General News
28 January, 2025
Avoca, Dunolly rank highly for aged care
The top four residential aged care facilities in the country are all in Victoria, two of which are within the Central Goldfields Shire.
Coming away with a perfect five stars Avoca Hostel and Dunolly Residential Community are home to some of the best aged care in the country, according to the Federal Government’s aged care Star Ratings guide.
The Star Ratings aims to help older people, their families, and carers to find quality aged care by increasing transparency. The aged care homes are ranked against residents’ experience, compliance, staffing, and quality measures.
Donna Bell, director of nursing at Dunolly Residential Community, said receiving five stars was “exhilarating” for the whole team.
“To know that the work they put in, that we all put in as a team, has contributed to say that we’re at five stars is excellent,” she said.
Ms Bell was a clear advocate for the strength of her team. While they experience staff shortages much like the rest of the industry she said they’re quick to help each other out.
“We’ve got a great team that are prepared to come in and cover the shifts. Jenni and myself, as managers, work on the floor. We do double shifts. Our priority is always making sure we have the skill mix and the numbers to provide the best care,” she said.
Likewise, nurse unit manager Jenni Mustey said that being small was what made them special.
“I always refer to it as a family. I always feel, especially here, it’s like an extended family,” she said.
But like any family each member has their own personality, their own wants, which is why Ms Bell believes the care starts by knowing who the resident is before they walked in.
“Knowing who they are as a person, who they were before they came in, and letting them direct their care [is important],” she said.
“It’s not what we think’s best for them. It’s not what their family thinks is best. It’s what they want.”
A resident driven care approach means when one resident wants to stay in bed and not have breakfast until after 10 am, the staff will accommodate for that. Or, for people with dementia, by knowing they used to work in hospitality the staff might ask if they’d like to set the table. Ms Mustey said this gives the residents purpose.
“We have some chooks out in the backyard. [For one resident,] his purpose is making sure that they’ve got the chook food. He likes to be able to go out and feed them, and let them out of the pen in the morning.
“So it sort of gives him a reason to get up and do something in the morning,” she said.
A resident at Dunolly Residential Community since 2013, Judy Beasy, said she “immensely” enjoys her time there. Her room was filled with personal touches and had a garden she could enjoy. Her care was driven by what she wanted.
When Ms Bell was asked if Ms Beasy would like to talk in her room she directed the question to her, it was her choice, it was what she wanted after all.