Aged care services are available at the McKellar Centre in North Geelong through Wallace Lodge, Blakiston Lodge and Percy Baxter Lodges and at Alan David Lodge on Torquay Road, Charlemont.
The McKellar Centre offers a range of professional aged care services and is situated on a vibrant community asset with parkland surrounds. Residential aged care facilities at the McKellar Centre include:
Blakiston Lodge - a 90 bed, mental health facility which consists of 45 secure aged mental health beds and 45 secure dementia specific beds.
Wallace Lodge - a 108 bed, high level, aged care residential facility.
Percy Baxter Lodges - a 82 bed low level care facility offering a cosy, home-like environment in a beautiful garden setting that enhances emotional wellbeing.
Alan David Lodge - a 108 bed home located just minutes away from the vibrant and picturesque surf coast region.
Barwon Health’s Residential Aged Care program has a full and varied lifestyle program and residents are encouraged to maintain a good level of activity and socialisation.
Working in Aged Care
Are you looking to work in an industry where you can make a difference to people's lives in a dynamic and supported environment?
At Barwon Health, there are a wide range of roles available in our residential aged care service including administrators, ward clerks, personal care workers, endorsed enrolled nurses, registered nurses, facility managers, lifestyle officers, associate nurse unit managers and nurse unit managers across multiple sites.
I'm Jenny the Facility Manager at Blakiston Lodge. I previously worked for Warramunda Village Aged Care in Kyabram for 17 years where I was the Residential Care Manager.
What I enjoy most about working in aged care is the interaction with the residents. I think as nurses working in aged care, we are very privileged to care for people who require assistance with their everyday activities. If we treat people with respect, dignity, compassion and kindness we can all make a difference. One of the reasons I joined Barwon Health was because of the culture and the importance of the organisation's values of respect, compassion, accountability, innovation and commitment.
Staff and residents became a family and you look forward to coming to work. Aged care is a great environment to work in. It is very challenging but also very rewarding. You meet great people and develop great friendships. It’s what you get back that makes nursing in aged care so rewarding.
Max has called the McKellar Centre's Wallace Lodge home for the past four years. Max enjoys the lifestyle at Wallace Lodge and looks forward to regular visits from his four children and 13 grandchildren.
Max is a retired officer in charge in the country fire brigade and worked throughout regional Victoria over his 47 year career. Following his fire-fighting career, Max drove school buses from Werribee to the old Chanel College, which he also enjoyed.
Max enjoys talking and socialising with fellow Wallace Lodge residents and staff and has formed many close friendships. He is an avid Melbourne Football Club supporter and loves to go to a game when they play in Geelong.
“We are a big family at Wallace Lodge,” Max says. "The staff tend to any needs I have and I receive excellent care."
