Ageing population pressures prompt Waroona facility expansion

The Shire of Waroona has an estimated 4,000 residents, with more than 800 people over 65 years old – a proportion much higher than the state average.

In Western Australia, 14 per cent of the population are 65 or older, compared to 20 per cent in the Shire of Waroona, according to 2016 Australian Bureau of Statistics data. 

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Waroona Shire president and Quambie Park Aged Care Facility chairman Mike Walmsley said the demand for aged care services was increasing.

“We now have a waiting list, which has not always been the case,” he said.

“People are staying home longer and they need higher care.

“We have over 100 staff, 47 people in the high-care hostel and service 45 clients in their homes.

“This is the only one facility in Waroona.”

Mr Walmsley said the building extension would include independent living units and a community area. 

“It’s a lower care facility, before they need more assistance,” he said.

Mr Walmsley said the aged care industry was “tough”, especially for a not-for-profit organisation.

“Some of the stories that are coming out in the news at the moment are a product of funding cuts,” he said. 

“There are some horror stories because there are no mandatory staffing numbers around aged care.

“When you cut staff, you cut care.

“Because we’re not-for-profit, we’d rather keep our carer-patient ratio high. 

“It comes as a cost, but its a commitment we’d rather have.”

Mr Walmsley said the Quambie Park, which opened more than 30 years ago, had grown into a “huge complex”.

“Independent aged care facilities are harder to come by in the state, they are being taken over by larger providers,” he said. 

“It’s like a community looking after a community, it is really special.”