THE town of Bulahdelah has been "absolutely gutted" by the decision to close its only aged care facility, as Greens' candidates call for an additional $6 billion in federal funding to allow facilities like Cedar Wharf Lodge to continue operating.
In March, residents and staff at Cedar Wharf Lodge in Bulahdelah - owned by Anglican Care - were told the facility would close by May 31.
Bulahdelah resident Julie Smee said the community was particularly attached to the nursing home given the town's residents had raised $500,000 to build it in 1991. They were also losing "40-odd jobs" in the small town. She said the community was angry, and distressed.
"So many people have been displaced, and people are devastated," Mrs Smee said. "They always thought that place would be there for them, as part of the community. A lot of those residents have already been moved around the LGA. Some are in Tea Gardens. Some are in Taree. The closest one is at least 35 minutes away."
Anglican Care is also closing its Greenmount Gardens facility in Mt Hutton.
Greens' Senate candidate David Shoebridge, with Lyne candidate Karl Attenborough in Bulahdelah on Tuesday, said it was a "crime" to see a much-loved aged care facility closing because of "a lack of vision and funding" from the Commonwealth.
"People in towns like Bulahdelah deserve the right to age in place and not be forced to relocate from family, friends and their history when they need aged care services," he said. "Anglican Care are one of the ethical providers... and the fact they can't find an economic model to keep Cedar Lodge open shows how much trouble the sector is in and why the Greens' policy of injecting another $6 billion of public money into the not-for-profit sector is essential."
The policy would be funded through a 6 per cent wealth tax on billionaires and "closing the tax loopholes" on corporations.
Mr Attenborough said the Greens' "Aged Care for All" policy would see the funds made available to keep smaller homes like Cedar Wharf Lodge open in Bulahdelah, and other smaller towns and communities.
"People should have a right to age in place and not be forced to move half an hour or more away when they need help as they get older," he said.
Since taking over the facility, Anglican Care has accumulated losses in excess of $1.2 million in running the service, Bishop Peter Stuart said.
The decision to close was taken after a "comprehensive" 12-month review of Anglican Care Residential Aged Care facilities which found the age and design of its services at Mt Hutton and Bulahdelah prohibited the necessary upgrades required to support the provision of best practice, modern residential aged care facilities and services.
"Neither Mr Shoebridge or his staff have engaged with Anglican Care to understand the present and future service provision needs," he said.
"If they are to be an effective political force, they need to show the willingness to make comprehensive enquiries about the issues that current policy neglect is having on service providers."
Bishop Stuart said they had been working closely with the residents at the closing services as they explored their options for relocation.
"The support of older people in our region is a priority for the Anglican Church in the region," he said. "We have a strong commitment to providing high quality residential aged care services as well as community-based services. There has been no decision about the future use or plans for the Bulahdelah and Mount Hutton sites."
Mr Shoebridge told the Newcastle Herald he had spoken to Bishop Stuart about the issue on the weekend, and felt that it had been a "productive" conversation.
