Home gets facelift

By Dion Teasdale
HOLMWOOD Private Nursing Home in Healesville has been providing high level aged care in the Yarra Valley for most of the past 30 years.
The nursing home is currently undergoing renovations and stage one of improvements to the facility have been completed.
The home has added a new wing of shared accommodation suites, all with en suites, increasing the capacity of the home from 30 residents to 45.
The new wing also provides the home with a second resident’s lounge room, which features two walls of windows looking out onto the rear garden, and a secure sun-filled central courtyard.
The corridors of the new wing also feature skylights, bringing more natural light inside.
In addition to the building improvements, the activities programs at the nursing home have also been increased.
The activities program now runs seven days a week under the direction of a dedicated team, which includes a diversional therapist, an activity assistant and a co-ordinated team of volunteers.
Holmwood’s quality co-ordinator, Emmaly Roberts, said the renovations and program improvements were all about maintaining a high level of professional and compassionate care.
“This is a very exciting time at Holmwood with so many changes and improvements being put in place,” she said.
“The home has a solid record of providing first rate permanent and respite aged care and everyone here is committed to continuing this.
“Some of our nurses have been working at Holmwood since it was built in 1979 and have been part of the changes and growth of Holmwood, together with our growing nursing care team.”
Mrs Roberts said the home’s 50 staff pride themselves on offering a holistic approach to aged care.
“We have created a relaxed, supportive homelike environment, but we never cut corners and we continually strive to achieve accreditation in all areas,” she said.
“We believe in implementing continuous improvements which support the aged care agency standards and help us meet the expectations of our residents and their relatives.”
Mrs Roberts said Holmwood offered local families the opportunity to accommodate aged family members close to their homes.
“We are lucky to have this top quality service locally. It is convenient for families living in the Yarra Valley to be able to make use of the home and its services,” she said.