The dementia care and disability support provider has announced plans to develop 'Kora House', a four-storey, 20-studio supported living facility across the road from Westmead Hospital, 26km west of Sydney's CBD, for both NDIS participants and older Australians living with dementia self funding their care.
Managing Director
Community Home Australia
Each apartment will be furnished, and include a kitchenette, electric bed, smart TV, Wi-Fi, lift, security, 24-hour care, an on-site RN, personalised menus, and rooftop social and activity space. The home will be called 'Kora House', with 'kora' an indigenous word for 'companion'.
A 'Club Kinta' day centre ('kinta' means 'laughter') will also be offered next door to the apartments, with daily engagement and regular bus outings, with spaces for residents and their families to enjoy.
The building cost $10 million and they plan to spend about $500,000 to fit it out, Dr Rodney Jilek, Managing Director and Founder of Community Home Australia (CHA) told The Weekly SOURCE.
"We are just finalising the contracts for nurse call system and the Vayyar falls prevention system that will come as standard in each apartment. The Vayyar system is the latest in falls prevention technology from overseas and is used in all our other homes to provide a safe environment for all guests," Rodney said.
Rodney is a registered nurse with more than 30 years' experience consulting on and managing aged care homes. He founded CHA in 2020 with Nicole Smith, a registered nurse and gerontologist, who is now CHA's Chief Operations Officer.
Today, CHA has four homes embedded in local communities, three in Canberra, and one in NSW. Last year, CHA announced plans to build a three-bed palliative care home for people living with dementia next door to one of the existing Canberra homes.
In 2024, CHA also opened Aashaya Jasri Resort in Bali, which provides disability accommodation and support for people living with dementia and their supporters. In November, The Weekly SOURCE reported the provider's purchase of an adjacent $4,000 square metre parcel of land to expand the accommodation facility.
The Westmead project is expected to open in June 2025.
