Multi-million dollar retirement extension announced as tied-winner for innovation

Presented at the ACS Awards for Excellence Dinner of Friday June 23 at the National Wine Centre in Adelaide, the award recognises new and renovated buildings, which are ‘innovative’ in providing appropriate accommodation or housing for older Australians. Building’s and renovations just like the Southern Cross Care (SA & NT)’s Dinah extension.

The Dinah extension will see a further 20 new bedrooms added to the existing 65 bed facility and will include a dedicated, fit for purpose, memory support unit.

Southern Cross Care (SA & NT)’s Chief Executive Officer David Moran says he is proud of the extension.

“We made the decision to expand the building using recognised Design for Dementia principles to provide an improved environment for residents to feel comfortable and familiar with a home-like environment,” he says.

The facility did have an existing and operational memory support unit, however no particular dementia friendly design initiatives had previously existed at the site.

The decision from Southern Cross Care (SA & NT) to expand the building using recognised Design for Dementia principles came from wanting to provide an improved environment for residents to feel comfortable and familiar with a home-like atmosphere. It was this that led to the creation of many unique features including coloured doors and laminates to assist residents to identify their own rooms easily, from outside and within.

Other features of the extension include the use of illuminated memory boxes near each bedroom door to enable residents to display important personal belongings, personalise their own room and doorway and vibrant lounge-dining space using colour to assist residents in their navigation of the space.