Not For Profit ACH Group’s $40 million Healthia, aged care, health, and education hub was officially opened last week by the Government of South Australia, Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Chris Picton MP, and ACH Group Chair, Mary Patetsos.
Featuring a 96-bed residential care home and GP, nursing and allied health clinic, Healthia is located in the Playford Health and Wellbeing Precinct, about 30km north of the Adelaide CBD.
The Healthia aged care home is based on the small household model of care. It consists of eight purpose-built single-storey houses in a village setting. Each house features 12 self-contained resident rooms with ensuites; a large open plan living, kitchen and dining area; and includes features found in traditional homes so residents can continue to perform daily house activities, if they wish.
ACH Group CEO Frank Weits said the cross-sector partnership “will improve health outcomes for the local community, support the hospital system, and reimagine aged care.”
“Healthia is the first care home in Australia to implement the US-founded Green House Project model of care, which is informed by person-directed care principles and supports residents to have increased input into their everyday living.
“The unique built form has taken into consideration what would be seen in someone’s own home to capture a homely environment and sense of familiarity for residents.”
Healthia has been developed with the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network (NALHN), which will occupy 24 rooms within the aged care home to help transition older people from hospital to their home or more suitable accommodation. It was also developed with the UniSA Health Clinic, a GP, nursing, and allied health clinic, which will provide services to residents and the surrounding local community with a combination of professional and lower-cost student-assisted services.
The SOURCE: ‘Small household’ models of aged care were a focus of the Royal Commission’s recommendations. ACH’s Healthia development puts the model into practice, for the first time under the US-founded Green House Project model of care in Australia.
