Calvary

Calvary Health Care is a charitable, not-for-profit, Catholic health care organisation, operating retirement and aged care facilities and hospitals across Australia.

BELL was engaged in 2019 to replace Calvary’s existing aged-care facility in Berri, South Australia with a new state-of-the-art, 50-bed facility, designed for care of dementia patients and their specific environmental needs.

St Catherine’s design is based on the Salutogenics approach, and its three key concepts of comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness.  In an Architectural context, making the built environment familiar and stimulating for residents has been proven to promote well-being and health.

BELL’s team worked collaboratively with aged care and dementia specialists across Australia to better understand the dementia experience.  The result is a design incorporating familiar elements of the local Riverland environment, including an internal ‘village’ courtyard featuring timber elements reminiscent of the town’s streetscape, and locally found plant species including citrus trees and lavender.

Finishes and colours were selected to provide adequate contrast and reduce confusion, often a result of changes in dementia patients’ ability to perceive differences in the same way.

The layout was modelled on Calvary’s extensive data movement and usage records and optimises outcomes for nursing, catering and support services, with circular movement patterns avoid ‘dead-ends’ and promote the safety and well-being of residents.

The facility also includes rehabilitation spaces, physical and well-being monitoring areas, and consulting rooms for allied health professionals. The facility is due for completion in 2021.