Business View Australia

Business View Australia - April 2015 41

ing, dressing and taking medication. Resthaven

encourages residents to be independent and pro-

vides assistance only for those activities which the

older person cannot conduct unaided.

•Independent living – These are living units for

older people who are capable of maintaining an

independent lifestyle. Residents of these units

are welcome to use the communal facilities and

participate in social activities and programs. While

residents have a lifetime right to occupy the unit, it

is not owned by them. After they cease to use it, the

unit will revert to Resthaven. Older people whose

needs for care increase over the years may opt to

switch to Residential Care.

•Respite and support for carers – The purpose

of this facility is to support carers of older people to

have a planned rest or break. Resthaven provides

planned or emergency respite for carers at their

homes or in a community setting. The specific

needs of the carer are addressed and there are a

number of different options available.

Eligibility to Resthaven’s facilities are subject to an

Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) approval. Individ-

uals may avail of Resthaven’s services without follow-

ing this process by paying the prescribed fee for the

required service. Those opting for the ACAT route are

required to have their individual needs assessed by a

team comprising geriatricians, social workers and oth-

er heath professionals.

Resthaven endeavours to improve the quality of life

of the older people it caters to. An important way in

which it accomplishes this is by developing an activ-

ity program for each resident. When an older person

first moves to Resthaven he is interviewed by the staff