Residential Aged Care

We are proud to manage Mansfield’s two public sector residential aged care options; Buckland House Nursing Home providing a higher level of nursing care, and Bindaree Retirement Centre for those needing a lower level of care.

For many in our community there often comes a time when moving into supported residential living is the best option to ensure you, or your loved one are safe and well cared for. When this time comes, we feel it's vital that your new home not only ensures your wellbeing, but also encourages you to pursue your interests and hobbies, stay mentally and physically active, be involved in decisions about your care and day to day living, stay as independent as possible, and socialise as much (or as little) as you would like.

Buckland House

Bindaree Retirement Centre

Living With Us

At both Buckland House and Bindaree we offer you a friendly, comfortable, homelike environment. Each has courtyards and beautiful gardens, large communal lounge and entertainment areas and more private areas for when you might seek some quiet time, or to meet with your family and friends.

We encourage your family and friends to visit, share celebrations, enjoy outings together and be involved in your day-to-day life. Both homes have lovely large rooms and garden spaces to hold celebrations and family events (we love to celebrate special occasions!).

Most rooms are single with their own ensuite. Some are double with shared ensuite which are mainly used by couples who move in together. Rooms have views of gardens, courtyards, and native bushland.

All your meals are prepared onsite by our own food services team. They pride themselves on offering meals that are fresh and nutritious, and meet your unique preferences and dietary needs. Meals are usually enjoyed with other residents in the dining room, or, if you prefer you can eat in your room. Refreshments, fresh fruit and snacks are available all day.

Residents' Clinical Care

We take pride in our clinical excellence. We are accredited to provide all levels of residential aged care from low through to high care, as well as end-of-life (palliative) care. At Bindaree, we offer a dedicated safe wing with sensory gardens for residents living with dementia. Our team of qualified nursing and personal care staff provide individualised care to all our residents twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

We take a person-centred approach to planning and delivering your care. This means we ask what matters most to you, understand your needs, wants and goals, and then plan your care with you. We warmly welcome your family, or those closest to you to be involved in planning your care.

Our clinical team is complimented by seamless access to our main hospital ward, diagnostic services such as x-ray and Urgent Care Centre. Buckland House is attached to the hospital by an internal corridor, while Bindaree is 280 metres from the hospital. We also connect you to a broad range of other health services, many who visit onsite, including physiotherapy, speech pathology, social work, podiatry, dietetics, audiology and occupational therapy.

General Practitioners (GPs) from both Mansfield GP clinics visit on a regular rostered basis. If you need to see a doctor outside of their scheduled visits, or choose to see a different GP, we organise an appointment for you. Details of costs are in the Buckland House and Bindaree resident handbooks.

Visitors

Our residents’ health comes first. Please do not visit if you are feeling unwell.

COVID-19 has taught us all the need for continual care in staying safe and stopping the spread of infections. Our infection safety measures- for COVID-19, the flu and all infections- change as situations change. When you arrive at Buckland House or Bindaree our reception team will guide you through hand sanitising and any other requirements that are in place.

Please always practice good cough and sneeze etiquette, wash or sanitise your hands regularly – there is hand sanitiser throughout both facilities- and always feel comfortable to ask our staff if they have done their hand hygiene.

We encourage visitors to enjoy the courtyards and garden areas, particularly if there are more than a couple of visitors in your group.

Social & Personal Wellbeing

Buckland House and Bindaree both offer an array of activities to support your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.

When you make Buckland House or Bindaree your home, you will have a wide range of activities and services to keep you learning, entertained, active, socialising and looking great. You can be involved as much, or as little as you wish. Across Buckland House and Bindaree we regularly offer the following:

Please refer to the Buckland House and Bindaree resident handbooks for details.

Read our most recent residents' newsletters!

Buckland Times Bindaree Times

Short-Term Care (Respite Care)

Respite care is short term care designed to give you and your carer a break for a short period of time. It can be planned in advance for situations like when your carer is planning a trip, or it can be unplanned -for example if your carer has an unexpected hospital stay.

We offer a limited amount of respite care at Bindaree for people with low care needs. Respite is sometimes available at short notice; however we highly recommend you book in advance whenever possible.

Respite care is available to people who have been approved for respite care by the My Aged Care Aged Care Assessment Team. If you have been approved for respite care, it will be written in your Support Plan. If you are eligible, you may be expected to contribute to the costs. How much you may pay depends on the type of care you receive.

If you would like to know more about respite care with us including costs, please call Bindaree on (03) 5775 8875 and ask for the Nurse Unit Manager.

Accessing Residential Aged Care

  • Talk to Us, We're Here to Help

    After you’ve read through this information and the Buckland House and Bindaree resident handbooks, you will most likely have an idea which home may best suit you, or your loved one’s needs. Call to make an appointment with the Nurse Unit Manager who will talk through your situation and guide you through next steps.

