WITH an active ageing community in the Redlands a new state of the art ageing centre could be on the cards.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
Redlands Mayor Karen Williams said she hoped to work with private and public partners to deliver an ageing centre of excellence in the area.
She said with a vibrant ageing community and strong economic opportunity from the health and social services sector she had formed a partnership to deliver what would be a national first.
The project would provide a centralised facility for service providers, seniors groups and health professionals, providing a one-stop shop for local seniors to receive the support they need.
"This is an exciting project that would deliver not only for our local seniors but also local businesses and employees," Cr Williams said.
"I have been working on this concept for the past three years after discussing international education opportunities in the aged care sector while in Japan in 2017.
"It was during those discussions that I became convinced such a facility would deliver benefits in the Redlands and I have been out and about speaking with service providers and local businesses to develop a partnership to take the project forward," she said.
According to Cr Williams, by 2041 the number of people aged 65 and over is expected to almost double and make up almost 30 percent of the local population.
"So it is incumbent on us as a community to lay the foundations to support those seniors and this project will do just that. It will provide real economic opportunity with the health and social services sector being one of our fastest growing economies," she said.
Cr Williams said health care and social assistance was the city's largest and fastest growing sectors, generating almost 3000 new jobs in the last 10 years and she hoped this facility would help train aged care workers and medical professionals.
"I have discussed the possibility of this facility training international students through a partnership with a university, providing an opportunity for cultural exchanges and higher education," she said.
Cr Williams said she would work with local service providers, councillors and other levels of government to make this project a reality.
"We are already seen as a location of choice for seniors and this project has the potential for us to become an international leader in ageing," she said.
