Terang explores future of aged care at community forum in wake of May Noonan closure

A community working group will be established to explore the future of aged care and a business case will be developed to determine the Terang district's needs, following a community forum in the town on Wednesday night.

It came amid calls for Lyndoch Living to return any May Noonan centre sale proceeds to the Terang community for future aged care provision.

There was also a motion moved to create a steering group to liaise with the Terang & Mortlake Health Service board to build a case and advocate to government for funds to extend Terang's Mount View Aged Care Facility to 50 beds.

More than 200 people attended the future of aged care in Terang forum at the civic centre, many of them older residents, as 70 people watched via a live stream.

The Terang Progress Association organised the forum in response to Lyndoch Living's announcement it would close the May Noonan aged care facility on July 12.

It was revealed in an open letter from the Lyndoch Living board and management the final four residents from May Noonan had been relocated as of Wednesday, July 5.

While various people expressed their anger, disappointment and dismay at the "shock closure" of May Noonan aged care, forum attendees' focus was looking forward and what the community could do to preserve aged care provision in Terang.

Corangamite Shire councillor Jo Beard led the forum and set the tone for the evening.

"Certainly not forgetting there is, and has been, significant emotion surrounding the sudden closure of the May Noonan Centre here in Terang, but we are all here together," Cr Beard said. "It's OK to share emotion but we need to remember to take steps forward."

Panellists included Member for Wannon Dan Tehan, Corangamite Shire deputy mayor Geraldine Conheady, Terang & Mortlake Health Service CEO Julia Ogdin and Terang & District Progress Association president Ken McSween.

Also in attendance were Amiee Chambers from the Department of Health and Aged Care and Warrnambool's Chris Pye from St Vincent de Paul, with the charity involved in establishing May Noonan in the 70s.

Mr Tehan said it was an incredibly disappointing situation but he was buoyed by the fact there was strong interest from other local providers wanting to operate in Terang.

He said he was committed to seeing aged care services continue and the community had to work together to determine what form it would take.

"None of us want to be where we are and I think all of us are disappointed about where we ended up, but what we've now got to do is to turn that around and make sure we can continue to provide those services to our elderly in this community and that's what I'm working on," Mr Tehan said.

"The Terang community is obviously incredibly disappointed but incredibly determined that aged care service provision will remain in the community. I support them with that and look forward to working with them to help them achieve that aim.

"I congratulate them on the way they are making sure the disappointment does not stand in the way of getting the outcome the community wants."

Chris O'Connor, who is a member of the Terang Aged Care Trust, called for Lyndoch Living to return any future funds raised from the sale of May Noonan to be spent in Terang on aged care and returned to the community, which helped fund-raise to build the facility.

"If Lyndoch wants to regain respect and rebuild the social capital they have lost in the past few years then they should announce immediately that any funds raised from the sale of May Noonan should be passed back to the Terang community for the provision of aged care in Terang," he said.

Mr O'Connor moved the motion to create a steering group to extend Mount View Aged Care facility to 50 beds with Mr Tehan saying state and federal governments would have to work together to make it happen.

"We should set up in conjunction with Terang & Mortlake Health Service so that we can work towards putting together a really good solid business case to take forward to government to suggest we still do need high needs aged care aged care in community," he said.

"There's some things we can't do as a small community ... But one thing we can do really really well is have people age in our community and look after them."

Terang & Mortlake Health Service CEO Julia Ogdin said Mount View Aged Care Facility was a 15-bed aged care residential facility and "we all know 15 beds isn't enough."

Ms Ogdin said she was unable to commit to an expansion and there were "funding limitations" with the small rural health service funded by the Victorian government. If it was to expand it would mean working in partnership with the federal government, she said.

"We'd like to (commit) and can see the passion in the room," Ms Ogdin said.

"It's something the board of directors are wanting to explore but at this time we are a 15-bed facility and for the short term that's not something we can change in the near future."

IN OTHER NEWS

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: