Staying in Place
The Pingelly Somerset Alliance Inc is creating the Pingelly Virtual Village so residents will have the choice to remain living at home, in the community they love and identify with, amongst family and neighbours that look out for them with access to the services they require until end of life.
They will no longer need to worry about being lonely, frail and becoming dependent on care and support (even to a nursing home level of service), having a disability, or becoming isolated if they choose to stay living at home in Pingelly and surrounding districts.
98% of surveyed residents who intend to retire in Pingelly said this is what they wanted.
The business case is completed, the cost benefit analysis shows an extremely strong return on investment, widespread support has been given and the PSA are now seeking Commonwealth and State funding to develop and pilot the Pingelly Virtual Village over three years.
This sustainable, cost-effective solution will enable people to live a quality life in their community and be supported and connected until end of life.
Areas to be serviced by the project are those within the postcodes 6308 (Pingelly and Wandering), 6370 (Wickepin), 6309 (Popanyinning) and 6311 (Cuballing).
This project will include a thorough evaluation by the University of Western Australia to ensure that the model can roll-out across other locations.
The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety Research Paper 3, entitled Review of Innovative Models of Aged Care highlights the key features and examples of the innovative models in community-based care that are needed in Australia’s aged care system. Almost every key feature is built into this proposed model.
Staying in Place is not so much about building buildings – it is more about building on existing infrastructure and services to better utilise these and the existing networks and informal connections within the community. It will build community capacity and put the technology and framework in place for Pingelly Virtual Village to support all members of the community to remain in Pingelly and to be connected, cared for and involved. The project will enable elderly residents and residents with disability living in Pingelly and surrounding districts to enjoy an enriched quality of life and remain in their own homes until end of life.
The Pingelly Virtual Village will create a concierge service, which will strongly advocate for members, promote healthy ageing and enriched quality of life across the ages and be a hub of information for aged and disabled people in the area. This concierge service will act like the centre manager for a lifestyle village; it will promote and support village activities, introduce intra-village support systems, contain the knowledge about the various services available and help to connect people to the services, infrastructure or people that they need to be connected to in order to support them. People will pay a small membership fee to be part of the ‘village’ and this will provide them with one central place that will assist them to stay healthy and connected to events and people in the community.
The Pingelly Virtual Village will seek a broad membership of people that will involve the whole community – men, women and children in various forms of membership, in keeping with the concept of needing a whole village to keep people safe and secure in their own homes if they become frail or dependent on support.