CONSTRUCTION is set to start on a $20 million aged care service in East Arnhem Land.
Work on the service in Nhulunbuy is expected to start before the end of the year and be completed in 2021 and will including a facility with 32 ensuite rooms and a palliative unit.
The new aged care service will also provide the option of home-based care.
Minister for aged care and senior Australians, Richard Colbeck, made the announcement on Monday and said delivering aged care services in remote areas is vital "because it is important people are able to age where they have lived, worked and raised their family".
"For Indigenous communities in places like Nhulunbuy it is particularly vital that elders are able to maintain strong connections with country and remain leaders in the local area," he said.
The Nhulunbuy Flexible Aged Care Service was designed in consulatation with local residents, to ensure buildings and outdoor spaces were appropriate for Indigenous cultural activities and customs.
The project is supported by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care (NATSIFAC) Program, which funds organisations to provide culturally appropriate aged care so people can remain close to their homes and communities.
The development of the Nhulunbuy Flexible Aged Care Service is a collaboration between the Commonwealth and Australian Regional and Remote Community Services (ARRCS).
ARRCS Group general manager, Tamra Bridges, said the partnership with the local community would also be important in delivering flexible aged care services in the area.
"We greatly look forward to partnering with local communities to help develop and implement culturally appropriate aged care services in East Arnhem Land and contributing to the improvement of aged care service quality and accessibility for Indigenous Australians," Ms Bridges said.
"A key focus for ARRCS during the development phase will be to build a local skilled workforce from within the Nhulunbuy and East Arnhem Land communities."
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