Nursing home anger

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
RESIDENTS, staff and families have voiced their disgust at plans to close down Warburton’s nursing home with no community consultation, despite its long and prosperous history in the valley.
After gathering at the Redwood Centre at 7.30pm on Thursday 7 April, they were told AdventCare’s representative only wanted to meet with the Seventh Day Adventist Church board members, and not the community.
Pastor Richard Araya-Bishop told the room of 83 residents, their families and concerned community members that the church did not agree with the decision made to close the facility.
“We as a church have sent to administration a statement that we will do whatever it takes to keep this place open, and we will put all our energy into a positive outcome,” he said to strong applause.
Community members spoke about their long-term happiness and recent “distressing” dealings with the AdventCare management.
They believe not enough has been done to promote the retirement home and said the church should have more input in admissions.
“When I first came it was overflowing, fully booked and people were extremely happy,” one man said.
“Some people have passed on but no efforts have been made to fill those spots.”
He said it had been “painfully obvious” in the last six months that the aim was to close the home.
Family members spoke about the pressure they felt, being told that if they didn’t move their loved ones to Yarra Junction now, they might miss out on a bed later on.
Staff echoed that pressure and admitted letters had already been sent asking them to take redundancy packages.
They also questioned the ability to re-locate to Yarra Junction, when there were currently 60 staff at Warburton and only six full-time positions available at Yarra Junction’s AdventCare Yarra Valley.
Residents themselves felt as though they were being “shoved out”.
“We’re told over and over this is your home, this is where you live,” one man said.
Another man said “the quicker we get off our tails and fill it, the happier people will be.”
Community members also spoke about the effect on the non-Adventist community, where local businesses in town such as the pharmacy could be adversely affected by the closure.
In the coming weeks the Mail will be talking to the different groups involved, and will report on the Adventist Church board’s position in next week’s paper.