EAST Albury aged hostel Borella House will expand its number of beds under a $4.5 million redevelopment.
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The project is now out for tender, with construction expected to start by the end of March.
It has come about following the Commonwealth’s agreement to licence the facility to increase its bed numbers from 42 to 64.
A crucial part of the development though is the ability to offer high-care beds, which will stop people having to move elsewhere when they become frail.
Borella House is run by Living Care — part of Churches of Christ NSW — and provides aged care throughout metropolitan and regional NSW.
Executive director Graham Reed said Living Care had been conscious “for a number of years” of Borella House’s “predicament as a low-care facility”.
“That basically meant we have not been able to care appropriately for people when they get into a higher level of frailty,” he said.
Mr Reed said the present building was designed along the lines of older-type hostels with smaller rooms, which left no room for the manouvering of equipment.
He said the project would involve refurbishing some of the existing rooms and adding new ones, with some parts of the facility to be demolished.
“They will all be single rooms and ensuites, Mr Reed said.”
He said Living Care had spent “quite a bit of money” on Borella House over the years.
But it had come to the point where a major investment was needed to extend the facility’s life by another 30 years.
“Borella House is going to have a fresh new feel and obviously have the ability for people to age.
“That means they won’t have to move elsewhere for high-level care, which is really significant for families knowing that the staff they get used to can care for people with increasing frailty.”
The federal government allocated Living Care the 22 high-care bed licences for Borella House in its most recent aged care approvals round on July 5.
Living Care is confident the successful tenderer will be chosen before the end of the year, with a start to construction in the first quarter of next year.
Mr Reed said the project would take at least 12 months to complete.
“We want to do it in a way that means we’re not going to empty the facility,” he said.