After 43 years, Bombala’s community can no longer rely on access to a nursing home locally, as its only aged care facility — Currawarna — has officially closed.
Key points:Bombala’s only aged care home has closed due to a lack of staffThe facility operated in the town for 43 yearsAll 20 residents from the home have been relocated elsewhereThe small rural town nestled in the Snowy Mountains has a population of 1,500 residents, with 31 per cent of those aged over 60 years old.
Despite the town’s older population, their only nursing home has now closed, leaving Bombala residents like Catriona Garnock devastated.
“It certainly feels like the end of an era for the time being.”
Catriona, Melissa and Pam are just a few of the many Bombala residents who rallied for the nursing home to remain open.(ABC South East NSW: Keira Proust)Community fight still continuesWhile Ms Garnock has had to relocate her 94-year-old mother-in-law, Shirley, to the far south coast town of Pambula, she hoped Bombala’s aged care home would not be lost forever.
“But it will, unfortunately, take a lot of time and a lot more negotiations.
“We are working on a proposal with the NSW government where they are looking into extending the hospital and hopefully including Currawarna in that extension.”
Of the Bombala’s 1,500 residents, 31 per cent are aged 60 or older.(Supplied: John Leach)Ms Garnock said, without a local nursing home, many families would now have to travel more than 100 kilometres to see loved ones.
“It will be
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