Avonlea Rest Home

AT A GLANCE AVONLEA REST HOME WHAT: A Charitable Trust, 50-bed residential care facility WHERE: Taumarunui, New Zealand WEBSITE: https://ctca.co.nz/the-trusts/avonlea-trust AVONLEA REST HOME A one-stop shop for care A vonlea is a charming, community-focused rest home located in Taumarunui in the midst of beautifully landscaped grounds and scenic river, rail and rural views. Administered by a Charitable Trust Board made up of community members, Avonlea offers 24-hour Hospital and Residential Care of a very high standard. Level 4 and Level 5 care, including both private and funded respite, is provided by an experienced staff who treat residents with respect and compassion and make it their mission to ensure every person feels at home. Offering a diverse and stimulating day programme aimed at improving and maintaining independence whilst socialising in a friendly, safe environment, Avonlea is known as a one-stop shop for care – and just a lovely place to live. Facility Manager, Anna Looby, shares the backstory of the facility: “At first, Avonlea was a maternity hospital located in a different building. The Taumarunui Hospital Board in those days owned the rest home and they decided they were not going to be in aged care, so they sold it to a Community Trust that was set up to oversee the home. It was rebuilt in the mid-1970s when the Trust board took over. The trustees were members of the community – St John, federated farmers, church members, and a lot of organizations. At that time, it was just rest home level care and people could come and go as they pleased. There was no such thing as subsidies. It was designed like a boarding house, where the residents were more independent, if you wanted to come and pay. Meals were cooked for them and many had their own vehicles.” About 25 years ago, the Avonlea Trust Board took on hospital level care, in addition to rest home. So patients who used to live in hospital because they’d had a major stroke or were very dependent, could now come into the Level 5 care at Avonlea. Today, the facility