Politicians, residents and nurses gathered to celebrate the first step, ‘the turning of the sod’, in the construction of Three Tree Lodge’s new special needs unit.
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The expansion of the Lithgow aged care home will provide eight more beds for residents with dementia.
“It will make a huge difference. It means another eight people can remain in Lithgow for aged care,” Three Tree Lodge CEO Kate Hurrell said.
The facility will expand the current 10 beds available for residents with dementia in the 54 resident home.
“The extension will be purpose built to maximise the independence of people living with dementia,” Ms Hurrell said.
“We know that living in a shared, home-like space makes a big difference in the quality of life for people with dementia.”
Funding for the $1.2 million extension was secured through the federal government’s Rural Regional and Other Special Needs Building Fund Grant, which aims to provide funding for capital works costs of residential aged care services.
Federal member for Calare Andrew Gee said the extension would be beneficial to Lithgow’s whole community.
“Aged care is important in regional areas because if the infrastructure is not there then people become separated from the community, their friends, family and support network. It doesn’t do anyone any good,” he said.
“The reality is that the populations is getting older and we will have to keep expanding our aged care infrastructure, as we have been in Lithgow.”
Mark Dobson, the builder overseeing the construction of the facility, said he hires a 90 per cent regional labor force.
“It will be finished by early 2018, but we are aiming for Christmas this year,” Mr Dobson said.
Mr Dobson, Mr Gee, Three Tree Lodge’s board chair Garry Brown and resident Neil Horsburgh, took up shovels and ceremoniously dug into the soil upon which the facility will sit.
“When I asked our resident Hughey (Hugh Dougherty) if he would come out to watch today he said ‘I was here when the first hole was dug, I wouldn’t miss the second’,” Mr Brown said.
CEO Kate Hurrell shared future plans to add a dementia day care and emergency unit to the lodge.
“That way we can support a person through every step of the journey,” she said.