We have provided a list of Frequently asked questions that may be useful to yourself or a loved one moving into NoosaCare.

Many activities and outings are coordinated on a regular basis for the enjoyment of our members. Most are at no cost. They include bus trips, craft groups, dancing, singing, bingo, art, discussion groups, cooking and concerts!

We encourage our residents to enjoy their favourite alcohol beverages in moderation at our facilities.

Ambulance services are free for all pensioners. In order to take advantage please ensure your pension number is available at all times.

Many families and friends choose to give in memory, to celebrate the life of a loved one. As a not for profit  organisation, all bequests and in memory gifts give NoosaCare the opportunity to improve the care, lifestyle, facilities, gardens and surrounding environment at both Carramar and Kabara.

Benefactors are assured that legacies remain within NoosaCare to directly benefit our residents while attracting significant tax benefits for the benefactor.

Your bequests and donations are always welcome and we are grateful to discuss how you would like to remember a loved one with an in-memory gift. To leave a legacy, please complete the donation form below or contact us for more details .

Unfortunately, our fees do not cover personal pharmaceuticals prescribed by a doctor or chemist for individual residents. Also, whilst we are always happy to schedule your hairdressing, dental, optometry services or other appointments, the expense is the responsibility of the resident.

Please see Schedule 2 of the Resident Agreement. This is the Charter of Aged Care Rights.

We’re happy to arrange your prescriptions to be sent to the chemist. Let us know what you need.

To make life easy for everyone and avoid any confusion please clearly mark all of your personal clothing, towels, bedding etc. Please see our receptionist to order name labels.

You are welcome to raise any concerns with management or staff at any time and we will take swift action. We provide regular questionnaires in respect of all aspects of your life at NoosaCare (which you can complete anonymously if you wish). If any complaint cannot be resolved by negotiation with management, there is a complaint resolution procedure in your Resident Agreement, plus contact details for the Commonwealth and independent advocacy groups.

Residents of NoosaCare Inc can be assured that any of their personal details including their family or their business affairs will not be discussed with anyone or mentioned outside the facility at any time. To assist you in maintaining your privacy each room is lockable and residents will be issued with their own keys. In your own home, you need to feel secure in the knowledge that your life is still your own.

Our dining room has all necessary items to make cups of tea and coffee when required. Please consider other residents and do not remove these items from the dining area. However, you are more than welcome to take reading material from the Community Centre to enjoy at a later time.

Dignity of risk is all about our residents making their own decisions about their care and services, as well as their right to take risks. If a resident chooses to disagree with the recommendations (eg. Dietitian, Physiotherapist, etc.) NoosaCare will look for solutions that are tailored to assist the resident to live the life they choose. NoosaCare will provide the resident with the information needed to make an informed decision on the perceived or potential risk. NoosaCare respects our residents choice and dignity of risk.

We understand you want to choose your own doctor and be treated by someone you trust. That’s why we’ll assist in making arrangements to visit your doctor or have your doctor come see you if required.

Also, a number of doctors hold clinics on a regular basis at NoosaCare.
Staff will assist wherever possible to access external appointments (i.e. dental, optical, auditory, dietary, medical specialists, etc).

We encourage your family to facilitate wherever possible in transporting you to such appointments.

We will also help residents in accessing ‘complementary therapies’ which are holistic therapies that are used in conjunction with, or in
place of, orthodox medicine (e.g. therapeutic touch, aromatherapy, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, reflexology, etc) as you require. Talk to us at reception or your Group Care Manager to arrange this for you.

We encourage our residents to show off their individual personalities through the clothes they wear though we do request you are dressed fully and respectable at all times. Feel free to wear appropriate dressing gowns to breakfast.

A 24-hour emergency call system is available from all bedrooms, ensuite and living areas.

During your stay at our facilities, you may hear alarm bells and/or sirens. This is our automatic fire detection system, which exists for your safety. These alarms automatically ring through to the Qld Fire Service and fire tenders are dispatched immediately.
There are three reasons for the alarm bells being activated:

  1. Regular testing (only very short rings).
  2. False alarms. These might occur because the system is very sensitive and is set to respond to minimal stimuli – e.g. smoking in the building.
  3. An actual emergency involving smoke and fire, somewhere within the hostel confines.

