A new $14 million development offering residential aged care and retirement village amenities has been opened by The Selwyn Foundation at Selwyn Oaks village in Papakura.
The three-storey Lees Centre offers fully serviced residential aged care suites within an innovative ‘household’ setting, as well as an extensive range of leisure amenities for residents.
The 48 care suites in the Lees Centre have been developed according to the ‘household’ layout, which is a new concept in the provision of residential aged care in New Zealand and based on international best practice. By having four small communities or ‘households’ of twelve residents, the care suites provide an environment where people who live there have a real sense of belonging and feel truly at home.
Each ‘household’ functions like a home, where residents have their own room with ensuite and share a spacious lounge with open-plan dining and kitchen area, leading to a large outdoor deck and seating.
Village Manager, Roland Phillips, says: “The layout is designed to support our new way of delivering care. Our unique ‘care partnership’ approach provides holistic care planning focussed on all aspects of a person’s wellbeing. The interior plan and the accessibility features promote people’s independence, and a new way of working for our staff reflects the importance we place on the whole person and their overall wellbeing, and will enable residents to continue to take charge of their own lives, be empowered and heard by all their care partners.”
The Selwyn Foundation is the first provider in New Zealand to offer a new participatory style of hospital-level care – one that’s based totally around residents’ individual needs and what they want out of life.
“We’ve developed this following a review of the most innovative thinking in residential aged care provision and service delivery, and then created our own unique version. In the Selwyn model, our residents direct us on what’s important for them, with our care team then formulating a personal and tailored care plan based on the person’s individual needs. The care team has a guiding role and will support the resident to make the best decisions about their own wellbeing and lifestyle within the care home,” Roland says.*
The care suites are located on the first and second floors of the Lees Centre, which also comprises a social hub on the ground floor for the whole village to enjoy.
“During the planning stage, we discussed with our residents what suggestions they had for the new building, so they could input into the process and contribute ideas on what they would like to see in terms of the community leisure and social amenities on the ground floor.
