Bupa has opened its latest care home, Bupa Tōtara Gardens in Whangārei. The modern $16m purpose-built facility provides 56 much needed care beds for the Northland region.

With 24 residents already calling Tōtara Gardens home, the new care home is off to a great start says Audrey Bancroft, General Manager of Tōtara Gardens Retirement Village and Care Home.

“Welcoming our first residents into their new home is a significant milestone. The residents are enjoying the new purpose-built facility and settling in well.

It’s been a huge undertaking to build Tōtara Gardens. So much thought and clinical knowledge has gone into the design and we have employed and trained 45 new team members,” she says.

Audrey and her team are focused on building strong relationships with their new residents and their whānau and creating a warm and respectful environment at Tōtara Gardens.

She says, “Everyone has different needs, and we will be working with our residents to deliver a high standard of care, whether that is in our rest home and hospital, or dementia communities.

“Residents can also look forward to a range of activities and outings specifically designed to cater for their interests and abilities. Our team can’t wait to get started,” she says.

The work doesn’t stop there for Audrey and the team. The next big job is the opening of 14 new serviced apartments above the retirement village community centre.

“The apartments look amazing and are set to open ahead of schedule in September,” says Audrey.

“The serviced apartments will allow residents to maintain independent lifestyles with access to domestic support, such as daily meal services, and weekly housekeeping and laundry.”

The care home and apartments sit alongside the existing retirement village located on Wairau Drive, which features 78 villas and a community centre.

“We are an active and close-knit community at Tōtara Gardens, so it’s great that we can extend that sense of belonging to our new residents and provide more care options for the region,” says Audrey.

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