What you should do if you hear alarms:

  • Keep calm.
  • Stay in your room.
  • Do not go into the bathroom or toilet.
  • Await instructions from the nurse/s.
  • Return to your room, if not in it, when alarms sound. If it is not possible to return to your room, report to the nearest nursing station for further instructions. Do not go through fire/smoke doors to get to your room.
  • If at any time during your stay you see fire or smell smoke please notify the nearest staff member immediately.

In the unlikely event that a major emergency occurs necessitating evacuation, our staff members are trained in such procedures and an evacuation plan set up for each area of the hostel. There are several easy exits from each area and we recommend that you take notice of where these are located at your convenience.
You will be notified by staff when the ‘All Clear’ is given.

You will be notified by staff when the ‘All Clear’ is given.

It is only through your help that we can ensure that all residents receive the best possible care. Please feel free to contact the Group Care Manager if you have something you would like to discuss. At times we may want to meet you and your relatives to talk about your progress and discuss mutual concerns. If a meeting is required, the Group Care Manager will arrange a convenient time.

Residents are encouraged to continue their independence and to enjoy family visitation in our relaxed atmosphere. NoosaCare management and staff are proud of our beautiful environment and the high standard of care provided for our Residents.

Our hairdressing salon is open weekly, catering to both men and women. Let us know when you want to get pampered and we’ll arrange an appointment for you.

NoosaCare insurances do not cover your personal property. Please arrange your own personal property insurance with a company of your choice. We are always happy to advise or assist you to do so.

For your own independence and privacy, you will be issued keys to your apartment. When vacating we require their return. Cost of replacement keys will be met by the resident.

If you are unable to do your personal laundry or choose not to, our friendly staff will direct your soiled clothing to the laundry. All bed linen and heavy laundry are done by the NoosaCare team in our laundry. We will need to arrange access to your room for this. NoosaCare will not be held responsible for any missing items.

You are always free to leave our facilities for any reason. In the interests of safety and so we don’t worry please let us know your destination and expected length of absence. We require you to inform us personally and have the attendance book signed. If you are planning on being absent for more than 24 hours please give us as much notice as possible.

Residents may be away on social leave for a period of 52 days in one financial year without their fees being affected. Any social leave period in excess of this requires special financial arrangements to be made (as detailed in the Resident Agreement) if you wish to retain your place at NoosaCare.

If you are hospitalised, we’ll retain your place in the home as long as arrangements are made for continuing payment of fees. Hospital leave is unlimited.

Noosa Shire Council Mobile Library visits NoosaCare fortnightly and provides a book exchange service for all residents to enjoy!

In order to be as eco-friendly as possible please ensure that all lights, fans or other electrical appliances except refrigerators are switched off before heading out for the night or retiring for the evening.

We kindly request you avoid marking or affixing anything to the walls in your apartment. Any items you wish to attach can be attended to by the NoosaCare maintenance person.

The present meal times are breakfast at 8.00am, midday meal 12.00 Noon and evening meal 5.30 pm.

Meal times are set by the Residents’ Committee in consultation with the Group Care Manager.

Relatives and friends are welcome to dine with residents. Cost of meal must be paid for upon arrival before consumption. Weekend meals to be paid to kitchen staff.

Membership is $5 annually. Life membership is $30.

A monthly newsletter is produced by the Diversional Therapist which includes contributions from the residents and gives an update of events. A monthly activities programme is also issued, providing dates and times for forthcoming activities.

You are asked to consider the comfort of your fellow residents and ensure your radio, TV or general noise does not disturb others.

NoosaCare provides “Ageing in Place”. Talk to us for further information.

NoosaCare prefers that you make your own private arrangements with regard to payments and/or banking of your pensions. All banks provide a good service for the collection and banking of your cheques and will also provide a service for payment of your rent.

At NoosaCare we have fur baby friends for the whole community. Residents are not permitted to keep individual pets.

