WA SENIORS WEEK - $42.5 MILLION AGED CARE FACILITY FOR HALLS CREEK
Image source: Yura Yungi Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation
A $42.5 million investment in a new aged care facility in Halls Creek is expected to transform care for Aboriginal Elders in the East Kimberley, allowing more people to receive specialist support while remaining connected to family, culture and Country.
But Yura Yungi Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation CEO Brenda Garstone says the long-awaited development must be accompanied by greater investment in local workforce training if the community is to fully benefit.
The Federal Government has committed funding for a purpose-built, 40-bed residential aged care home to replace the ageing 28-bed Menkawum Ngurra Elders Residence.
The existing 24 bed facility, which is more than 30 years old, is the only residential aged care service within 350 kilometres of Halls Creek.
Speaking to Ngaarda Media, Ms Garstone welcomed the announcement, describing the new building as a significant step forward for Elders who need specialised care.
"It's a long-awaited project and very much in need, really important for us to have a purpose-built state-of-the-art facility so that our Elders can enjoy a home away from home," she said.
For Aboriginal families in remote communities, accessing aged care can mean difficult decisions about whether loved ones must leave their homes and cultural connections to receive appropriate medical support.
Ms Garstone said the new facility would help address that challenge, particularly for Elders living with dementia, complex medical conditions or requiring palliative care.
"It's very, very important in our culture that our people remain on Country so that they can remain connected to their Country, their family, and their kinship and their community," she said.
"Especially with the Elders who may be experiencing in their last days living with dementia and requiring palliative care, it's so important that they do have quality of life until the end and they stay connected to their community and families."
Yura Yungi has been supporting the residential aged care service since 2016 and currently provides regular GP visits, qualified nurses, personal care assistants and other essential services.
Ms Garstone said the transition from family-based care into residential aged care remained a relatively new concept for some Aboriginal families.
"Most of the time our people will just remain at home and stay with family. And that is the preferred way of caring for our Elders," she said.
"But once they reach some time in their life where they actually need clinical care, that's when it becomes really important."
While the new facility will increase capacity, Ms Garstone warned that attracting and retaining skilled workers remained one of the biggest obstacles to delivering aged care in Halls Creek.
"The biggest challenge is building a local workforce, also attraction and retention of skilled staff," she said.
"Because we are so remote, and we haven't got very great facilities to attract and retain staff with families, qualified staff. That's a big challenge."
She said Yura Yungi was working to strengthen the skills of local residents but needed more support from training providers and other organisations.
Of particular concern was the lack of locally delivered aged care training, despite an established TAFE facility in Halls Creek.
"We have a TAFE centre that's built and located in Halls Creek, but there is no aged care training, formal aged care training being offered on the ground for our local people," Ms Garstone said. "We actually need our own mob looking after our Elders."
The project is being funded through the Commonwealth's Aged Care Capital Assistance Program.
According to Yura Yungi's published project details, community consultation is expected to begin in early 2027, with construction planned for the second half of that year and completion targeted for June 2030.
As the community recognises Aged Care Week, Ms Garstone is encouraging young Aboriginal people to consider careers supporting Elders.
She said aged care should be recognised as skilled and meaningful work that strengthens cultural connections while providing essential support to vulnerable community members.
"I'd like to encourage young people to think about a career in aged care because it is very important work and it's highly valued," she said.
"So it takes skill, it takes patience, it takes kindness."
For Ms Garstone, the investment represents more than a new building. It is an opportunity to strengthen the way Aboriginal Elders are supported, respected and cared for within their own community.
"They still have a lot of wisdom and knowledge to share."