Staff and families of residents at Werribee’s South Stone Lodge are ramping up their fight against the psychogeriatric centre’s closure.
As reported by Star Weekly, North Western Mental Health (NWMH), one of the largest publicly funded providers of mental health services in Australia, plans to close the lodge at the end of the year.
It said the 30-bed centre had high vacancy rates and unsustainable financial losses, and its residents, suffering from dementia and other mental health conditions, could be properly cared for in mainstream aged-care facilities with support from community outreach mental health services.
Families and staff disagree, believing many of South Stone Lodge’s residents will not be properly cared for in private nursing homes.
Tarneit Labor MP Tim Pallas has started a petition calling for the centre to remain open.
Mr Pallas said its closure would have a devastating impact on residents and their families and leave 39 staff members anxiously waiting to hear if they would be out of a job before Christmas.
“Already, demand for aged- care services in the west is outstripping supply. Shrinking the public system is only going to make things worse.”
Colleen Lowe is among those campaigning to keep South Stone Lodge open. Ms Lowe’s father Bob Harrison was cared for by the centre’s staff for more than two years. He died earlier this year.
Ms Lowe said she was devastated to learn the centre would close.
“Not only did the staff care for my father, they loved him. He felt comfortable there. He knew the staff and he respected them,” she said. “He received care there that he wouldn’t in a mainstream nursing home.”
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and the Health and Community Services Union said the decision to close South Stone was short-sighted and did not consider the needs of residents. The federation has organised a rally on the steps of State Parliament at 1pm on Tuesday.
North Western Mental Health executive director Ruth Vine said the organisation would help residents transition into alternative accommodation of their choice and help staff find new jobs.
