Home refresh for Ellen at Currie Park

Packing boxes may not be the best way to spend afternoons but for Ellen Doyle, she can’t stop smiling even after box number 25.

She is temporarily moving into an apartment at Currie Park while her home for 10-plus years receives a much-needed upgrade thanks to funding from the Danks Trust.

Her independent unit is one of two which is being given a grand make-over and includes a new bathroom, kitchen, the removal of safety hazards and a lick of paint throughout.

“The news about the renovation has been the best I have heard all year,” Ellen said.

“I cannot wait to move back in even though I have not yet moved out,” she added.

She is taking advantage of the move to go through memorabilia and ‘stuff’ which she has amassed over the years.

“It is amazing how much we accumulate and now is as good a time as any to sort, throw, give away and keep,” Ellen said.

OCAV’s Currie Park Estate was built in 1977 through a gift from local philanthropist Ian Rollo Currie. Then the units were trend setters but over the years, the design and layout has been overtaken by new approaches to designing age-friendly homes.

Ellen is a keen cook and she cannot wait to see what her new kitchen will look and to be able to choose a new oven.

“Through lockdown I have been enjoying baking. Among my specialities are cupcakes and I was thrilled to be able to bake several for my neighbour who recently celebrated a special birthday,” Ellen said.

The Danks Trust money will go a long way to reducing the potential of falls in the two cottages. One in three older Australians fall each year and tripping, slipping and stumbling are the most common cause of falls especially in the bathroom.

The need to upgrade the units was identified through OCAV’s risk assessment processes and resident feedback.

“Although residents of Currie Park report high levels of satisfaction with the care they receive and the environment of the village, many report that their units are not especially age friendly with hard to reach shelving in the kitchen, or a protruding bulkhead in the bathroom,” Karen Ernest, Currie Park’s residents’ coordinator, said.

The renovations, which will be undertaken in line with dementia-friendly principles, include turning bathrooms into wet rooms without shower units, floors will be covered in hospital-grade non-slip vinyl, new flooring, ovens and sinks in the kitchen, rewiring and step-free access at the front and back of each home.