New Psychogeriatric Dementia Beds for Southland’s Elderly

• Additional beds will be provided for Southland’s elderly at Peacehaven’s Iona dementia care unit.
• The $386,000 project includes fire safety work, new rooms, and a refreshed lounge and kitchen.
• Southland’s psychogeriatric care capacity will increase by 30% with this project.

Presbyterian Support Southland (PSS) is set to upgrade Peacehaven’s Iona dementia care unit, adding much-needed beds for the elderly in Southland. This project aims to address the growing demand for dementia care driven by an aging population and rising life expectancy.

“With an aging population and average age expectancy continuing to rise, demand for dementia level care is increasing in terms of demand and complexity,” said PSS chief executive Matt Russell. “It is critical that as a region we are poised to respond to this challenge and ensure Southland is able to care for its residents now and into the future.”

The $386,000 project will create six additional beds by repurposing office and storeroom space within the existing building. The project also includes fire safety compliance work, equipping and furnishing each new room, creating a new nurse station and call system, and refreshing the lounge and kitchen.

PSS operates the Enliven Iona Dementia Care Unit at Peacehaven Village in Invercargill, which has two wings: one with 20 beds for less severely impacted dementia patients (D3), and the other with 20 beds for specialised hospital-level care (D6 psychogeriatric care). D6 is the highest level of dementia care in New Zealand.

PSS is the sole provider of psychogeriatric care in Southland, also serving the Whakatipu Basin, Wanaka, and Central Otago areas. Often, residents are referred when their dementia advances, but due to a lack of D6 beds in Southland, they sometimes must leave the region while waiting for a space at Iona. The nearest D6 facility to Invercargill is in Dunedin, with some residents traveling as far as Christchurch.

“When these very vulnerable residents needed to leave the region for D6 level of care it creates a huge amount of stress and anxiety for the residents and their families,” said Matt.

The project will increase D6 beds in Southland by 30%, funded through support from individuals, community and external funders, and donors, with any shortfall covered by PSS Enliven operating budgets. Private aged care providers like PSS do not receive government funding for capital expenditure projects and must seek external support to finance improvements.

A recent study by the NZ Aged Care Association revealed that aged care providers in Southland are underfunded by $15 per resident per day. For Enliven Southland, which has 300 beds, this equates to a shortfall of $1.64 million annually. “As a charitable trust, our funds for capital development projects are extremely stretched,” added Matt.

The project is expected to start later this year. To support the Iona D6 project, donations can be made online at pss.org.nz/get-involved/donate or by emailing [email protected]