Takeover of rare remaining community-owned nursing home

A community-owned nursing home in Proserpine, Queensland, may be taken over by the national provider Respect Aged Care after a vote on September 7. The nursing home is the only one in the town of 3,600 residents. It was built decades ago through community generosity, with locals pooling resources, including donations from sugarcane farmers and the Rotary Club.

Farmer Edward Dray donated land for the site, and after its opening in 1986, residents no longer needed to travel 90 minutes for care. The nursing home, a registered charity governed by an association and management committee, is set to be transferred to Respect Aged Care, a Tasmanian-based provider. Over 100 current and former staff and residents' families met in July when the transfer was rumored, with a petition requesting cancellation of the transfer.

Robin Van Niekerk, whose mother moved to the nursing home due to dementia, expressed concern that a larger, outside company may change the home's culture and quality of care. However, Respect Aged Care's CEO, Jason Binder, emphasized his organization's commitment to maintaining the facility as a community asset.