New culturally sensitive aged care home to open in Nhulunbuy, NT
A new aged care home designed hand-in-hand with Yolngu leaders – the first of its kind in Australia – is nearing completion at Nhulunbuy in East Arnhem Land, NT.
The $30 million, 32-bed home will be run by Rirratjingu Aboriginal Corporation with help from UnitingCare’s Australian Regional and Remote Community Services (ARRCS), and is slated to open in October; it will include culturally-appropriate features such as a bunngul (ceremony) ground, to be used when a resident passes away.
Terese Marchesi, from Australian Regional and Remote Community Services, is the project manager for the home, and told the ABC that Yolngu people have led the project from “start to finish”.
“They’ve been involved with absolutely every aspect, from the build through to the landscaping – choosing colours, providing art, providing guidance, working on menu planning.
“Everything you can imagine that becomes part of building and operating a facility like this, we’ve had Yolngu people at the heart of it,” she said.
The first residents will be eight Yolngu elders currently living in residential care in Darwin due to the lack of facilities in East Arnhem Land.
