Purpose-built home to serve growing ageing population in Canberra – dementia patients and carers to benefit

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12 May 2008

Minister for Ageing Justine Elliot today opened a $29 million, 108 bed, purpose-built aged care facility - in Ainslie to help serve an increasingly older Canberra population.

The new facility operated by Goodwin Aged Care Services Limited opened today, replaces the original home on Wakefield Avenue, in Ainslie. There are now 36 additional new places.

Mrs Elliot said there are currently 24,000 people over 70 years in Canberra.

“This figure is predicted to grow to nearly 27,000 in just three years time – according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics,” Mrs Elliot said.

The Australian Government provides close to $8 million to Goodwin Aged Care Services each year to bolster their range of residential and community aged care services.

This includes funds to support the 108 places at Goodwin’s Ainslie home - 44 of which are high care; 20 are dementia specific and three are allocated for respite care,” Mrs Elliot said.

The new facility includes an activities centre, hairdressing salon, theatrette and internet café as well as a bird aviary.

Mrs Elliot said Australia was experiencing a new demographic phenomenon with citizens now enjoying the fourth-longest life expectancy in the world.

“There are currently 2,860 Australians over the age of 100 – this is expected to increase to 78,000 by 2055 – more than the population of the NSW town of Port Macquarie which has 62,000 residents.

“It is important for Canberra and the rest of Australia to keep up with ageing population trends and needs.

“I am pleased to note that Goodwin’s new facility has included new and comfortable dementia care wings and a garden dedicated to supporting their needs.

“This all adds up to better support for the needs of the elderly,” Mrs Elliot said.

“Caring for someone can be a very rewarding experience, but it can also be extremely demanding on the carer and their time.

“It is great to see that short and long term respite care will also be offered for older people, and their families or carers, through the Goodwin centres,” she said.

“In addition to providing funding for residential aged care, the Australian Government recognises the emotional and practical advantages to older people staying in their own homes.

“The ‘community aged care packages’ provided through Federal Government funding, means Goodwin can also assist 137 older people to continue living in their own homes,” she said.

Aged Care in Australia – the facts

The Department of Health and Ageing oversees more than 2870 accredited nursing homes with 167,070 aged care beds across Australia. The average age of people entering residential care is 82.

Australia is facing a demographic shift. Australians now have one of the world's longest life expectancy rates, outliving Swedes, Norwegians and Finns. Australia will change forever.

There are currently 2,860 Australians at present over the age of 100, and this was expected to increase to 78,000 by 2055.

Currently, there are 1.9 million Australians aged 70 and over, comprising 9.3 per cent of the population. Within 40 years the number of people aged over 65 will almost triple, from 2.8 million today to around 7.2 million in 2047, or from around 13 per cent of the population today to more than 25 per cent.

An Australian born today can expect to live to reach 78.5 years for a man and 83.3 for a woman.

For more information, contact Mrs Elliot's office on (02) 6277 7280