Our mission has always been to keep the elderly actively engaged within the Kleinmond community, ensuring they maintain their dignity and quality of life. We envision Kleinmond as a supportive environment for the elderly, rather than confining their care to a single building.
To achieve this, we have developed various outreach programs that extend into the broader community. As each initiative becomes sustainable, we expand our services further. In 2022, we conducted a comprehensive needs analysis across the entire community through a detailed survey. This assessment focused on several key areas:
- Social
- Cognitive
- Health
- Finance
- Support
- Housing
Enhanced Service Delivery
From our recent survey, we developed comprehensive action plans and engaged in think tanks with various stakeholders on the sub-committee to enhance our service delivery. Our approach is fluid and multi-faceted, allowing us to adapt and expand as funds become available. The service centre remains the central hub and owner of all our programs, coordinating the rollout of services from this central point.
We have enlisted professionals on an hourly consulting basis for each required discipline and also benefit from professionals who volunteer their time and expertise. Our comprehensive basket of services includes:
- Access to a Social Worker
- Access to a Nursing Sister
- Access to an Occupational Therapist for safety solutions in the home
- Balanced meals delivered, collected, or served in our dining room, 7 days per week
- Bathing services
- Basic medical check-ups
- Housing project currently at phase 5
- Access to two weekly exercise sessions
- Free hearing tests
- Incontinence products
- A seniors’ social club
- Counselling for family members
- Substance abuse groups
- Weight management programs
- Senior mind moves (cognitive and mobility exercises)
- Access to a variety of social clubs
All of these services are provided without physical frail care or old age home premises, supporting our vision of keeping the elderly active members of our community. We aim to transform Kleinmond into an extension of a retirement home, ensuring our solutions are tailored to individual needs. Our annual services Expo invites all role-players and partners in the community to showcase their offerings, fostering collaboration and innovation.
We prioritise a dynamic approach and actively listen to community feedback to address their needs effectively. As an operational example, we present a flow chart illustrating the service pathways for “Patient A” (very frail) and “Patient B” (newly retired), demonstrating our collaborative efforts with community partners to meet diverse needs.
PATIENT “A”
PATIENT “B”
Strategic Approach and Future Plans for Success
In addition to the incredible contributions from our community role players, board members, and staff, another key factor driving our success is our business-oriented approach to daily operations. While we acknowledge our role as a welfare organisation, we believe it is crucial to balance social initiatives with robust operational strategies and systems.
Looking ahead, we plan to place a strong emphasis on marketing and fundraising due to significant government funding cuts. Our goal is to expand our reach by establishing satellite venues using the same effective methodology, allowing us to penetrate deeper into the community.
We also aspire to build a comprehensive care centre that will house all professional role players alongside frail care services and accommodation. Our services are offered on a sliding scale pricing model based on individual affordability. This approach ensures we maintain high standards across all services, sustaining a 45/55 split average. This balance allows us to be well-supported by those at the higher end of the financial spectrum, while effectively cross-subsidising those who are marginalised or impoverished.
