High care residents move to new home

Within the next week five people with complex high care disabilities will move into their new home, Walker House in Armidale, fulfilling a vision The Ascent Group (TAG) has held since it began 55 years ago.
The Ascent Group offers services for people with disabilities in Armidale, Guyra, Glen Innes, Inverell, Tenterfield, Uralla and Walcha.
CEO Kevin Mead and board member Ruth Blanch took Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay on a recent inspection tour of the purpose built $879,000 Walker House as it nears completion.
It has been named in honour of one of the organisation’s founding families Dudley and Eden Walker whose son is still with TAG and will be officially opened by the Minister for Disability Services Andrew Constance in September.
“It is said that the quality of a community is reflected in the way it cares for its most vulnerable members,” Mr Torbay said.
“The Ascent Group has shown such leadership over such a long period and to offer the chance for people with such high care needs to live as independently as possible is a real accomplishment and reflects the organisation’s outstanding leadership in its field,” he said.
“Walker House is a state of the art facility. It feels like a real home and is a real home surrounded by gardens and with a great outlook. Anyone would love to live there.”
The MP said the new north facing house had been designed on environmentally sustainable principles, including solar panels, solar hot water and water tanks.
Mr Mead said the facility would be professionally staffed on a 24/7 basis to meet the needs of the five residents.
“This will be their first ever purpose built home with features able to provide for their complex therapeutic needs, skill training activities, plus safe and comfortable indoor and outdoor activities,” he said.
“It has also been designed to meet the needs of the residents as they age to ensure the best quality of life possible.”
TAG offers a wide range of services for people with disabilities, including supported accommodation, respite care, day care, a network job agency and work within its own businesses.