Southern Cross Care has unveiled its plans for an $18 million expansion of its aged care services in Darwin.
The aged care provider will expand its footprint at Pearl Supported Care in Fannie Bay with a new purpose-built dementia-friendly unit and age friendly Health & Wellness Centre that it says will help to transform the delivery of aged care and healthy ageing services in the Northern Territory.
The project will increase capacity by 30% at Pearl Supported Care with 26 new aged care beds housed in a dedicated unit.
The project has been made possible thanks to a capital grant from the Commonwealth Government that will assist in funding the aged care building works, Southern Cross Care Chief Executive Officer, David Moran said today.
The Northern Territory Government has also contributed to part of Southern Cross Care’s purchase of approximately 5400 square-metres of Crown land for the new facilities, south of the existing Pearl Supported Care home.
“This is a transformational project for aged care in the Northern Territory,” said Mr Moran.
“It will support the delivery of our Better for life vision for residents, while delivering an enhanced working environment for valued staff.
“Pearl Supported Care has a proud history of providing quality aged care and allied health services to the Darwin community. Our new Residential Care unit will include the latest in dementia-friendly design, while our new Health and Wellness Centre will provide greater access to high-quality health, wellness and rehabilitation services to promote health and prevent frailty for older people in the community.”
Northern Territory Chief Minister, Natasha Fyles said the Territory now had Australia’s fastest ageing population.
“The number of Territorians aged over 65 is set to increase from around 20,000 in 2021 to 35,000 in 2041, we need to make sure our seniors are taken care of in their later years.”
“The Northern Territory Government is working closely with key stakeholders to improve our capacity to care for Territorians as they age in their homes as well as in community residential settings,” she said.
“The Northern Territory Government is pleased to be able to support the expansion of the Pearl Supported Care facility as one of a range of projects which aim to increase access to aged care support and improve quality of life for Territorians.”
Acquisition of the land was completed earlier this month, paving the way for the next stage of detailed project planning. Building works are expected to commence in mid-2024 and be completed in time for operations to commence in late 2025.
