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  • NewDirection Care's "Micro Town" exhibits new approach to aged care

    • NewDirection Care's "Micro Town" exhibits new approach to aged care

    NewDirection Care (NDC) is showing off its “MicroTown” model for aged care at Bellmere, Queensland, saying it offers resident-focused, lifestyle-oriented care.

    NDC Bellmere features 17 houses in an integrated community with shops, café, cinema, barber, salon, and wellness centre.

    According to CEO and founder Natasha Chadwick, it represents a radical departure from “institutional buildings filled with dozens of patients”.

    “It is a place where residents can enjoy fulfilling and happy lives beyond diagnosis – socialising, staying active, pursuing hobbies and continuing to play a role in the community, creating a world that is close to normality. It is the way forward for our elderly and those living with dementia,” she said.

    Natasha says that Bellmere is built around the values of individuality, community, relationships, respect and empathy.

    “At Bellmere, we challenge the institutional model of traditional aged care and focus on enabling residents to live their lives as closely as possible to what they have experienced in their own homes, with the necessary supports to ensure their care needs are met."

    “This means that residents live in homes according to their lifestyle, not their diagnosis, and are supported to be as independent as possible,” she said.

    Additionally, care staff are trained differently, and function as what NDC describes as “House Companions”.

    “Each house companion is fully trained in dementia essentials, medication administration, manual handling, first aid, personal care, nutrition, cooking, cleaning, laundry, food safety, customer service and more.

    “This ensures that each resident lives as normal a life as possible. The NewDirection Care model is focused on meeting each individual resident’s needs. The result is a new model of care that is set to change the way societies look after the elderly and people living with dementia,” said Natasha.

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    A special thanks to our contributors

    Icons
    Caroline Egan

    DCM Media, agedcare101

    Caroline has a wealth of experience writing within the retirement and aged care sector and is a contributing journalist for the Villages.com.au and agedcare101 blog and accompanying newsletters.

    Read Profile
    Icons
    Ian Horswill

    Journalist

    Ian is a journalist, writer and sub-editor for the aged care sector, working at The DCM Group. He writes for The Weekly Source, agedcare101, villages.com.au and the DCM Institute fortnightly newsletter Friday. Ian is in daily contact with CEOs of retirement living, land lease and the aged care operations and makes a new contact every week. He investigates media releases, LinkedIn and Facebook for a good source for ideas for stories.

    Read Profile
    Icons
    Lauren Broomham

    Retirement and Aged Care Journalist

    Lauren is a journalist for villages.com.au, agedcare101 and The Donaldson Sisters. Growing up in a big family in small town communities, she has always had a love for the written word, joining her local library at the age of six months. With over eight years' experience in writing and editing, she is a keen follower of news and current affairs with a nose for a good story.

    Read Profile
    Icons
    Jill Donaldson

    Physiotherapist

    Jill has been practicing as a clinical physiotherapist for 30 years. For the last 13 years she has worked solely in the Aged Care sector in more than 50 metropolitan and regional facilities. Jill has also toured care facilities in the US and Africa and is a passionate advocate for both the residents in aged care and the staff who care for them. She researches and writes for DCM Media.

    Read Profile
    Icons
    Chris Baynes

    DCM Media, agedcare101

    Chris has been a journalist and publisher in the retirement village and aged care sectors for 11 years. He has visited over 250 retirement villages and 50 aged care facilities both within Australia and internationally. Chris is a regular speaker at industry conferences plus is a frequent radio commentator.

    Read Profile
    Icons
    Annie Donaldson

    Nurse and Carer

    Annie has a long career in both nursing and the media. She has planned and co-ordinated the medical support from both international TV productions and major stadium events. In recent years she has been a primary family carer plus involved in structured carer support.

    Read Profile
    Icons
    Caroline Egan

    DCM Media, agedcare101

    Caroline has a wealth of experience writing within the retirement and aged care sector and is a contributing journalist for the Villages.com.au and agedcare101 blog and accompanying newsletters.

    Read Profile
    Icons
    Ian Horswill

    Journalist

    Ian is a journalist, writer and sub-editor for the aged care sector, working at The DCM Group. He writes for The Weekly Source, agedcare101, villages.com.au and the DCM Institute fortnightly newsletter Friday. Ian is in daily contact with CEOs of retirement living, land lease and the aged care operations and makes a new contact every week. He investigates media releases, LinkedIn and Facebook for a good source for ideas for stories.

    Read Profile
    Icons
    Lauren Broomham

    Retirement and Aged Care Journalist

    Lauren is a journalist for villages.com.au, agedcare101 and The Donaldson Sisters. Growing up in a big family in small town communities, she has always had a love for the written word, joining her local library at the age of six months. With over eight years' experience in writing and editing, she is a keen follower of news and current affairs with a nose for a good story.

    Read Profile
    Icons
    Jill Donaldson

    Physiotherapist

    Jill has been practicing as a clinical physiotherapist for 30 years. For the last 13 years she has worked solely in the Aged Care sector in more than 50 metropolitan and regional facilities. Jill has also toured care facilities in the US and Africa and is a passionate advocate for both the residents in aged care and the staff who care for them. She researches and writes for DCM Media.

    Read Profile
    Icons
    Chris Baynes

    DCM Media, agedcare101

    Chris has been a journalist and publisher in the retirement village and aged care sectors for 11 years. He has visited over 250 retirement villages and 50 aged care facilities both within Australia and internationally. Chris is a regular speaker at industry conferences plus is a frequent radio commentator.

    Read Profile
    Icons
    Annie Donaldson

    Nurse and Carer

    Annie has a long career in both nursing and the media. She has planned and co-ordinated the medical support from both international TV productions and major stadium events. In recent years she has been a primary family carer plus involved in structured carer support.

    Read Profile