The podiatrist visits NoosaCare regularly. Appointments can be made at reception. Residents must meet the cost of podiatry themselves with the exception of those assessed as ‘high-care’ or in need of extra services. The Group Care Manager will confirm the need for podiatry.

Please ensure that all your food scraps and the like are properly wrapped and placed in the external garbage bin. Newspapers etc. should be placed next to such bins for disposal by our handyman.

Your care and safety requirements may dictate that you require relocation to a higher level of care in another apartment within NoosaCare. A full consultation would occur and your rights before such a move are detailed in your Resident Agreement.

Resident monthly meetings are held to discuss matters relating to life at NoosaCare.

Smoking is prohibited in all areas without exception.

We are always happy to help with any of your requirements, however, we ask that you keep in mind our staff have their own duties and responsibilities. Please do not interfere or attempt to instruct any of our team in such duties. If you have any complaint about any member of our staff, this complaint should be made to our Group Care Manager and not to the staff person concerned.

On the 19th of December 2022, the Australian Safety and Quality Standards Commission has published the star ratings for all aged care facilities across Australia.

The star ratings aim to give older Australians and their family members a better way to understand the information on the quality of aged care services they are considering or receiving. Aged care homes receive a rating of 1 to 5 stars, based on an overall Star Rating and four sub-category ratings derived from compliance, quality measures, residents’ experience and staffing.

NoosaCare performed well in the ratings but there is room for improvement.  Kabara received an overall four star rating and Carramar received an overall three star rating.  Only 1% of Australian facilities received a five star rating.  The majority (59%) received a three star rating, while 30% received a four star rating.

Both NoosaCare sites received four stars for resident experience.  These results are based on independently conducted interviews and surveys with residents.  They are extremely pleasing and are a positive reflection on the quality of living in the NoosaCare community.

Both sites received three stars for staffing.  This shows that we are meeting the government-mandated overall 200 care minutes per resident per day, as well as direct nursing requirements.  It means we are delivering care and services commensurate with the level of funding we receive from government.

We have, however, been impacted by critical staffing shortages in the Noosa Shire – exacerbated by the high cost of living in the area.  Our aim is to grow our staffing ratios in line with improvements in our budget and business sustainability.

Kabara received three stars for quality measures.  This criteria looks at a facility’s clinical indicators such as falls, unplanned weight loss, use of restraints, medication and wound management and is reassessed every quarter.   There may well be changes in this rating each quarter depending on the nature of the resident profile at the time.  The clinical team is working hard to ensure that we are continuously improving our efforts in this area.  Carramar received 4 stars for quality measures.

Carramar received a 3 star rating for compliance.  This is not a reflection of our accreditation compliance across the board but rather as a result of a failure on one occasion to provide further follow up information on a serious incident.  The individual matter has been resolved and some system and communication improvements have been made as a result.  The Commission has acknowledged to us that the matter is no longer outstanding.  But the nature of the star rating system means that we will be unable to change this compliance rating for at least 1 year.  Kabara received five stars for compliance.

The Board is comfortable with the positioning of our two facilities as benchmarked against other organisations, while acknowledging there is some room for improvement.  We will continue to work closely with management and staff to deliver the level of care and services that our residents and families expect.

The storage of residents furniture and belongings during their stay or following departure is not the responsibility of NoosaCare. Following departure it is appreciated if the residents representative collects items within 7 days.

These provisions are maintained by the staff for you.

We have a telephone available for you to keep in touch. Noosacare will bill residents individually for connection and subsequent calls.

Aerial points are available in all rooms.

We provide a range of transport options for you such as private cars, buses and wheelchair walks. On admission, we need you or your next of kin to sign a consent form to be able to use these.

You are asked to take care of your own valuable items. If you have any items of particular value, we suggest you store them in secure storage.

Visiting hours are flexible but please keep in mind meal times and residents privacy.

Without our wonderful volunteers, it would be impossible to offer our residents the variety of activities currently available. Also, our volunteers assist with transport for doctor appointments and many other tasks, e.g. taking our residents for wheelchair walks, chats, shopping etc. For further information regarding volunteering, please contact our Diversional Therapist who will be pleased to discuss volunteering with you.