Premier Western Australian retirement village community Bethanie Gwelup has won the inaugural CSR Hebel Award for Innovation at the 2017 Property Council of Australia National Retirement Living Awards.
The new ‘Retirement Living Innovation’ Award was launched this year and ultimately recognised Bethanie Gwelup for its exceptional innovative practices that benefit village residents. Competing finalists including entries from Stockland, AVEO and Blue Care, and judges commented that the award was one of the highest calibre.
“This is a wonderful recognition for all the vision, planning, energy, dedication and hard work that has gone into transforming a lakeside vacant piece of land into a fantastic outcome for Bethanie, the Perth community and our customers,” said Bethanie Chief Executive Officer Chris How.
Bethanie Gwelup consists of 62 independent living apartments and a separate 112-bed aged care facility, and holds a reputation for many of its innovations which allow independent retirement living residents to age in place, such as its adaptable apartment designs and providing residents with immediate access to support and care services.
Ben Myers, Executive Director of Retirement Living at the Property Council of Australia, says the Bethanie campus model enabled residents to have more control over their future and how they want to live.
“Senior Australians have an expectation that when they move to a retirement village, it is the last move they make in their life,” Mr Myers said.
“The Bethanie campus model enables people to make that move with certainty, knowing their home can be adapted to their changing needs.”
“We have built a development, which remains relevant, viable, useful and sustainable in the aged care and retirement living industry at present and in the future. It is an innovative solution with long-term benefits which demonstrates both tangible economic and social dividends,” Mr How added.
“It’s one thing to put bricks on top of one other, it’s another thing to create a new community and make it as warm and welcoming as Bethanie Gwelup is.”
