O’Neill House open for respite care and palliative care

14 July 2021

14 Jul 2021

O’Neill House, our new end-of-life and respite home has opened in Prahran. The service will provide 22 beds for people to experience the best available support at their end-of-life, and for families to have a break from caring responsibilities.

Sonya Smart, VMCH CEO says the concept of ‘comfort care’ is important to the organisation, as is excellence in end-of-life and respite care, and the service it provides for families.

“O’Neill House provides support to our residents, and ensures family and friends can maintain their caring role in this comfortable home, in conjunction with our care teams.

“This new service offers people options at this important time of their life, so they can be supported in a home-like environment. We are then able to care for their physical and spiritual wellbeing, as well as ensuring their family and loved ones can spend valuable, quality time together.

“We know that people are entering aged care much later in life, with a number of health concerns. The admission process into mainstream aged care can be very stressful for the older person and their family.

“At VMCH we have taken this information and plan to continue to build on our aged care and end-of-life expertise and quality care, not just at O’Neill House, but across all our residences and, where appropriate, in our other services too.

“Our aim is to ease the burden for our people and their families. We also want to reduce the need for emergency department presentations and deaths during transfers to and from services. We also know that now, especially during these lockdown periods, families need a break. Respite at O’Neill is an important service that we hope many families will access if they need it.”

Ms Smart says O’Neill was designed following extensive research, recognising the importance of the physical environment.

“The surrounds and feelings of comfort has an enormous bearing on the residents as well as on their family, friends and carers,” she says.

“All spaces are designed to be relaxed and welcoming. It is well lit, especially through natural light. The bedrooms are designed to enable families and friends to stay overnight, either within the resident’s room or in a dedicated family apartment.

“The environment provides for privacy as well as areas to support intimate family interactions, larger gatherings and the sharing of meals.

“This building is a sanctuary for our residents, and their families and friends.”

To access O’Neill House, prospective residents must qualify for an aged care assessment and income testing, or provide a full fee for service. For further information about O’Neill House, you can visit our website or contact Sally on 0419 147 380.

Want to find out more?

For further information about O’Neill House, you can visit our website or contact Sally on 0419 147 380.

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Acknowledgement of Country

We here at VMCH respectfully acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which we gather, and we would like to take a moment to honour the fact that we live on the lands of the oldest civilisation in the world. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.