A NEW Calare aged care residential facility will be built opposite Orange Health Service on Forest Road.
The aged care division of Lend Lease, operator of the existing Calare aged care home in March Street, has purchased land adjacent to Forest Road for the project.
Plans for the complex will be signed off within the next week with the new model catering for twice the number of residents at the home in March Street.
The new building will have 120 beds and will include state-of-the-art dementia facilities for 21 residents.
Lend Lease aged care general manager Suzanne Petterson said the small shop on Forest Road had also been purchased and would be incorporated into the design of the complex.
Ms Petterson said a development application is expected to be lodged with Orange City Council next month.
“All the stakeholders we have spoken to in Orange are very excited about this project, and we think it is fantastic news for Orange residents,” she said.
She said the traditional four-bed rooms used in existing aged care facilities was a thing of the past.
“We have recognised that people need their privacy and the rooms will be virtually all single but there will be some flexibility with two-bed rooms which can accommodate couples,” she said.
The plan incorporates 50 low-care and 70 high-care beds with 30 of those beds to be allocated to patients with varying levels of dementia.
The complex will include four sections with small and large dining and recreation areas to provide greater choice for residents.
“We have put a great deal of research into recognising that people have varying needs,” Ms Petterson said.
“We want to provide opportunities for our residents to spend time in smaller, quieter areas or to come together in larger groups for entertainment and other events.”
She said the choice of the site was ideal.
“We will be incorporating a great deal of landscaping into the design and there will be wonderful views,” she said.
Other design aspects include a tea garden, barbecue areas, landscaped gardens and a walkway leading to a coffee shop.
“This will be an ideal situation where people can feel they are going for an outing without actually going too far away from the new facility,” Ms Petterson said.
She said Lend Lease planned to hold talks with training providers to address the additional staffing needs of the new expanded service.