Organisational news Archives

Capecare strengthens palliative care through national initiative

February 9, 2026/in Community, News, Organisational news, Residential, Staff

Capecare is proud to be participating in the End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC) initiative – a nationally recognised program designed to support aged care providers to improve palliative care, strengthen advanced care planning, and build stronger connections across health and community services.

The ELDAC project is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care and delivered through a partnership of three universities and national organisations representing aged care, palliative care and primary care.

What is palliative care?

Palliative care is a compassionate and supportive approach that aims to enhance quality of life for individuals living with a life-limiting illness, and for the families and carers supporting them.

It focuses on preventing and relieving suffering through early identification of needs, careful assessment, and effective management of pain and other concerns. This includes physical, psychological, emotional, cultural and spiritual support, ensuring each person’s care is respectful, individualised, and aligned with their values.

What is ELDAC?

The ELDAC model provides a practical framework for improving how aged care services respond to changing health needs and end-of-life care. It supports providers to strengthen:

Advance Care Planning
Assessing palliative care needs
Responding to deterioration
Working collaboratively with families, GPs and allied health professionals
Connecting with wider palliative care services

This approach can contribute to reduced hospital admissions, shorter hospital stays, and improved quality of life outcomes for older Australians receiving care in residential aged care and in the community.

Capecare’s ELDAC journey

Capecare commenced the ELDAC journey at our Dunsborough facility in November 2025. We will commence at our Busselton facility and in our Community care services in May 2026.

As part of ELDAC, we are focusing on raising awareness and strengthening our approach to palliative and end-of-life care through:

targeted meetings and planning activities
increased collaboration with GPs and allied health professionals
improved access to trusted, evidence-based resources and tools
building staff capability through education and training
supporting stronger communication and care planning with residents, clients and families

Staff across our Busselton and Dunsborough residential care facilities and community care will have access to a collection of free, evidence-based information, tools and resources developed through ELDAC and supported by trusted programs including palliAGED and Advance Care Planning Australia.

A key part of Capecare’s participation includes support from the Program of Experience in the Palliative Approach (PEPA).

Benefits for Capecare and our community

Capecare’s involvement in ELDAC is expected to deliver wide-ranging benefits, including:

stronger support to provide palliative care through structured frameworks and planning
access to trusted evidence-based resources and online tools
increased education and training to build confidence and expertise
greater confidence for staff, volunteers, residents and families
a valuable learning opportunity across our entire organisation
cost efficiency through grant-funded training opportunities
strengthened networks with local palliative care services, GPs and allied health professionals

Capecare is committed to providing compassionate, high-quality care that supports dignity, comfort and choice. The ELDAC initiative is an important step in strengthening our palliative approach and ensuring residents and clients receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place.

We look forward to continuing this journey and sharing further updates as the program expands across our communities.

Capecare CEO Tim Nayton featured on Pioneers of Aged Care podcast

February 2, 2026/in News, Organisational news

Capecare CEO Tim Nayton has recently been featured on the Pioneers of Aged Care podcast, hosted by Anthony Nguyen, sharing insights into Capecare’s journey, values and future direction.

In the wide-ranging conversation, Tim reflects on Capecare’s 60+ year history as a community-based, not-for-profit aged care provider in the Busselton–Dunsborough region, and the organisation’s strong focus on giving back to the community it serves.

Tim speaks about the significant progress made over the past 12 months, including reaching full capacity at the Dunsborough residential aged care facility, expanding services at Busselton, and welcoming 100 new team members during a challenging period for the sector. He highlights the importance of purpose, culture and community connection in attracting and retaining a skilled workforce in regional aged care.

The podcast also explores how aged care is evolving — becoming increasingly complex, multidisciplinary and clinically skilled — and challenges outdated perceptions of the sector, particularly for allied health professionals.

Looking ahead, Tim outlines Capecare’s strategic priorities, including expanding Support at Home services, strengthening partnerships across the local health system, and progressing the long-term Busselton Master Plan — a generational opportunity to shape the future of the beachfront campus to meet the community’s needs over the coming decades.

The interview offers a thoughtful insight into Capecare’s role in the region and the people and purpose driving its future.

Watch or listen to the podcast here: YouTube or Spotify

Capecare thanks local emergency services

March 25, 2025/in Dunsborough, Independent Living, News, Organisational news, Residential, Staff

Capecare Dunsborough’s management fired up the BBQs at their Naturaliste Terrace facility last Thursday to thank local fire brigades and emergency services personnel.

Capecare CEO Tim Nayton acknowledged both the emergency services personnel for protecting residents and facilities during the recent Dunsborough fires, and also his staff who were working on the day.

Tim was at Capecare Dunsborough at the time of the fires and said, while obviously concerned about what was happening on the reserve across the road from the facility, it was reassuring to see the services in action.

“To watch the emergency services teams and know that there was that level of support was amazing to experience, and to witness the confident way, what became quite a threatening fire, was managed,” Tim said.

The BBQ was attended by DFES Area Officer Andy Thompson, Mayor Phill Cronin, Ben Small, Liberal representative for Forrest and a number of professional and volunteer firefighters, Capecare staff who worked on the day of the fire, and Armstrong Village residents and their families.

Andy Thompson also thanked volunteers and said the incident response ran like clockwork thanks to practical exercises carried out with Capecare.

“To our volunteers, thank you. They’ve had a busy past couple of months, including turning out to Windy Harbour and various other fires.

“The accolades also go out to Capecare staff and management. Thanks to pre-planning and on-site training and evacuation drills carried out last year, it went like clockwork.

“Staff knew we were going to ‘protect in place’, which we had planned. We had the resources here, which the volunteers are trained for, and working with Capecare staff and management was faultless. It couldn’t have gone any better.

“It goes to show the strength of all of us working together in the community and the number of volunteers that we have… Fire, Search and Rescue, SES, St John Ambulance… it was a fantastic response and hats off to everybody.”

Mayor Phill Cronin, who was a volunteer firefighter on the day, reiterated the community response.

“As I’m driving down the road, I see a big billow of smoke in the distance. The radio’s chattering. The sirens are going off. The Dunsborough guys were having a bit of trouble at their own fire station. Then I’m hearing: ‘Capecare, get down there’. We get down to Cape Nat, and there’s smoke everywhere.

“We had 125 firefighters. We had 50 units down there. We had two helicopters. The whole point was how we all came together. The DFES guys, they were protecting the structures, we were doing the bush. There were queues of St John Ambulance people down there. DFES were setting up an incident support group. It was all done professionally. We also had a lot of the City (of Busselton) involved.

“At the end of the day, we didn’t lose any properties. There were no injuries. there was no loss of life.

“Everybody here, you all played a part, you made people feel safe. The Capecare guys were out there as well, getting wet and smoky. but we all did a great job and look, I really want to say thank you. Thank you for this event to recognise this and bring us all together.

“The next thing that we are doing is getting the reserve back to how it was. We instantly go into recovery mode. One thing we’ve learned is recovery is the quickest thing that we can get on top of rather than leaving it weeks down the line,” Mayor Cronin said.

Tim concluded by praising the amazing community spirit, also demonstrated by the generosity of wineries and breweries approached for the event. Special thanks to Shelter Brewing, Eagle Bay Brewing, Baileys Brewing, Skigh Wines, the Highbury Project and Cape Cellars.