A $1.5 million grant awarded by the Commonwealth will add to funds Cooinda has already raised allowing for an almost $5 million upgrade.
It will include a new main street, renovated residential accommodation, new communal living spaces and new administration block.
Cooinda board member Colin McDonald said the upgrades were the result of extensive consultation.
“It’s quite important after the Royal Commission that we involve the community and stakeholders,” Mr McDonald said.
Cooinda executive manager building and environment David Morrow said the total budget was in the region of $5 million with up to $4 million of that going on capital works.
“The full amount includes all of our landscaping, furnishings, and other things that don’t come under the capital works,” Mr Morrow said.
The upgrades will be undertaken in two main areas, the first being new facilities for residents, and the second being the creation of a new administrative hub that will include an undercover drop off/pick up point, improved access from Samaria Rd and new disabled parking bays.
An exciting element of the upgrades, from the residents’ perspective will be the creation of a main street.
“That will have a dedicated chapel, and from a resident’s perspective a dedicated chapel is quite an important thing; (a) large activities room that will hold the majority of our residents at one time, a hairdresser, cafe, craft room, and... we’re incorporating a library,” Mr Morrow said.
“All of our admin staff will be housed together, currently they are in different areas across the facility.
“So a lot of convenience, and a lot of improvement there.
“We’ll have a dedicated board room, several meeting rooms, a training room.”
State Member for Euroa Steph Ryan visited Cooinda on Wednesday, December 8, to congratulate Cooinda’s board and chief executive officer Alex Mckenna on their achievement.
“This is a very exciting milestone for Cooinda,” Ms Ryan said.
“This grant is the first time Cooinda has received funding from the Commonwealth to upgrade its buildings.
“Cooinda is to be applauded for the significant investment it is making to undertake this redevelopment.
“Buildings are important but as a community-owned, not-for-profit aged-care provider, Cooinda is successful because its staff are local people who care deeply about the residents they support.”
Ms Ryan said the aged-care sector was facing big challenges, including difficulties in recruiting allied health professionals and increased costs.
“Cooinda prides itself on providing Benalla residents and their families with the highest quality of care,” she said.
“This grant will help deliver some exciting changes, which will not only improve the lives of current residents, but all prospective residents, too.”
Mr Morrow said Cooinda was waiting on final approval for its plans.
“We don’t have a completion date, that is still to be decided upon,” he said.
“We... are awaiting planning approval, which we are expecting to be finalised soon.
“Best-case scenario will be to go to tender in the first quarter of next year, and we would commence the building soon thereafter.”
Ms Ryan said while this was all great news, she would like to see more investment in the sector.
“As more people age and the cost of health care increases, there is growing pressure on aged-care services like Cooinda as they try to maintain high standards of care,” she said.
“Greater investment is needed in aged-care across the board to ensure services like Cooinda can continue to provide a high standard of care to residents for years to come.”
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