    Buckland House
    Bindaree Retirement Centre
  • Register with My Aged Care

    My Aged Care is the starting point to access Australian Government funded aged care services, which includes residential care. You can do this through their website or by calling 1800 200 422. The website has a lot of helpful information that we encourage you to read (with perhaps a family member or friend as there is a lot to take in).

    Visit My Aged Care

    After you’ve applied, My Aged Care will contact you for an assessment, which usually happens in your home. The assessment will be done by either the Regional Assessment Service (RAS) or The Aged Care Assessment Service (ACAS). They will tell you if you are eligible for government-funded aged care, and if so, which ones.

  • Care Finder - Support for Older People

    Navigating the maze of aged care services can be confusing. Some older people need extra support to find the right aged care services and other support in the community, and that’s where our Care Finder service can help.

    Care Finder is a free service for older people who don’t have the support they need to learn about, apply for and set up support services. If you, or someone you know, could benefit from this support please call our reception team on 03 5775 8800 during business hours and ask for the Care Finder Coordinator.

    Buckland House and Bindaree are both public sector aged care services. We recommend reading the Moving into Public Sector Residential Aged Care in Victoria - a guide for residents, families and carers.

Costs

There are three ways that you can pay residential accommodation fees, and the choice is entirely yours. You can pay for your accommodation as a Refundable Accommodation Deposit (RAD) which is a refundable lump-sum, a Daily Accommodation Payment (DAP) with the maximum permissible interest rate (MPIR) which is a scheduled rental style payment, or a combination of both being a RAD and a reduced DAP. The daily payment is paid unless, and/or until a refundable deposit is paid.

When you move in, Centrelink will determine the amount per day that you are to contribute for your accommodation and care in addition to the Standard Resident Contribution. This is means-tested, meaning it depends on your assets and income. Centrelink does this means-testing using the same rules that are applied to the aged care pension.

We’ve summarised here, but for the full details please read the My Aged Care - Aged care home costs and fees information. We understand this is complex and again, we are here to help. Please contact our Liaison Officer on 03 5775 8847 who will be happy to talk through accommodation fees and options with you.

Daily Accommodation Payment (DAP)

To calculate a resident's DAP:

First, we note the maximum permissible interest rate (MPIR) that was current on the day the resident agreed to the room price.

Then we use this formula: DAP = (RAD × MPIR) / 365.

 

The Combination Option

If a resident chooses to pay a part RAD, their reduced DAP by is calculated by the agreed full (RAD − the RAD already paid) × MPIR / 365.

Example of calculating DAP and reduced DAP

If the MPIR is 7.90% (as at 1 July 2023), an agreed room price of $450,000 would have an equivalent daily accommodation payment (DAP) of ($450,000 × 7.90%) / 365 = $97.40 per day.

An example of a combination payment for a $450,000 room price could be a refundable deposit of $250,000 paid and a daily payment equivalent to the remaining $200,000. This means the reduced DAP would be ($450,000 − $250,000) × 7.90% / 365= $43.29.

Your Rights

Everyone in aged care has the right to be safe and treated with dignity and respect.

Australia has a Charter of Aged Care Rights, that aims to makes it easy for you, your family, carer or representative, to understand what you can expect from your aged care provider. This short video provides an easy-to-understand overview.

Resolving Concerns

If you are a resident with us and feel your aged care rights are not being met, please meet and discuss with your Nurse Unit Manager. We will always do our utmost to work with you to resolve your concerns.

Lodge a Complaint

If you wish to make a complaint to an external party, please contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission by calling 1800 951 822, completing their online complaints form, or writing them a letter.

You have the right, and we have the responsibility under aged care and other laws to give our residents access to their own care records. If you would like access to your records, please discuss this with your Nurse Unit Manager.

If you are concerned about accessing your health records, you can contact the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission who can work with you to resolve the issue.

Advance Care Planning

Advance care planning is where you to make some decisions now about the health care you would or wouldn't like if you were to become seriously ill and unable to make or communicate treatment decisions.

It is a process where you think about, discuss and record your future health care preferences, ideally in a plan called an Advance Care Directive. It helps those closest to you and your health care providers know what matters most to you and to respect your choices.

At MDH, we strongly believe that advance care planning is a highly valuable process for you, your loved ones and your health care providers. Alongside the excellent, easy to follow resources provided by Advance Care Planning Australia, and guidance from the Victorian Government advance care planning information, we are here to help. Our contact details are below.

Useful Resources

Contact Buckland House

If you would like to know more or book a tour of Buckland House or Bindaree please contact us on 03 5775 8863  and ask for the Nurse Unit Manager.

Contact Bindaree Retirement Centre

If you would like to know more or book a tour of Bindaree please contact us on 03 5775 8875 and ask for the Nurse Unit Manager.