aged Care