Aged Care Employee Day was celebrated last week as Coolamon Shire Council showed its appreciation for those that make sure its senior residents are cared for.

Those staff that council employ at both Allawah Lodge and Allawah Community Care are not only important to the people and families that they support but also as part of council’s workforce.

For more than 35 years council has provided locally delivered aged care services so that older people can remain in the community they know, surrounded by familiar faces, friends and support networks.

In a regional landscape where many residential services are run by state or private providers, Coolamon’s local model ensures continuity of care and prevents the disruption that can come when people must move away from the places and people they love.

Allawah Lodge offers high‑level residential nursing care in a warm, home‑like environment while Allawah Community Care supports older people who choose to remain living independently at home.

Together with a 25‑unit retirement village, these services form a seamless continuum that responds when living at home is no longer safe or practical, and that eases the transition from hospital back into community‑based care.

The Lodge works closely with hospital discharge teams to coordinate clinical handovers, develop individualised care plans and ensure a registered nurse is on duty every shift, so residents arrive with their needs understood and their dignity preserved.

The council’s investment in local aged care also delivers important social and economic benefits.

By keeping couples together, preventing unnecessary relocation and reducing isolation caused by distance and limited transport, Allawah Lodge strengthens community ties. At the same time, the facility creates meaningful local employment and career pathways in aged care; council actively recruits and supports staff from Australia and overseas and provides ongoing training so the workforce can meet changing clinical and social needs into the future.

A recent audit by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission recognised the dedication of Allawah Lodge and Allawah Community Care staff, reflecting council’s commitment to continuous improvement and regulatory excellence.

Mayor David McCann said the council’s approach is driven by a simple belief: a community is judged by how it cares for its elders.

“It is the aim of council and our valued staff to ensure every resident may reside in a safe home‑like environment, where their dignity and privacy is respected, whilst maintaining individual physical, emotional, spiritual and social needs in a fit for purpose facility,” he said.

“Coolamon council has operated aged care for over 35 years. We know that if council did not deliver aged care to our community, this essential service would not exist in the Coolamon shire. Our priority is to care for the elderly in their own community, surrounded by the people and places that matter to them.”

As the needs of older Australians evolve, the council remains committed to adapting services, investing in staff and keeping care local, clinically sound and deeply human.

“Allawah Lodge is more than a facility; it is a community asset that protects dignity, preserves relationships and gives families peace of mind,” the mayor said.