Juniper Gerdewoonem
50 Ivanhoe Road, Kununurra, Western Australia
“Unicare Health would like to congratulate Juniper aged care on the official opening of Juniper Gerdewoonem on Thursday, 14 June 2018. We are very thankful to have been selected as the preferred aged care equipment provider for this project and honoured to be invited as special guests to this much celebrated opening event.”
Juniper – A Uniting Church Community
Juniper is an agency of the Uniting Church in WA and one of WA’s largest providers of retirement, residential and home aged care services. Juniper continues a long tradition of the Uniting Church and its predecessors, celebrated through the work of Rev John Flynn.
Rev John Flynn always thought of the needs of those in isolated communities. In the 1900s, he established a network of support to sustain communities in the outback. He also recognized the needs for medical care for residents in the vast Australian outback and setup a number of bush hospitals, providing much needed services to remote Australia.
Juniper’s current aged care services extend from Wyndham in the Kimberley, to Albany in the Great Southern. Very few organisations in the world face the challenge of providing services in such a large geographic area. Western Australia’s massive Kimberley region occupies one sixth of our continent and is home to an estimated 38,000 people.
In reflecting on Juniper’s current significant presence in the Kimberley, Vaughan Harding, chief executive of Juniper, said that Juniper is not a city-centric organisation, but seeks to respond to need wherever it occurs. This approach is reflected in Juniper’s services currently provided in regional Western Australia including Geraldton, Northam, Busselton, Katanning and Albany.
The most difficult services to provide are in areas where there is ongoing market failure, particularly in remote regions. Rev John Flynn responded to that need many years ago, but significant need is still required. A concerted effort must be made to provide equitable and sustainable services to all Australians.
Juniper Gerdewoonem
Located just over 3000km north of Perth in the town of Kununurra, in the heart of the famous WA Kimberley Region, Juniper Gerdewoonem is set to deliver high quality residential accommodation and care services to older West Australians.
Comprising of 40 beds purpose built for the region, Juniper Gerdewoonem aims to meet the needs of the community in a culturally appropriate manner, utilising local knowledge and the experience Juniper has acquired as WA’s leading aged care provider for more than sixty years.
Juniper Chief Executive Vaughan Harding explains that this new multipurpose facility expands vital services to the Kununurra community and provides great opportunities for local employment and career paths in aged care.
“Our investment in the Kimberley is significant and this latest initiative builds on Juniper’s strong commitment to supporting older people and their families in regional Western Australia,” he said. “In addition to bringing much-needed accommodation, this multipurpose aged care facility enables the expansion of home and community care services in the region, so older people have greater access to vital services in town and may no longer travel to Perth or Darwin to get the help they require.”
The Juniper Gerdewoonem aged care project is co-funded by Juniper and the Commonwealth. It combines new residential aged care with existing community care services in an attractive, modern building specially designed for local conditions and climate.
The colour schemes selected for Juniper Gerdewoonem reflect the natural beauty of the Kimberly region. The intense colours of wild flowers and native plants against weathered red sandstone formations are evident throughout the facility.
Juniper appointed Pindan Contracting to build the new Kununurra aged care facility and sourced many trades and services locally to boost economic opportunities in the township. More than $2.6 million was spent on local companies and suppliers.
Juniper Gerdewoonem was opened on 14 June 2018 by Juniper Board Chair Mr Fred Boshart and Federal Member for Durack Hon Melissa Price MP and was dedicated by the Uniting Church WA Moderator Rev Steve Francis.
Unicare Health would like to congratulate Juniper aged care on the official opening of Juniper Gerdewoonem. We are very thankful to have been selected as the preferred aged care equipment provider for this project and honoured to be invited as special guests to this much celebrated opening event.
Unicare Health is proud to have been involved in this milestone project and thrilled to have delivered another well coordinated equipment fit-out project for Juniper.
“Being part of a project this far from home requires us to go over and beyond our daily expected roles as an aged care equipment provider. Providing optimal equipment solutions for specific aged care needs has always been our competitive advantage and this has seen us through many successful aged care facility equipment fit-out projects. Having delivered the seamless coordination and set-up support that Juniper required in Kununurra has reinforced our expertise in providing excellent client support for highly challenging regional projects.”
Project Highlights
Equipment Selection
The Juniper Gerdewoonem project involved careful clinical considerations during the equipment selection process.
Resident Rooms
Wissner Bosserhoff’s Sentida 6 low nursing care beds coupled with Care of Sweden’s Optimal 5zon pressure care mattresses were selected for resident rooms in this modern aged care facility.
Manufactured under high standards at internationally renowned Wissner Bosserhoff in Germany, the Sentida 6 universal low nursing care beds are world-class award winning beds that feature resident and caregiver safety, pressure injury prevention, integrated bed extension capabilities, smart user handsets that promote resident mobility and a night light function for safe navigation in the dark.
Being world renowned for its excellent pressure redistribution properties, Care of Sweden’s Optimal 5zon was selected for its pressure ulcer prevention capabilities and resident comfort. It is also equipped with a unique DuoCore sit-function designed to give support when sitting and also to provide good comfort when lying. Anti-shear inner covers enhances user comfort and skin integrity protection. It’s durable cover is easy to clean and comes with a very well documented hygienic standard. Being a sustainable product, the Optimal 5zon is produced from modern, recyclable materials and meets health care requirements for hygiene, quality and safety.
Bedside cabinets and over bed/chair tables were also custom designed to suit the aesthetics of the resident rooms.
Everyday Living and Mobility
To support residents hygiene and safety needs, a range of bathroom and toileting equipment was carefully selected based on their clinical functionalities. These included Juvo shower commodes, shower chairs, bedside commodes, over toilet frames and more.
Regency R3000 carechairs were selected for their tilt, recline and multi positional seating properties. These relax chairs feature significant pressure care properties and a patented pressure management seating system making them the superior choice for managing complex aged care seating requirements.
Australian manufactured Alto patient hoists by Allegro Concepts with electric leg spreads were chosen for their renowned durability, outstanding lift range, resident & carer safety features and superior infection control design.
A selection of durable wheelchairs, seat walkers and walking frames were also chosen to assist with resident mobility.
Project Organization
“The Juniper Gerdewoonem project involved significant prepartion time and extensive coordination work. It was a challenge coordinating all the equipment to arrive from Germany, Sweden and other parts of the world, warehousing them, delivering them, assembling them, testing them and getting them ready in time for the opening. A very rewarding experience indeed.”
On 17 May 2018, the trucks were loaded up with a facility load of equipment ready to make the 34 hour drive to Kununurra.
Unicare Health staff caught up with the trucks at Juniper Gerdewoonem on 21 May 2018 and unloaded a facility load of aged care equipment at the new Juniper facility.
Working both day and night over a period of 4 days, all the 40 beds, accompanying funiture and other facility equipment were unpacked, assembled, tested and installed.
With some time left to spare, the team did some crocodile hunting and sight-seeing in Kununnura before coming home.
Another Happy Customer
“We are very glad that Juniper is extremely happy with our seamless project coordination and delivery. We are delighted to have provided solutions that superseded all their expectations.”
Unicare Health is currently involved in several major healthcare equipment projects for hospitals and aged care facilities in Western Australia. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay connected.
Posted on 14 June 2018
* Some information and media used in this article has been adapted from Juniper and Uniting Church media publications, printed and social.
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