Staff, residents and their families were welcomed to the newly rebranded Uniting Berrigan aged care facility with a special ‘Purple Shirt Day’ last week.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The day recognised and celebrated welcoming the former Amaroo Aged Care facility into the Uniting family late last year.
Jane Nolan, the Uniting head of seniors services for ACT and West NSW, said the celebration was a huge success with more than 100 people joining in the festivities.
“We’re really proud to see that the community is whole-heartedly supporting the transition of its residential aged care, retirement living and home and community care services into Uniting’s care,” Ms Nolan said.
“We took the decision to invest in these aged care services to ensure people are able to remain in their local community, and to evolve and enhance the presence and deep legacy that Amaroo Aged Care has established.”
Amaroo Auxiliary secretary Robin Cobb said the ‘Purple Shirt Day’ was a special celebration for the entire community after many were concerned about the facility’s future last year.
“Uniting coming to Berrigan and investing in our wonderful aged care facility has been a positive and welcome event for our town.
“It felt as though the whole community breathed a collective sigh of relief, smiles and happy faces returned to the locals and people have been animated when discussing the future.
“Within the aged care facility the air has changed and the residents are feeling secure and know that they are the focus of the whole staff; they seem to be enjoying their life there and have been enjoying many new experiences,” Ms Cobb said.
Ms Nolan said she believes Uniting is a good fit for the Berrigan community due to its long standing regional and rural experience in residential and home and community care across NSW and the ACT and an understanding of the importance of working with local people and valuing the experience of existing employees.