Barossa Park Lodge celebrates 10th anniversary with residents

Key points:

• An aged care precinct in Tasmania recently reached its 10th anniversary, with residents and aged care workers gathering together to celebrate
• Extended Care Team Leader at Barossa Park Lodge Ellen Strange highlighted her enjoyment of providing care to older Australians at a place where we ‘call out teammates’ good work’
• One way to keep residents engaged in aged care includes incorporating diversional therapy in the program so older people can engage in meaningful activities

Residents at an aged care precinct in Tasmania recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the community, highlighting the importance of building strong relationships.

Barossa Park Lodge is a precinct run by Tasmanian not-for-profit aged care provider OneCare. Within the precinct, residents live in a 136-bed residential aged care home and housing units with access to a home care service and community centre. 

The aged care precinct is located in Glenorchy, Tasmania, where ‘Barossa Park Lodge offers you high-quality residential accommodation, the best of care and the lifestyle you’re looking for, all in a vibrant seniors’ community,’ according to the OneCare website.

OneCare CEO Pete Williams commented on the importance of providing a sense of community for the older people who live in Barossa Park.

“The village-like precinct of residential facility, units and community centre, as well as running our home care service from Barossa Park, is a really innovative aged care model,” he said.

“[…] I see meaningful relationships with residents, staff going above and beyond to plan fun excursions and engaging activities on top of the day-to-day care, and colleagues having fun together.”

Residents of Barrosa Park Lodge gathered to celebrate the home’s 10-year anniversary. [Source: OneCare; supplied]

Diversional therapy in aged care, which involves engaging residents through meaningful and enjoyable activities, is beneficial for improving well-being and quality of life. 

In aged care, therapy staff work closely with the residents and nursing home staff to design a leisure and recreation program that will maximise the lives of residents in the home.

These activities are designed in ways to support their psychological, spiritual, social, emotional and physical well-being.

Diversional therapy can also include group sessions with multiple residents, which also improves social engagement, and provides a place to enhance self-esteem and personal satisfaction.

However, it’s not only the residents at Barossa Park Lodge who enjoy spending time there.

Extended Care Team Leader Ellen Strange commented on the importance of the connections she’s made with residents and why she enjoys coming to work every day to help older Australians.

“I just love it — all the stories and the relationships you build. We have residents move [sic] in who I’ve worked with previously as a community carer. They recognise you and their faces light up, seeing someone here that they know. That’s the value of being truly integrated with the local community,” she said.

“[…] This is a great place to work — I often come in early! We play games like hiding rubber ducks throughout the facility for everyone to find and have a shout-out board where we call out teammates’ good work.”

This artwork of Barossa Park Lodge was created by collating images of residents, aged care workers and volunteers who have spent time at the centre in the last decade. [Source: OneCare; supplied]

Artwork of the precinct was unveiled at the 10-year celebrations to highlight the value of residents, aged care workers and volunteers who have contributed to Barossa Park Lodge over the last decade.

Ten percent of employees at Barossa Park Lodge have worked in the precinct for the 10 years that the lodge has been operating. 

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