By Hamish Heard
THIRTY-three elderly Altona residents are looking for a new home after an aged care facility buckled under the pressure of increasing competition in the western suburbs’ aged accommodation sector.
Wesley Mission Melbourne last week announced plans to close its Alton Court aged care home in McIntyre Drive, Altona.
The closure comes in the wake of massive private sector investment in aged care accommodation as developers scramble to cash in on Australia’s aging population.
Wesley Mission Melbourne’s director of residential aged care, Mark Zentgraf, said Alton Court had struggled to attract residents.
He said those who were there had been upset when told of the closure last week.
“Initially they were upset because it’s their home and we respect that,” Mr Zentgraf said.
He said the aging facility had failed to keep pace with rising community expectations and standards and was no longer financially viable.
Alton Court has beds for 46 residents but has only been operating at 72 per cent capacity, with 30 staff looking after its 33 residents.
“There has been a significant increase in the availability of new aged care accommodation in the local area and, due to the age of Alton Court, it has been difficult to attract residents to the facility,” Mr Zentgraf said.
Wesley Mission has run the home for the past 18 months after taking over from the Salvation Army.
“We have explored a range of alternatives to keep the facility open but the reality is that, without significant capital investment, Alton Court will continue to run at a loss and this is simply not sustainable,” Mr Zentgraf said.
Management was working feverishly to ensure staff and residents were not left out in the cold, he said.
“Our priority at this time is to ensure the wellbeing of our residents, their families and staff to ensure they are supported and provided with the guidance and help they need.
“We have been able to reassure residents that the facility will remain open until all of them are in their new homes.”
He said a project worker was helping find rooms for the displaced residents.
“We have also commenced discussions with other facilities in the region and are working with them to ensure beds are available,” Mr Zentgraf said.
“These discussions have been very positive and we are confident we will be able to find appropriate accommodation in the coming months.”
He said an “immediate job freeze” on positions at Wesley’s other aged care homes had been put in place in an effort to redeploy staff from Alton Court.
Staff had been assured that all outstanding entitlements would be met.
“We have always worked very hard to ensure Alton Court meets the highest standards in terms of quality of care and will continue to do so until all residents are relocated to appropriate accommodation,” Mr Zentgraf said.
