Innovative aged care provider NewDirection Care, which has developed the trademarked MICRO TOWNS® concept in the suburb of Bellmere, 44km north of the Brisbane CBD, is setting out to prove that its small home model of care can be adapted to high rise buildings and existing aged care housing stock.
NewDirection Care had land earmarked for a high-rise development based on the small home model prior to COVID-19, but “the deal fell through” as the aged care operator turned its attention to the more pressing needs of the pandemic, Natasha Chadwick, NewDirection Care CEO told The SOURCE.
Now that business is returning to normal, NewDirection Care is refocusing on business development and growing their innovative small home model of care.
“We are exploring a number of opportunities, one of which is to still develop a high-rise to further validate that our small-house model is viable, even in a vertical built environment,” Natasha told The SOURCE. They are seeking a new site for the project.
NewDirection Care tested the small-house model in 2014 in Tasmania, when they built two small homes in an existing traditional aged care community – Wynyard Care Centre, 17 km west of Burnie and about 350 km north of Hobart.
The community in Tasmania supported the small homes, so NewDirection Care is now redeveloping the traditional aged care building, which was built 30 years ago, into a small household model, Natasha said.
Natasha said they hope the brown-field redevelopment will give other providers confidence that existing stock of aged care homes can be easily converted into small-house (up to eight residents) and household (up to 15 residents) models.
NewDirection Care has also been approached by retirement living operators who are considering the small house model as they look to develop continuum of care services.
NewDirection Care has recommended to the Aged Care Taskforce that they establish a group of innovators to act as a hub of knowledge and provide support for innovations in the aged care sector.
The SOURCE: Most aged care homes being built in Australia are about 80 beds or larger, however, there is huge interest globally in small house models of care.
