Local residential and community aged care provider Juniper has successfully secured a $350,000 Commonwealth grant to help deliver much needed additional accommodation and services in Wyndham.

“Regional Western Australia, particularly the Kimberley, is an area of great need for quality aged care services and we’re very grateful to receive grant funding that will go a long way to establish staff housing for the Juniper Marlgu service,” Juniper Chief Executive Officer Mr Chris Hall said.

“By creating improved accommodation for staff we are supporting a sustainable workforce and providing more opportunities for aged care services into the future.

“We are working closely with staff, residents and clients to maximise the grant funding to bring about great results for all involved.”

“This exciting development is part of a range of new and expanded services Juniper is developing in the Kimberley,” he said.

Juniper is delivering significant projects to regional WA to boost care services, community capacity and career opportunities in aged care with a focus on delivering to older Aboriginal people and families, including:

• Opening the modern Juniper Gerdewoonem residential aged care and community care service in Kununurra in June 2018.
• New staff accommodation completed in Derby for Juniper Numbala Nunga and Juniper Ngamang Bawoona.
• New staff accommodation and improvements including a new veranda and landscaping at Juniper Guwadi Ngadu in Fitzroy Crossing are currently being planned.

Mr Hall said with each project Juniper takes every opportunity to engage local suppliers and businesses to maximise benefits for the community.

This Aged Care Regional, Rural and Remote Infrastructure Grant activity received grant funding from the Australian Government.

Project planning for Wyndham has commenced and an agreement with the Commonwealth will be finalised shortly.

Background

A Commonwealth Department of Health approved grant of $350,031 will enable Juniper to create new staff accommodation and addition of a storeroom for Juniper Marlgu.

The service at Wyndham originally commenced in 1991 with Home and Community Care (now CHSP) provided by the Wyndham Aged and Disabled Service. In August 1998 the service co-located with Frontier Services at Marlgu Village and Juniper began operating both residential community aged care from July 2014.

Juniper Marlgu has nine approved residential aged care places and operates community care services from the centre.

On 1 July 2014 Juniper assumed operation of Uniting Church aged care services in Wyndham, Kununurra and Derby and the following year, Fitzroy Crossing, giving the organisation one of the largest care footprints in the nation.