ARARAT Retirement Village will undergo a complete refurbishment after receiving a federal grant worth $482,000.
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Chief executive Robyn Woods-Gebler said the money will go towards an overhaul of current facilities which will benefit the village’s 60 residents.
“The idea is to improve the quality of the residents’ living environment and to replace equipment that’s coming to the end of it’s life,” she said.
Most of the laundry and kitchen equipment is 15 years old and demand on the machines grew as the retirement village attracted more residents.
“The laundry machines are going five days a week,” Ms Woods-Gebler said.
“We asked for three new ones and three dryers to cope with the increased workload.”
The village will also put the money towards a walk-in freezer.
Currently the kitchen at the retirement home has three standard-sized upright freezers in a side room and one larger one in the main kitchen, which had been added one at a time as the population grew.
Other refurbishments will include replacing the ageing carpet and repainting.
“We’ll repaint in the public areas for the first time since it was built in 2004,” Ms Woods-Gebler said.
“Some carpet has been gradually replaced in the residents’ rooms but never in the (public areas).”
Some of the painting will actively help residents too.
“We’ll have individual door colours, because that’s one of the things people with dementia recognise,” Ms Woods-Gebler said.
“A lot of places have that now.”
The courtyards will also be renovated, though currently there is no firm plan for them.
“We’ll consult with residents,” Ms Woods-Gebler said.
“What would they find inviting? We have wing meetings and we’ll take ideas to them and find out what would entice them outdoors.”
The other major upgrade will be the replacement of the water tank, as the current tank is rusted all the way around
Ms Woods-Gebler said she expects the refurbishment will be complete within 12 months but the timeline was not set in concrete.
The grant comes out of the Commonwealth Aged Care Regional, Rural and Remote Infrastructure fund, from the 2018-19 budget.
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