Aged-care decision "bitterly" disappointing

Narrogin Cottage Homes chief executive Julie Christensen says she is “bitterly disappointed” the aged-care facility missed out on crucial Regional Development Australia funding for a dementia-specific wing.

Last month the lack of the customised care was flagged as a top priority in the town at a meeting between 15 local care providers, as part of the Wheatbelt Integrated Aged Support and Care Solutions project.

The dementia-specific residential construction and reception upgrade of Narrogin Cottage Homes was among three Wheatbelt projects selected to proceed to a full application of round-four RDA funding.

Of the 14 proposed beds at the $5 million facility, half have already been filled by those on waiting lists — two years before the facility would open its doors.

Ms Christensen said the sign-ups showed how vital a dementia-specific facility was to the region and as a consequence of missing out on funding, the people would now have to look at other avenues for care outside the region.

Seventy-six-year-old Beryl Davies and her family made the difficult decision to send her husband Colin to a dementia-specific facility in Collie, 150km from Narrogin, in November last year.

Mrs Davies said she kept her husband at home until May last year before he went to Narrogin Nursing Home.

“The nursing home is not dementia-specific and it is quite a struggle for staff because they are dealing with people with dementia and mental problems, and others whose problems are only physical,” she said.

In September last year Narrogin Cottage Homes celebrated its 50th birthday and since then has raised $33,000 in donations to go towards a dementia facility. Ms Christensen said she viewed the donations as community validation of the need for dementia care in the region.

“Unless other money has come from another field, which is very unlikely, it is going to be another year or two before we can even begin to look again at addressing this very real need,” she said.