Tiaro aged care facility to close

THE axe is set to swing on Petrie Gardens at Tiaro, with Churches of Christ announcing it is closing the aged care facility at the end of the month.

A spokeswoman said the decision was made in light of the Federal Government’s changes to aged care compliance regulations, including the 24/7 nursing requirement that came into effect on July 1, and the minimum care minutes that will come into effect in October.

“We advised the residents of the closure last week, and we are in the fortunate position to able to offer our Petrie Gardens residents similar or better rooms at Fair Haven Maryborough, at no additional cost,” she said.

The site’s staff, which includes four personal care workers and a registered nurse, will be offered transfers to Fair Haven. All but one lives in

Maryborough.

Petrie Gardens has 10 beds, while Fair Haven has 86.

“We know that the loss of Petrie Gardens is a loss to the community, and we are saddened that we have had to make this decision,” the spokeswoman said.

“We’ll be exploring longterm opportunities for the future use of the building which will align with community need.”

Churches of Christ boasts of Petrie Gardens’ tightknit community and busy activity calendar on its website. The site was still accepting inquiries about the single ensuite rooms as of Monday.

At its most-recent Aged