Austin St, My Future, My Choice Project
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) announced an agreement on 10 February 2006 to reduce the number of younger people with a disability living in residential aged care (RAC) facilities. A bilateral agreement between the Commonwealth and the State has been signed that commits $60.2 million in joint funding for Victoria over five years.
The COAG commitment acknowledges the increasing demand from younger people with a disability for specialist age appropriate services to meet their ongoing needs and aspirations. The aim is to reduce the number of younger people with a disability living in RAC.
Today there are around 6,500 people who are under 60 years of age living in aged care facilities. These facilities are designed to provide accommodation and care to frail older people in their final years. They are not designed or adequately resourced to provide support or activities to younger people with high clinical needs, nor can they support these people’s social lives within the community.
Villa Maria was successful in a tendering for the establishment of a service that will accommodate and support 10 younger people who are presently living in residential aged care services. This service type is the first of its kind in Victoria and as such is an exciting time for Villa Maria. A major initiative of this service development is the purpose building of a new home located in Alphington.
Villa Maria has established a reference group, comprised of people with an acquired brain injury and a neurological condition, parent of a person who has an acquired brain injury, representative of the Young Persons in Nursing Home consortium, allied heath services, architectural services, local and state governments and of course Villa Maria. This group meet on a regular basis and plays a critical role in the design and development of both the purpose built home and the service model.