With just 18 residents in a 40-bed home and the cost of using agency nurses due to a lack of Registered Nurses climbing, the Victorian aged care provider yesterday (Wednesday) told residents and their families it was being forced to close May Noonan aged care home in Terang, a town 212km west of Melbourne.

“It is pretty devastating and it has been a massive decision for the board to go this way,” Lyndoch Living Chair Sue Cassidy (pictured) told The Standard.

Lyndoch Living had unsuccessfully sought a buyer for the home it bought in 2018.

The Chair said low, and declining, occupancy combined with chronic staffing problems forced the closure.

Acting CEO Jill Davidson said Lyndoch Living had been unable to attract Registered Nurses to May Noonan and the reliance on agency staff was not financially viable in the long term.

“We do have plenty of room at the main Lyndoch facility (in Warrnambool) for all of the residents if they choose to come that way,” said Sue.

“This is sensitive, it’s people’s homes. It’s hard enough making this decision without people thinking we are putting people out without somewhere to go.”

She said the next priority was “securing a long-term future for the larger Lyndoch facility in Warrnambool”.

Lyndoch’s 2022 annual report revealed a $5.7 million deficit with the organisation faced rising interest payments on an $11 million loan it took out to build its $25 million primary care centre in Warrnambool.