Combatting loneliness at Capecare

Loneliness is an increasingly documented issue and can strike seniors particularly hard, impacting mental and sometimes physical health.

Capecare actively strives to combat loneliness with a variety of lifestyle activities for our residents in Busselton and Dunsborough.

We recently signed up 8 of our Busselton residents to the Letters Against Isolation Program.

Operating across Australia, the UK, the USA and Canada, Letters Against Isolation connects letter writers to older people via an anonymous online portal.

The handwritten letters and cards are sent to our Lifestyle Team and distributed to residents who are suited to each letter.

This week, the postman arrived! Edie, Greg, and Sally received our first letters from the program.

The letters talked about family holidays to go fishing, childhood memories, and many different hobbies and pastimes.

Thank you, Letters in Isolation and your volunteer writers, for making a normal day just a little bit more special for our residents.

Remembering our servicemen and women

Remembrance Day is an important occasion at Capecare when we stop to honour the courageous men and women who have served and died for our country.

Individual ceremonial events were held at each of our facilities and were well attended by residents and staff.

Special thanks to Volunteer Barton Hatherly for providing musical accompaniment, resident Bob Muirson for his recital of In Flanders Field, and resident Nikolaus Selheim for laying a wreath at the Dunsborough service.

Thanks also to Rev Graham Lawn for officiating in Busselton. He is a regular visitor to Capecare, providing our monthly Christian church service, and thanks also to resident Glenys Reynolds.

And special thanks also to our Lifestyle Coordinator Megan Snitch for organising these moving and important events and to our hospitality team for providing morning and afternoon tea.

Lest We Forget.

Support at Home is Coming

The Australian Government’s new Support at Home Programme is launching on 1 November 2025, bringing important change to how older Australians receive in-home care.

If you are currently receiving Capecare’s home care services, or if you are exploring your options for the future, you may be wondering what the changes mean for you.

To make the transition easier, we have created a helpful guide to assist you in navigating the change and to explain how you can continue to access the care that you need to live safely and comfortably at home.

View and download HERE.

Dunsborough Art Exhibition opens

Our Dunsborough Artists in Residence opened their third annual art exhibition earlier this week.

This talented group paints together every Wednesday morning, transforming the Capecare Dunsborough café into a creative workspace with extra tables, easels, palettes, paints, brushes and jars of water.

It is a hive of activity and positivity, sharing in each other’s creativity. Everyone works on their own project, drawing inspiration from life experiences and the things we see around us.

The group is united by a love of art, no matter the skills or abilities.

Volunteers, family and friends assist our Lifestyle Coordinator Kuvita Kumar and our artists almost every week.

Featured in this year’s exhibition is an intergenerational artwork made with the help of our little friends from GEMS Prep School Dunsborough and assistance of Debbie from Bunnings Warehouse Australia in Busselton.

“The Tree of Life” is a collaborative collage made of individually hand painted pebbles and is inspired by Gustav Klimt’s painting of the same name.

The exhibition is open until Monday 7 July, paintings are for sale and all funds raised are used to buy art materials and artist quality resources.

Celebrating Our Capecare Nurses | International Nurses Day

At Capecare, we are proud to shine a light on the incredible work of our dedicated nursing team who care for clients and residents across Busselton, Dunsborough, and the wider South West community.

This International Nurses Day (12 May), we recognise and celebrate the compassion, expertise, and commitment our nurses bring to their roles every single day.

In the video linked below, we profile three of our amazing nurses, offering a glimpse into their day-to-day work and the meaningful relationships they build with those they support.

While we’re grateful for our nurses every day, 12 May — Florence Nightingale’s birthday — is a special reminder to honour the nurses in our lives.

Take a moment today to say thank you, check in, and show your appreciation.

With heartfelt thanks, From all of us at Capecare

Capecare International Nurses Day video

 

 

Crafting at Capecare Busselton

Capecare Busselton residents recently participated in some fun craft activities inspired by Waitangi Day, the national day of New Zealand. Maori poi balls, or pom poms, made of wool provided a colourful activity for Silvia, Rae, Uta and Norma with help from Lifestyle Coordinator Katrina Spillman. The balls will be joined together for decorations and for dancing props. As a member of the Lifestyle team, Katrina coordinates a range of daily activities for residents that might include gentle gym, crafts, beach and garden walks, music shows and concerts.

Thank you to our emergency services personnel

Our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the many volunteer and professional firefighters, police and emergency service personnel who kept our Dunsborough residents, staff and property safe yesterday. This photo shared by the Wallcliffe Volunteer Fire Brigade shows just how close the fire came, and also how much care was taken by the responders in making sure we were ok.

We’re grateful also for our wonderful staff who looked after Capecare residents so well throughout this emergency.

