St Andrew's Village

St Andrew’s Village is a residential aged care facility established by the Presbyterian Church of St Andrew, Canberra – a church that cares for people. The Village is located on a large block at the corner of Groom and Carruthers Streets, Hughes, in South Canberra. The Curtin and Hughes shops are nearby and Westfield shopping mall at Woden is not far away. Buses pass the Village, giving access to all parts of Canberra.

Established in 1991 on land made available without charge by the ACT Governnment, the Village has grown from an initial 30 Townhouse development to its present mix of Townhouses and a 102 bed Hostel, offering low care accommodation. A new 74 bed low-care Hostel (Stage 4 of the Village) is presently under construction, on land adjacent to the existing facility across de Largie Place, which is expected to be ready to receive its first residents by mid 2009.

The Townhouses are single storey, two or three bedroom units, all with modern facilities including reverse cycle air conditioning and a lock-up garage. The Hostel rooms are spacious, all with en-suite facilities and an outdoor sitting area. The Hostel has two dining rooms and a large community room (the Fullerton Room) as well as numerous smaller lounges and kitchenettes, a “quiet” room for those needing peace and tranquillity, and gardens with outdoor seating.

The Village offers “ageing-in-place” as far as it is possible to do so – that is, while residents are admitted when in need of “low care” they will be able to stay at the Village for as long as their care needs can be met from Village resources and as permitted under the Aged Care Act. (If residents reach a stage of needing very high levels of care, it may be necessary to arrange their transfer to another facility that is staffed and equipped to provide that care.) A limited number of beds are available for respite care.

To be eligible for admission to the Hostel, a person must be classified as in need of residential aged care by an Aged Care Assessment Team, following which their name can be added to the waiting list. When a place becomes available, it is offered in order to those with the highest needs on the waiting list until someone who is ready and able to take up the place is identified. Residents of the Townhouses are automatically added to the waiting list for admission to the Hostel when they can no longer manage their own care needs.

The Village offers a range of activities for its residents, ranging from shopping trips, bus tours to places of interest, visits to cultural institutions and many in-house activities. Our nurses and trained carers are supported by a large group of volunteers, who assist with resident activities. Many of the volunteers are members of the Friends of St Andrew’s Village (formerly the Auxiliary) – which any interested person is invited to join – just contact the Village office for details. The Village has a Chaplain who is available to all residents for spiritual guidance and assistance.

The Village Hostel is fully accredited under the Commonwealth Government’s Aged Care Act and has adopted a Continuous Improvement approach to its operations, to ensure that the care and other services are maintained at the highest possible quality.

For further information on St Andrew’s Village, please contact the Chief Executive Officer Mr Tony Craven, or the Director of Care Ms Corine Jamin, on telephone 6281 4119.