BOMBALA's Currawarna Assisted Living Hostel is set to achieve a milestone of its first dozen residents, which according to board chair Dr Keith Campbell, puts the not for profit facility right on track for a successful future. Dr Campbell, who has overseen the rebranding and reopening of the former nursing home under an innovative new hostel operating model, said he was delighted with the facility's progress in the months since its opening in February. "We currently have 10 residents, with two more to move in shortly and our first inspection from the NSW Housing’s Assisted Boarding House department, gave us 100 per cent," he said. "They said they believed Currawarna was the best boarding house in NSW and said we could use that in advertising . They were delighted with staff, the menus, the cleanliness of the place and other things." Dr Campbell said while a dozen residents may not sound like many, things were progressing at a steady pace and the figures were aligned with CAL's purpose and plan. "It is progressing nicely," he said. "We are always keen to see more residents, of course, but we are proceeding as you would expect. "It is like waiting for your first born child. We would like it to hurry up, but we must wait for the correct paced growth." Dr Campbell said places were available at Currawarna, not only for local people, but for those from throughout the region who might be thinking of taking up hostel accommodation. "Currawarna now has self funded retirees, who look after themselves beautifully on their own resources, along with a a number of pensioners and with government Care At Home packages, plus a number of people from various different financial backgrounds," he said. "The modelling we did is correct. We can accommodate people at Currawarna from various circumstances and because we are a community run organisation that can move quickly, we can do a lot to help them get sorted out so they can come and live here. "We had an elderly gentleman, in a housing crisis, not well off financially, and we were able to set a structure up where he could come into Currawarna and access CAH packages. He is absolutely delighted with where he is now." Such has been Currawarna's success to date, that it has made several appearances on national media in recent weeks. "We have been featured on an ABC podcast and also, on Channel Seven's Sunrise program," Dr Campbell said. "We were able to talk about out fundraising efforts and the the current aged care model which is only working for urban elite and the coastal fringe, not for regional and rural Australia. "In regional areas, people cannot put down a million dollar deposit to go into a home or hostel unless they have been involved in capital growth in housing prices in the cities. The average couple living somewhere like Bombala can not afford to put down the half million dollar deposit required by other facilities. "The second pillar, Care at Home Packages, are totally inefficient where you have to send workerss out on two hour return journeys to deliver care because the staff are not in regional Australia. "That’s why we are bringing people who need the care into a facility like Currawarna, it's not rocket science, but it's economics." Currawarna's goal to become a true community hub had also been realised, Dr Campbell said. "Our day care is going well, where people can come in for a day here and there, to have some convalescent or respite care, or just join in the activities," he said. "One lady who was doing that decided it was so nice, she moved in permanently. "Currawarna also hosted the Cancer Council’s Biggest Morning tea which brought people into the facility for a social activity which included live entertainment, as well as raising money for cancer research."
