$75.1 million to boost support for senior Victorians

Senior Victorians stand to benefit from a $75.1 million Brumby Labor Government package to improve the quality of residential aged care, generate more aged care places, and improve support for seniors living at home unveiled today in the 2008-09 State Budget.

The Minister for Senior Victorians, Lisa Neville, said the $75.1 million package was further evidence the Brumby Labor Government was committed to investing in high-quality accommodation and services for senior Victorians.

“Demographic analysis shows that one in four Victorians will be aged over 60 by 2021, and the Brumby Labor Government is taking action to deliver the services and support senior Victorians need today and into the future” Ms Neville said

The 2008-09 Budget aged care building program highlights include:

• Kingston Centre Redevelopment Stage 2: $45 million to establish a 64-bed sub-acute ward for patients who are too sick to be in nursing homes but do not require an intensive care bed in a hospital, new outpatient and home-based services for older people which will develop alternatives to hospital care, a new hydrotherapy pool for treatment of conditions including arthritis and to improve basic infrastructure on the site. This comes on top of $25.5 million in first stage funding in 2006-07 to upgrade the production kitchen to enable the Kingston Centre to produce meals for public hospitals and other sites in the region;
• Bendigo Residential Aged Care Facility: $13.6 million to replace Bendigo Health’s outdated Stella Anderson Nursing Home, with a new, 60-bed facility with better environmental amenity, comfort, safety, security and privacy for residents and staff;
• Hepburn Health Service’s Trentham Campus redevelopment: $8 million for the redevelopment of 15 high-care residential aged care beds and primary care services, refurbishment of the low-care facility, a new medical consulting suite, emergency stabilisation area, primary care and community activity centre, and support areas; and
• Aged Care Land Bank Stage 3: $2.5 million to help not-for-profit aged care providers access surplus government land, to create extra beds in the inner and middle suburbs, so senior Victorians do not have to move away from their neighbourhoods and families to access supported accommodation.

Ms Neville said this latest Land Bank investment brought total State Government investment to $11.8 million since 2006-07, with an initial $4.8 million followed by $4.5 million in 2007-08.

“The State Budget has allocated $6 million to establish a regional food kitchen to help senior Victorians access affordable, high-quality and nutritious meals,” she said.

“It will be a centralised facility to improve the management, efficiency, cost effectiveness and production of meals for Meals on Wheels services and other community care programs.”

A consortium of 14 local councils will develop and operate the regional food kitchen, including Banyule, Brimbank, Greater Dandenong, Hobsons Bay, Hume, Macedon Ranges, Melton, Yarra, Darebin, Greater Geelong, Moreland, Maribyrnong, Moonee Valley and Stonnington.

"The investments in Bendigo and Hepburn bring to $445.7 million the total investment in public sector residential aged care upgrades since 1999,” Ms Neville said.

“This investment has delivered an overhaul to 47 residential aged care facilities in Victoria, 45 of which are in regional Victoria.”