Aged care home gets facelift

Wattle Hill Lodge in Bunbury hosted the official opening and dedication of its redevelopment and Rose Community Centre on Monday, with a number of distinguished guests in attendance.

Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, The Honourable Ken Wyatt, opened the centre with Wattle Hill Lodge’s Chairman Ray Lewis, before unveiling the commemorative plaque alongside its namesake Peter Rose.

Mr Wyatt, who was born in Bunbury and maintains strong ties to the community, called the redevelopment a remarkable transformation and a testament to the region’s commitment to providing quality aged care accommodation.

“Deciding to move into an aged care village can be a challenging and emotional decision for a person, their family, friends and carers,” Mr Wyatt said.

“However, the move is not so daunting when you are able to retain your independence and age with dignity in a compassionate and caring environment such as this one.”

The redevelopment sees 20 new Retirement Village Villas open, allowing people to live independently in their own home before transitioning to higher levels of care.

In addition, the innovative Rose Community Centre will offer residents the chance to come together as a community and host events.

Mr Wyatt believes the development demonstrates a strengthening aged care system, focused on delivering high quality services throughout Australia.

“We want to see an aged care system that is responsive, sustainable, meets the needs of older Australians, and empowers them to receive the services they need,” Mr Wyatt said.

“It is an absolute privilege to see this development complete, and to such outstanding quality.”