Healthy Communities
1. Supporting Medical Pathways and Allied Health at CQUniversity
2. Supporting Fitzroy Community Hospice
3. Supporting CQShines Foundation
4. Aged Care resort facilities
The health care and social assistance industry is the region’s largest employer. As a priority project, Capricorn Enterprise promotes the Rockhampton/Capricorn Coast region as a major health hub.
The delivery of professional hospital, health and medical services across the greater Central Queensland region is critical for the ongoing well being of the entire community.
Capricorn Enterprise is engaging and partnering with hospital and health services groups and training providers to progress the delivery of regional healthcare objectives including innovative, effective and efficient healthcare, advanced service delivery, clinical and allied health training. In alliance with our partners, we will support endorsed priority initiatives and strategies to ensure that programs, projects and initiatives, including the development of appropriate infrastructure to support the growth of health, hospital and medical services throughout the region, are appropriately funded and implemented.
Medical Pathways and Allied Health at CQUniversity
Central Queensland is a hub for doctors of the future with the State Government investing $5.4 million in a local training program that will enable medical students to complete their education without leaving the region. Local training assists student retention and contributes to a greater change of them making their careers in Central Queensland.
CQUniversity Australia invites students who have just graduated from Year 12 to become part of the next generation of doctors positively impacting the health of regional and rural communities through the pathway to a medical degree in Rockhampton. Thanks to partnerships with the local hospital and health services, students enrolled in the program develop hands-on experience and build professional networks. On completion of the undergraduate degree, students have the opportunity for direct entry into the University of Queensland’s Doctor of Medicine Program.
With a range of allied health and diagnostic imaging courses, including chiropractic, health science, occupational therapy, oral health, physiotherapy, podiatry and speech pathology, also on offer, the university enables students to pursue a variety of career options. The Rockhampton Health Clinic provides a practical learning environment for students under the clinical supervision of registered health professionals and offers a range of services which are available to CQUniversity staff and students as well as the wider community/general public.
Are you considering a career move or lifestyle change?
Watch the video (created in collaboration with the CQ Health Alliance) below for a little more information about our destination.
Fitzroy Community Hospice
Capricorn Enterprise supports Fitzroy Community Hospice, a not-for-profit charitable organisation establishing a hospice in Rockhampton to provide much needed palliative care and support services for Central Queenslanders with an incurable illness.
Care will be provided at no charge to our community.
The build is complete and the Hospice is aiming to be open in June 2024.
CQShines Foundation
Capricorn Enterprise supports the CQShines Foundation in its mission to deliver hope through life-changing medical research, and improved care in our public hospitals and services in the community.
Aged Care resort facilities
About ageing
The Capricorn Coast and Rockhampton region is home to a higher proportion of persons aged 50 years and over than Queensland, with 16.1% of the population aged 65 years and over. Ensuring that our region offers a full range of solutions and services to support the health and wellness of our ageing population is a priority.
Declining health is the number one cause for concern for seniors and the most influential factor triggering people to consider moving into a retirement village, while others make the move looking for a lower maintenance lifestyle. Quite often the family home has become too big, the yards and gardens increasingly more difficult to maintain, the house more challenging to clean, and just as soon as everything is tended to, the cycle starts all over again.
Being around like-minded others in a secure community environment can bring a great sense of peace and comfort to residents and their families. Loneliness, a loss of a spouse or simply coming to the realisation that the area in which you live has changed significantly and people have moved on, may also influence the decision to move.
Over 55s Retirement Living
Oak Tree Retirement Villages in Central Queensland
Oak Tree Retirement Villages are committed to helping Central Queensland residents gain more from their retirement by offering an affordable purchase model priced to suit all budgets from $175,000 in Park Ave to $365,000 in Norman Gardens (as at February 2020). The company has invested over $60 million into Central Queensland with four (4) villages – two (2) on the Capricorn Coast and two (2) on in North Rockhampton.
Oak Tree Retirement Villages understands that the transition into a village lifestyle can be an overwhelming one. Villages are smaller in scale – an intentional decision to help encourage a closer-knit community environment where you can form new friends easily, belong and contribute as part of a community, feel a sense of security and still live independently with all of the freedom and privacy you deserve.
The purpose built villages in Central Queensland deliver a supportive infrastructure that enables local seniors to stay and thrive within the local communities they know and love. Increasing numbers of seniors are making a sea/tree change to Central Queensland for many other reasons too:
- to be closer to family
- downsizing to a more affordable option a great transition option for retiree rural community members with the bonus of being close to boarding schools where students can readily visit
- a growing trend for over 55’s to move into retirement villages BEFORE they retire
- fixed costs as most maintenance services are included
All CQ Villages are gated communities that are staffed, during business hours by a Village Manager, and casual gardener/handyman, who help manage and maintain the village to ensure everything runs accordingly. All included in the one low weekly fee.
While the 4 CQ Villages are different, each village offers a selection of facilities and services for enjoyment by residents and their families. Village activities are varied and usually driven by the individual village community. Activities can include:
- morning teas
- fundraising events
- computer training
- exercise classes
- happy hour
- private ‘milestone’ birthday parties, anniversaries or other significant events
At the heart of all of our villages are our Village Community Centres. Essentially the social hub where all activity takes place, complimented by an outdoor swimming pool or bowls green, or both in some cases.
Whilst Oak Tree Retirement Villages are independent living communities, particular attention is paid to supporting residents’ health and well-being, now and in the future, as needs change:
- villas are designed for aging in place: smaller in size for easy maintenance, designed to eliminate, where possible, unnecessary steps, bending/reaching, and slip hazards.
- Oak Tree residents can access in-home care from any number of local care service providers.
Learn about the Oak Tree Retirement Village history here. Review frequently asked questions here.
The 4 villages in Central Queensland are:
Future Aged Care Development
Benevolent Living
A $44 million development at Benevolent Living’s West St aged care facility, to include 158 new residential units, a town centre precinct and community gardens, has Rockhampton Regional Council development approval. This development will transform the traditional medical model into a reinvigorated residential care with a new social lifestyle model focusing on health, wellness, mining and purpose as well as clinical care to meet future needs. Construction is expected to begin mid-2020 and be spread over four years.
For more information please email – frankedwards@capricornenterprise.com.au
Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) 2017-18 National Health Survey (NHS) results found that over half (56.%) of Australians aged 15 years and over considered themselves to be in excellent or very good health.
As at 30 June 2019, there were 36 aged care services in the Capricorn Coast and Rockhampton region with 1,138 aged care service operational places. Of these, 1090 are for residential care, 3 are for home care and 45 are for restorative care. Within the region, the largest number of operational places (343) was located within The Range – Allenstown suburbs.
At the time of the 2016 Census, there were 3,399 persons aged 65 years and over who had a need for assistance with core activities; 673 of these lived alone.
10,486 persons in the region provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability.
