If you’re new to aged care and are looking for a solution for yourself or a family member, you’ll be amazed at how much it has changed. Gone are the days of the stereotypical aged care setting with residents in dressing gowns, shuffling slippers, and a constant echo of coughs. Today, Supported Living is revolutionising aged care by focusing on community, independence, and dignity. This shift was not a complex idea—it’s simply the result of listening to what people truly wanted and delivering it.
To truly grasp the difference Supported Living makes, we invite you to visit our community. We’re confident you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.
A Community of Homes
When visitors come to our community, they are often amazed by the homely atmosphere. This is not your typical aged care “facility” with long, sterile corridors and nurse stations. It’s a community of homes, featuring charming garden paths, potted plants, sunlit patios, and garden benches.
Each resident lives in their own fully equipped home, complete with a kitchen, lounge room, bedroom, and laundry—just like any home anyone has lived in throughout their life, only in a smaller, more manageable size.
What makes these homes truly special is that they are owned by the residents, not rented or standardised. Each home reflects the personality of its owner, with personalised furnishings, décor, and even renovations. As you walk through our community, you’ll find homes with beautifully decorated doors, verandahs adorned with trellises, and doorsteps surrounded by flowers, gnomes, and birdbaths.
Independence (With Care When Needed)
At the heart of Glenvale Villas is our commitment to independence. As Kahlil Gibran once said, “Life without liberty is like a body without spirit,” and we couldn’t agree more. Our community is built on the belief that individuals should have the freedom to live as independently as they choose—whether that means coming and going as you please or looking after yourself entirely if that’s what you wish.
But we also recognise the importance of care. What makes Glenvale successful is the balance we strike between independence and support. Our residents have access to 24/7 continuous care and domestic services (such as cooking and cleaning) as part of a non-intrusive safety net. This care is there when needed, and it can be adjusted to suit individual needs, but it never dominates your life like a hospital stay might.
Dignity
We believe that everyone, regardless of age or personal needs, deserves dignity. Many of our older residents are proud members of the broader community who have made significant contributions to society. When we see our residents, we don’t see frail individuals— we see retired farmers, CEOs, business owners and teachers. We see women who were midwives, politicians, journalists, lawyers, and mothers who raised athletes, scientists, and engineers.
These individuals don’t need our sympathy or control—they deserve our respect. That’s why we make it a priority to ensure our residents have as much dignity as possible. We uphold the rights they’ve had all their lives, including:
- The right to privacy – All nursing care is provided in the comfort and privacy of each resident’s own home.
- The right to decide – Residents can cook for themselves or dine in our restaurant, have family visit at any time, stay overnight, keep small pets, go on holidays, or redecorate their homes. The choice is theirs.
Simply put, Glenvale Villas is a community where residents live normal lives with the support of a caring community.
Now, compare that to many of the outdated facilities still found in the aged care system today. We believe you’ll see a clear difference and realise how much our community enhances quality of life for our residents.
