This week Apollo Care opened the final six of 30 new aged care beds at PresCare Groundwater Lodge, in Maryborough, 255km north of Brisbane.
The operator acquired the home in 2021, and subsequently upgraded the facility several times, including:
- refurbishing the building and outdoor areas,
- building a 20-bed Dementia Support Unit,
- upgrading the community’s kitchen and creating a fresh food program where all meals are created freshly onsite,
- building 24 two-bedroom on-site staff accommodation units, and
- trialling a 'one-tool' hand-held device for frontline care staff that includes access to CCTV, long-life batteries, and sensitivity to gloved fingers - freeing up staff time to spend on care.
PresCare Groundwater Lodge has employed 25 aged care workers in the past six months from overseas, interstate and intrastate, partly possible due to on-site staff accommodation.
Stephen Becsi, CEO of Apollo Care, said, “We knew the vital role PresCare and Groundwater Lodge played in this local community, so we immediately rolled out a program of crucial behind-the-scenes improvements to finances, compliance and governance.
“These final six suites, officially opened today by the Member for Wide Bay, Llew O’Brien MP, reflect our deep commitment to continuing the legacy and ethos of PresCare in this community.
“All told, we’ve created 30 new beds here, which is quite an accomplishment given there were only 1,000 new beds created nationwide in 2023.”
Apollo Care, which specialises in acquiring small regional Not For Profit aged care homes, owns and operates 12 aged care homes across NSW and Queensland.
Stephen Besci's acclaimed speech at LEADERS SUMMIT 2024