East Grampians Health Service commissioned the work by Ararat artist Janette Lucas, who spent hours completing it.

It is located on an internal garden wall at the centre and features farm animals, buildings and people, complementing the life-like statues of farm animals in the adjacent garden.

The mural is part of East Grampians Health Service’s move to the Montessori Model of Care, as part of the Improved Living in Aged Care residential service delivery framework, which was developed to meet the needs of the ageing population.

A core component of framework was the development and implementation of the Montessori Model of Care environment, which was modified from the Montessori Dementia Model of Care.

It aims to fulfil the vision of independence and improve self-esteem for residents through environmental cueing.

This includes renaming and decorating bedroom wings in the facility in themed avenues, large bright signage for toilets, bathrooms and bedrooms, brightly coloured items such as blue toilet seats, yellow bathroom doors and red crockery, and trinkets, pictures and furniture from the residents’ era.

It also involves implementing meaningful activities and roles that focus on the individuals’ skills, abilities, needs and interests, such as daily collection of eggs, arranging flowers for the dining room tables, a help-yourself buffet breakfast, jigsaws, cooking and colouring in.

Centre manager Tanya Haslett said the health service had achieved changes using Montessori principles to support residents.

“The barnyard mural was carefully planned to give the outdoor garden area a home like country feel and encourage the residents to go outside at their own leisure,” she said.

“The mural was created by Janette to initiate the declarative memory in which many residents have stories to tell of their past experiences of farm life.

“We would like to thank Janette for her valuable contribution to 70 Lowe Street’s barnyard mural.”

Montessori will also be rolled out to the health service’s other aged care services, Garden View Court and Willaura Healthcare.