SENATOR Raff Ciccone recently visited the ageing Woorayl Lodge in Leongatha, hearing about the planned 80-bed facility at Boags Road intended to replace the existing McCartin Street site, and the urgent need for more aged care availability locally.
Woorayl Lodge co-CEO Jaimee Brydon, Board Chair Linda Fiddelaers and treasurer Peter McAlpine greeted Senator Ciccone, who listened with interest and asked questions, then took a tour of the existing McCartin Street facility.
A waiting list that constantly sits between 20 and 30 people illustrates the urgency of a larger Lodge.
Senator Ciccone was told about worker accommodation that will be built alongside the existing Lodge, helping overcome one of the barriers to filling aged care employment vacancies, that being a shortage of places to live close to work.
Woorayl Lodge co-CEO Andrew Ross told the Sentinel-Times the Senator helped secure the State Government funding for the worker accommodation project by providing a letter of support.
“It was a pleasure to meet with the team at Woorayl Lodge and to visit the site of the proposed workers’ accommodation development – a project I was pleased to support through a funding application,” Federal Labor Senator for Victoria, Raff Ciccone said.
“The proposed townhouses and apartments at 75-77 McCartin Street will play an important role in attracting and retaining healthcare, aged care and other essential workers in the region, helping to address the shortage of rental and short-term accommodation.”
The need for Federal Government funding for the Boags Road project continues to prove a stumbling block, with efforts to secure a grant not yet successful, those in charge at the Lodge recently receiving confirmation their latest application was unsuccessful.
That application was for $27.5 million through the Aged Care Capital Assistance Program (ACCAP) towards the estimated project cost of $40 million.
Had the application succeeded, the Lodge was looking to contribute $10 million and do some additional fundraising.
“We understand we were pretty close, just unfortunately we didn’t make the cut this time,” Mr Ross said, this being the second time funding for the Boags Road development has been applied for through ACCAP, with a separate application through the Federal Government’s Growing Regions Program also unsuccessful.
In the latest ACCAP funding round, Victoria received just 10.6 per cent of the awarded total, while NSW scooped 26.1 per cent, residential care home Southern Cross Care in Broken Hill getting $50,663,108.
As well as the demand for more aged care places, the state-of-the-art design for Boags Road will allow greater flexibility in terms of required care levels, including for those with higher needs.
That is important given the increasing number of aged care residents in that category, Ms Brydon explaining that while it is great people are remaining at home for longer, when they move into aged care their needs are more substantial.
Unfortunately, the longer it takes to secure the required funding the more building costs escalate.
Mr Ross ran through an advocacy presentation for Woorayl Lodge last year with Senator Ciccone, prompting his ongoing interest in plans for its future and desire to visit.
The current Lodge may ultimately be replaced with independent living units when the Boags Road development is built.
“While the Boags Road project was not successful on this occasion in securing funding through the most recent ACCAP round, I commend Woorayl Lodge for its continued commitment to improving care and services for older Australians,” Senator Ciccone continued.
“I look forward to continuing to work with Woorayl Lodge to explore future opportunities that support its vital role in the local community.”