Northampton shire approves funding for Kalbarri Development Association to boost local aged care services

A home support project aimed at helping elderly residents live in Kalbarri for longer will be funded by the Shire of Northampton to enhance community wellbeing. The council voted to support a Kalbarri Development Association (KDA) project to improve access to aged care in Kalbarri. Over two years, $50,000 will be put towards Kalbarri Staying in Place, a new initiative in the aged care space which aims to keep seniors in Kalbarri for longer. The project aims to bounce off existing models that are a success in other communities, targeting clients with access to Commonwealth home care packages. Aged services in Kalbarri are limited to a Western Australian Country Health Service (WACHS) Community Home Support Program, and the KDA project will extend beyond those services. Concerns about the new initiative impacting the existing WACHS program were raised, noting it could affect the sustainability or willingness to provide the program, but councillors were encouraged to instead look towards the benefits it could deliver to Kalbarri. Shire president Liz Sudlow said 27 per cent of the population in Kalbarri was over 65 and there were potentially about 400 people who would qualify for aged care services. “People will get to a certain age and their needs might no longer be met in Kalbarri, and this program is trying to prolong that,” she said. “It’s an attempt to assist them with attending doctors’ appointments, getting their shopping done and completing maintenance work around the home. “ Aligning with the shire’s strategy to support health services, $25,000 will be funded over the next two years using the shire’s health services reserve. Finer details of the proposal are not available to the public.