Dear OneCare Family,
The owner and operator of Barossa Park aged care village at Glenorchy, OneCare, is to repurpose its loss-making pool facility, which ceased operating 18 months ago, into a community hub for residents.
OneCare CEO, Peter Williams, today invited residents of Barossa Park, including those living in Independent Living Units, to become involved in helping to determine some of the final components of the community hub.
Work on the new facility, which is being designed by Hobart-based Cykel Architecture, is expected to start early 2022 with the intention of opening the community hub later that year.
Repurposing the disused pool facility, which closed at the start of the COVID pandemic, will not only provide a practical, functioning facility for Barossa Park residents, it will deliver major financial savings for OneCare that can be redirected into maintaining and improving its aged care services.
Peter Williams said the pool facility imposed a financial burden on OneCare which it could no longer afford to carry.
“We understand the decision may disappoint a number of people, but we hope they will appreciate we have no option. The financial cost involved in maintaining the pool facility is simply beyond our capacity,” Mr. Williams said.
“The importance of responsible financial management is exemplified by figures released in January this year that show 52% of aged care providers in Australia are losing money,” Mr. Williams said. “In that context, OneCare must not be distracted from its core purpose, which is the provision of quality aged care services.”
You can see above an artist’s impression of the initial hub design idea.
