Helping Hand, a not-for-profit organisation with 11 aged care homes across South Australia, welcomed the $17.2 million funding boost.

The grant is part of the $603.6 million provided under the Aged Care Capital Assistance Program until June 2027.

Helping Hand CEO Chris Stewart said the funding meant more Whyalla residents would have “access to quality care locally and be able to spend their final years close to their family and community”.

“The investment will allow us to expand our services to make sure no one has to leave in order to get the care they need,” Stewart said.

Stewart said the money would be used to increase capacity at the Yeltana Residential Care Home and the Copperhouse Court Home, as well as upgrade facilities.

Helping Hand CEO Chris Stewart said he was “delighted” to secure the funding. Photo: supplied

“Developing facilities to meet modern day standards and expectations comes at a significant cost,” he said.

“The traditional hostel model of aged care, with share rooms and amenities does not deliver on dignity, safety and privacy. Rightfully, residents expect to be able to move into a private room with a private ensuite, which is why funding like this is crucial.”

Federal aged care minister Anika Wells said the funding was aimed at supporting “building and upgrading aged care services for First Nations, regional, rural and remote communities”.

“Our investment directly supports aged care providers operating outside the major cities to build, modernise and improve their services so older people in Australia can have access to better quality aged care services where they need them,” she said.

“When the time comes, older people in Whyalla want to access aged care services in the community they know and love and be close to their families and cultural connections.”

Whyalla’s aged care providers went through uncertainty previously, with Kindred Living’s Annie Lockwood Court Hostel nursing home announcing it would close in 2021, blaming staffing problems.

Helping Hand subsequently acquired Kindred Living, including their two Whyalla residential aged care homes, in 2022.

“Residential care will always have a place in the community,” Stewart said.

“As the population of older South Australians rises, we need to make sure we keep up with improving the quality of the care available in regional communities.”

The $17.2 million of funding will be used at Whyalla’s Yeltana care home to provide: 12 new rooms, upgrades to all shared rooms into individual rooms with private ensuites, a new dining area and activity space, upgraded electrical systems, and improved back of house entry.

The Copperhouse Court home will see six new rooms, a new multi-purpose space, room and amenity upgrades, and landscaping with sheltered external areas.