And many thanks to community members and families who were in contact throughout the afternoon and evening to check on our beautiful residents. 🙏

Capecare Dunsborough invites new residential care residents

Expressions of interest are now open for the 41 remaining beds at Capecare Dunsborough’s deluxe residential care facility, located just a short stroll to the beach and town centre.

Capecare Dunsborough is the town’s first and only residential aged care facility, opened in late 2021. Its residents enjoy premium accommodation, state-of-the-art facilities and high quality, personalised care.

Capecare CEO Tim Nayton said the rooms being released have not previously been used. “Capecare delayed opening the whole facility until we were confident it could be consistently, fully staffed with an exceptional care team.

“When Capecare Dunsborough opened two and a half years ago, we only released rooms in the two ground floor wings in a staged process,” he said.

“A stabilisation of staffing across both our Dunsborough and Busselton facilities has allowed us to move forward to release the remaining 40 rooms, which were designed with residents in mind.

“Much care was taken in the planning of bedrooms, bathrooms, living, dining and outdoor facilities to ensure the best quality of life for our Dunsborough residents.

“We hope to welcome new first-floor residents to this beautiful facility from November 2024 to early 2025 and look forward to operating at our full capacity.”

Capecare Dunsborough’s residential facility features plenty of natural light, fresh air and stimulating outlooks. Rooms are positioned around central courtyards, and many have bay windows.

Jon Farr, whose father was a resident of Capecare Dunsborough and Aunt Janet is a current resident, said he and his family’s experience with the facility had been nothing but positive.

“My Aunt moved into Capecare in June 2022 to be closer to Dad who lived in Busselton. After getting to know the facility my dad said he thought he might need to go into residential care, and when a room came up he also moved into Capecare in Dunsborough. About a year later another of my aunties moved in, so it was a family affair!”

“From the time we first connected with Capecare through to ongoing relationships with the whole team, the main thing is that they really make you feel welcome. And nothing ever seems to be too difficult,” he said.

“When my father passed away, we witnessed a very caring team of people who had cared for my dad, were caring for my aunties, and cared for us as a family as well.”

Capecare Dunsborough comprises a premium 82-bed residential care facility for people with high physical needs in a dementia-enabling environment, respite care, lifestyle and allied health services (occupational therapy, podiatry and physiotherapy), a cinema room, hairdresser, café and landscaped gardens with BBQ area.

The complex also features 21 independent living apartments and the new HQ for the Dunsborough Country Women’s Association (CWA).

To find out more about Capecare Dunsborough visit our Dunsborough residential page . To enquire about the rooms release and receive an information kit, contact the Capecare admissions team on 08 9750 2000 or email dunsadmissions@capecare.com.au.

 

Allied Health Open Day

Capecare provides a wealth of allied health offerings  to our community and our team of professionals hosted an Open Day on 31 July to showcase our services.

Held at our Busselton gym, the day was officially opened by our CEO Tim Nayton. Being a Physiotherapist himself, he spoke about the importance that allied health services play in the goal for many in our community to remain in their own home longer.

Our Allied Health ManagerAnthony Galati-Rando  spoke about our growing allied health team and the range of professionals we have on staff. Our physiotherapists, occupational therapists,  exercise physiologists and allied health assistants provide a variety of services from rehabilitation, equipment assessment or tailored programs to improve strength, mobility or cognition for the client, all depending on  their individual goals.

Community Manager Lesley Cunningham explained the community home care offerings and how Capecare can support clients in a range of services through CHSP or homecare package funding.

Visitors enjoyed a group class presentation and a tour of the gym with an explanation of the equipment and their purpose.

The group enjoyed morning tea together and took the opportunity to speak to staff from both the allied health and community home care teams.

Blooming beds for Capecare Dunsborough residents

Capecare Dunsborough residents have blooming vegetable and flower beds to enjoy thanks to generous support from Dunsborough Lions Club and Bunnings Busselton.

Eight raised garden beds were designed, constructed, and delivered to the facility to enable residents to participate in the planting and growing of decorative and edible plants kindly donated by Bunnings.

Dunsborough Lions members donated $25,000 to Capecare for this project plus Dementia-enabling equipment in December 2021.

Capecare Dunsborough Facility Manager Tammy Goddard said the completed garden beds would provide enrichment to their residents ‘lives.

“The garden beds were designed so that residents of all mobility levels could get involved in the project and see the fruits of their work grow,” she said.

“The conversations and reminiscence, together with digging in the soil and tending the plants is very uplifting to hear around the facility.

“To date it has been received very well with our residents and visitors. We definitely have some keen gardeners in our plot.”

The next step in the project is to paint the beds and Capecare is grateful to Dulux for donating this product.

 

Smiling lady in hat watering a raised garden bed in a courtyard

Capecare Dunsborough resident Nola Teakle taking care of a new garden bed.

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