Amaroo is saved

Announced Wednesday last week, the transition of services took place on Friday.

The news has been welcomed by the local community, including the Berrigan and District Aged Care Association Ltd board.

Its cahir Matt Hansen said the committee was “delighted” to hear that Uniting Care have purchased the entire business - the Amaroo residential aged care facility, the independent living units and the home care services.

“The board had three main aims in this process - to ensure our clients maintained access to quality care, that our staff’s jobs and entitlements were protected and that Berrigan residents would retain access to a facility where they could age in place.

“Uniting Care are a well resourced and well respected provider of aged care services and we are confident that Amaroo will thrive under their direction.

“We understand that the administration process has been stressful for all involved and we thank the residents, staff, clients, volunteers and suppliers for their patience and support.”

The announcement has also been welcomed by the Berrigan Amaroo Auxiliary - a volunteer group which fundraises on behalf of the facility to provide equipment for the comfort of residents and staff.

“We think it is a wonderful way forward, and the auxiliary looks forward to working with Uniting Aged Care,” the auxiliary’s publicity officer Marion Dickins said.

“The auxiliary is happy with the outcome, and we will continue to support the organisation to continue meeting the needs of its residents.”

The Amaroo facility has 27 independent living villas and a 30 bed hostel, and provides Meals on Wheels services in the Southern Riverina and Deniliquin.

It went into receivership in July after it was revealed it owed $1.2 million to creditors.

Uniting has said it would make “every effort to ensure existing staff are transferred seamlessly and current agreements are honoured with both residents and clients”.

Uniting director of seniors services Saviour Buhagiar said Uniting is committed to providing quality care to older people living in regional communities.

“By investing in these services, our aim is to support people who wish to remain in their local community, and to evolve and enhance the presence and deep legacy that Amaroo Aged Care has established,” Mr Buhagiar said.

“We believe Uniting is a good fit for the Berrigan community.

“We have longstanding regional and rural experience in residential and home and community care across New South Wales and the ACT and we understand the importance of working with local people and value the experience of existing employees.

“We also welcome and acknowledge the loyalty and support of the 62 volunteers who are such an important part of the service and hope all will continue to stay on in helping to deliver the best possible care to our residents and clients.”

Mr Buhagiar said the aged care sector is going through significant reform to improve quality and safety outcomes for residents.

While this process is important, he says it is increasingly difficult for smaller providers to cover their costs while meeting their obligations.

“The benefit of being part of a bigger organisation like Uniting is that many of those responsibilities are shared across many services, giving our people more time to spend with residents and clients doing the things they love.

“Uniting has been a key player in aged care for many decades and we hope to continue in that role for many more.

“Our intent is to fulfil our mission in communities where we can make a positive impact on the lives of older Australians.

“The opportunity to deliver on this intention for the Berrigan community was one we did not want to pass up despite the current challenges of workforce and sustainability for us and the sector.”