Mercy Health has announced it will join with Our Lady Aged Care Centre to open and operate a new aged care home adjacent to Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral, Harris Park in western Sydney, to be known as Our Lady Mercy Place Harris Park.
The newly built home will offer a fresh approach to residential aged care and wellness facilities for older people, employing Mercy Health’s own style of balancing care for each person’s individual physical, mental, social and spiritual needs.
An artist’s impression of the new aged care facility expected to open in April 2023. IMAGE: Maronite Eparchy website.
Expected to open in April 2023, the home realises a key priority from the 2014-2020 Pastoral Plan — the provision of quality care for the elderly — which was launched by Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, Eparch of the Maronite Church of Australia, New Zealand and Oceania.
Funding for the home was made possible through combined Federal and State grants, the support of the Maronite Eparchy of Australia, and the wider community who contributed both financially and in-kind, to help deliver this much needed service for the growing population of older people in the local area.
The 85-room residential aged care home will include a range of private rooms with ensuites, with westerly views to Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral and east to the picturesque historic Elizabeth Farm Estate. Set across four levels, the home also offers lifestyle activity spaces, an open-air rooftop patio and entertainment area, health, wellness and beauty services, along with clinical and medical consulting spaces, a dedicated chapel and café.
“Mercy Health is delighted to be able to work with the Maronite Catholic community at Harris Park to realise the dream of providing the very best care for older people locally,” said Mercy Health Chair, Ms Virginia Bourke.
Maronite Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay said, “We have a very strong and welcoming community at Our Lady of Lebanon and the residents who will live at Our Lady Mercy Place Harris Park become part of a warm and caring multi-generational neighbourhood close to our schools, childcare and our Co-Cathedral”.
“We are pleased to be able to deliver this essential service to our local community in Harris Park, in Parramatta and the surrounding areas, including Parish communities across our Eparchy and the broader community.
“Our Maronite tradition is one steeped in family and hospitality and it is our hope that older people will feel welcome and enjoy the friendships, care and beautiful surrounds our home has to offer.”
Mercy Health Group CEO Angela Nolan said the local community has already shown strong interest in the home, with many people registering their names in anticipation of securing a room when the home opens next year.
“We want to bring the innovation of a healthy ageing approach and our focus on care for the whole person along with our reputation as a provider of the best possible health and aged care in Our Lady Mercy Place Harris Park,” she said.
Mr Barry Barakat, Chairperson of OLACC said, “Our Lady Mercy Place Harris Park is the vision of the Maronite Eparchy that is coming to fruition. Today, I am grateful we have the opportunity to deliver, in partnership with Mercy Health, a home environment for older Australians that ensures their pastoral and spiritual needs are met, with a service that also complements our heritage and faith traditions”.
“My heartfelt thanks to His Grace Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay for his vision and guidance, my colleagues on the Board who volunteer their time and talent, our dedicated team of professionals and of course our generous Maronite community, for their committed efforts in helping make this vision a reality.”
The home is expected to employ more than 100 staff across care, clinical, hospitality and lifestyle roles. Mercy Health has commenced recruiting staff for all roles in the home.
This article was published by Catholic Health Australia.