First Residents relish a place to call their own

by Tina Liptai  as appeared in 'The Standard' 02 March 2010

THE finishing touches are done and the first residents have made themselves at home as Warrnambool's newest aged-care facility opened its doors for the first time.

One of the first residents to be welcomed to Mercy Place was 89-year-old Mavis Hawke. The grandmother of 12 has been a life-long Warrnambool resident and said yesterday's move to Mercy Place felt like a homecoming because her former house was just across the highway. The $18 million aged-care facility is set to eventually be home to 65 residents offering high, low and dementia-specific care. After spending the past few months in hospital, Mrs Hawke said she was pleased to be settling into a room all her own, in a place where she can feel like she belongs. "It's very nice," she said.

An avid gardener, Mrs Hawke said she was looking forward to spending some time in the facility's three internal garden courtyards and meeting more residents as they arrive. Mrs Hawke's daughter Wilma Ormsby and her daughter-in-law Pat Hawke were there to help with the move, bringing along some of her favourite things and family photos. "We're excited for her," Mrs Ormsby said of her mother's move. "It's great here and as long as mum is happy and content - that's our main goal."

Also among the first to be settling in to his new home was 67-year-old Neil Rosser, who flew from Mt Martha to be closer to his two daughters, who live in Warrnambool. Mercy Place's service manager Sheryl Nicolson was busy helping staff get into the swing of their first day while also welcoming new residents with flowers. "It's all pretty exciting, everything is so new," she said.

Ms Nicolson said staff had spent the past two weeks training together and were keen to get started developing a warm and welcoming atmosphere for residents and staff alike. "It's a great opportunity, staff are really excited to be starting from scratch and building together as a team," she said.

The facility employs 44 staff including nurses and carers, administration, maintenance, cleaning and kitchen staff.  She said residents would play a part in determining the culture of the facility, with their suggestions to contribute to the development of a lively activities program including music, art and outings. Ms Nicolson said Mercy Place had a maximum capacity of 65 and new residents would arrive regularly.