SET in the Southern Highlands, Abbey House hosts residents in private accommodation designed for comfort, assistance and independence.
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Abbey House is a 143-bed nursing home on six acres on the outskirts of Mittagong, crowning a hilltop with views to the surrounding countryside.
The newly built luxury facility specialises in high-level care with the care of registered nurses on-call around the clock.
Managed by Thompson Health Care, the company is proud of the state-of-the-art accommodation with activities especially for residents.
Over Easter, however, the House played host to guests of a different kind: the family of staff, including children, parents, spouses and friends.
The family fun day was held in the main courtyard, with residents watching on from neighbouring rooms and the comfortable coffee shop.
Activities were provided for children but enjoyed by all, such as a petting zoo, egg hunt, bubble blower, jumping castle and a magician.
A delicious sizzling barbecue scented the air, and party food was plentiful as staff and their families relaxed on the sunny Saturday morning.
“We just wanted to have a family fun day,” said acting director of nursing at Abbey House, Angelika Adams, of the inaugural event.
“I heard residents sitting inside the coffee shop saying how lovely it was to do something like this for the staff.
It was very well received.”
Lovely is also an apt description of the facility more broadly: each ensuite room has a flat screen television with Foxtel access, large bay windows for natural light, views to beautiful and neatly maintained gardens and courtyards, and a cinema, like the coffee shop, is for easy access entertainment.
The living areas have artworks by John Olsen and locals Megan Barrass and Fleur Ryan, with a life-size bronze of St Francis of Assisi by the front.
Cast in Italy, the bronze of the saint surrounded by animals is one of only 12 in the world, and the only one not located in church grounds.
A Stage 2 development, now completed, includes a special care unit, a chapel with stained glass windows, as well as dining, lounge and courtyard.
Abbey House, under the auspices of Thompson Health Care, is at 300 Range Rd in Mittagong.
For staff or resident enquiries, call 4871 1085.
