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Building the Future – Innovation in Aged Care Design

on Monday, February 6, 2017

Providing better care for Australia's ageing population is one of the great challenges of our times. Over the next ten years, Australia will need to supply an additional 70,000 aged care beds to meet increasing demand.

Opal Aged Care are at the forefront of meeting this need. They firmly believe that when people get older, everyone should have the opportunity to spend these years in comfort, with the care they need and deserve.

Opal have a strong growth plan in place, focussing on building homes in the regions that are most in need, including Western Sydney, Perth and the Gold Coast. Opal recognise their responsibility to help meet the demand of contributing to the extra beds needed for ageing Australians. The homes they are now building are larger to accommodate this demand. For example, some are five storeys high and have more than 150 beds. When designing these bigger buildings there is a focus on how they can become welcoming homes for Opal's residents.

First and foremost, Opal's aged care homes are all about people. Opal understands that residents need to be surrounded by their own belongings, and people they feel comfortable with. A warm and friendly, supportive atmosphere is vital. Opal's passionate and caring staff are the backbone of each of their homes. But there’s also much that can be done in the design of the homes to make them great environments for all that are living there.

Opal believes every new home has an opportunity to learn through innovative design. Following the launch of a home, Opal spend six months evaluating what’s working well and what could be improved, with the help of feedback from residents and family members. Sean Bilton, Head of Commercial, explains, “The feedback process is critical in developing our homes. It enables us to review homes we’ve launched, and integrate ideas and learnings into our next build. For example, we’ve changed bedrooms to offer improved lighting and storage, and we’ve changed room configurations to improve comfort. It’s a process of continual learning and evolution.”

In the past, aged care homes have often looked more like hospitals than homes. They had long corridors and enclosed nurses stations. You’d also see a lot of clinical and aged care equipment such as wheel chairs and lifters in the hallways and common areas.

Today, Opal homes are designed to look more like real homes, keeping the ‘back-end’ of a working aged care home behind the scenes. Specialist architects design clever spaces, where equipment can be placed for easy access, without affecting the aesthetics of the home. Discrete, smaller living areas are very different from the old-style large common room, where only one form of entertainment could be enjoyed. Landscaped outdoor areas create pleasant spaces for residents and families to relax and connect with nature.

Beautiful interior design is equally important to residents’ enjoyment of their home. Every new Opal home has an interior designer, who creates thoughtful touches, such as working with local Historical Societies to obtain photographs that will resonate with residents and their families. Soft furnishings and furniture can be luxurious but practical at the same time – for example, comfy armchairs with high-end fabric upholstery on arms and backs, combined with practical vinyl coverings.

More than 50 per cent of Opal residents suffer from some form of cognitive impairment, or are living with a diagnosis of dementia. People living with dementia may often become disorientated or confused by lots of people or noise. Opal work closely with Alzheimer’s Australia to understand how to support residents living with dementia – not only with best practice care, but also with tailored environments that support their needs. For example, the outdoor areas in Opal's memory support units are designed so that people with dementia can enjoy the outdoors, without feeling lost or disorientated, and the colours in the upholstery and soft furnishings have been chosen, based on input and recommendations as often these can have an impact for people living with dementia.

In July 2016, Opal's state-of-the-art Cardinal Freeman home opened in Ashfield, in Sydney’s inner west. The home takes a fresh approach to aged care, with greater choice in care, services and lifestyle activities, supported by a dedicated concierge service. The home even provides a state-of-the-art virtual reality program specific to aged care, among other innovative new services aimed at helping residents to enjoy life. The 133-bed home was opened by Ita Buttrose, AO OBE, National Ambassador for Alzheimer’s Australia, who said, “We all know the positive impact that good quality care can have on people’s lives, and unfortunately, to date, there have been too many examples of residential aged care not meeting the needs of ageing Australians. With the opening of Cardinal Freeman, I can see the progress being made and I look forward to Opal delivering what they promise in raising the standards of residential aged care.”

Above all, Opal’s new homes are being built with the local community in mind. For many residents, their Opal home is in the community they’ve lived in for many years and Opal aims to connect the home with the community, and change perceptions of aged care homes. As a result, Opal homes are being built with hair salons, cafés and activities rooms for residents and their families to enjoy, with opportunities for the local community to be involved in the daily life of the home. 

According to Gary Barnier, Managing Director of Opal, “As one of Australia’s largest aged care providers, we need to take on the challenge of raising the standard of aged care in this country. We want people to see aged care as part of their communities’ health care system. We will continue to work hard to come up with better experiences for our residents and innovative new offerings that will give them the quality of life they expect and deserve.”

Click here to find out more about Opal's aged care homes.

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