Residents will soon be moved out of Schofield Supported Residential Service.
By Kath Gannaway
CONFIRMATION that Schofield Supported Residential Service in Healesville will close in December has highlighted the difficulties of relocating the elderly and others with physical and mental health needs when high risk days are declared.
Eric and Clare Bell reluctantly announced to their 21 residents and their families in October that they would close.
Schofield is the only pension level supported residential service in Yarra Ranges and the Eric and Clare Bell and their staff have taken care of its residents for almost eight years. The facility has been in the Bell family for 30 years.
It is a low-care residential facility whose residents, aged from 34 to 89, were bused out of Healesville last year during the February fires in what Mrs Bell said was a stressful time for them, their staff and the residents.
They were fortunate that with the help of McKenzie’s Bus Service, they were able to transport the residents, but Mrs Bell says, understandably, McKenzie’s cannot guarantee transport should the need arise on one or more occasions this summer.
“Bushfire policy advises that unless a decision has been made to stay and defend, people must leave their properties well in advance on a high risk day,” Mr and Mrs Bell advised the residents.
Staying is not an option and the stress and disruption of relocating is not a good option either for many of the residents.
Mrs Bell said the business could not sustain the cost of hiring or buying and maintaining evacuation transport.
“Even if we bought a bus, we have nowhere to take people,” she said.
“It is hard to look after everyone here on a day of extreme heat – our older residents suffer immensely, let alone putting them on a bus with nowhere to go and rest,” she said.
A residential care worker the Mail spoke with who does not wish to be named, said the issues faced by residents of Schofield and by Mr and Mrs Bell were the tip of the iceberg with several hostel and high-level aged care facilities in the bushfire prone areas of the shire which face the same dilemmas.
Alison Cran, the Shire of Yarra Ranges’ director of social and economic development has been deployed as municipal recovery manager to address issues around the coming fire season.
She says while the Department of Human Services was working with places such as nursing homes and hostels, there were also 1700 people across the shire, not all in high risk areas – who receive Home and Community Care (HACC) services through the shire.
The focus of HACC is the frail elderly and people with a disability who need support with their daily activities.
Ms Cran said a project worker had been appointed to raise awareness among the HACC clients and was speaking with senior citizens and other such groups to encourage older people to have plans in place.
“As much as possible we would like to encourage people to talk with their neighbours and consider them if they are leaving during the day,” Ms Cran said.
She said there were no plans for relocation centres at this stage.
“It would be very difficult if we are looking at a number of potential fire ban days,” she said.
“It’s an issue we are seriously looking at in terms of a solution, but we can’t provide overnight accommodation for everybody, it’s simply not possible, so we do need people to think about their plans, and their solutions.”
The Department of Human Services was unable to provide information in regard to the Mail’s inquiries before deadline.
