Friendship blossoms as the first residents settle into their new home at BaptistCare Glendale Lodge

They've only called BaptistCare Glendale Lodge in Elderslie, NSW, home for a few weeks, but the first residents to move into the newly opened aged care home have become firm friends and are excited to grow their community. 

May and Tom have been married for 58 years, and moving into BaptistCare Glendale Lodge has allowed them to be together again and do their favourite things. 

“I had been in the hospital and May had been at home,” explained Tom.

“When it became clear I couldn’t go home, we needed to find something that was going to work because we didn’t want to be apart.” 

“All I wanted was to be with May. She was able to visit me in the hospital, but it’s not the same as being with each other each day or watching the football together and holding her hand,” said Tom. 

While Tom was in the hospital, May started looking for their next home together. 

“I came and looked around and thought everything was beautiful,” May said. 

“The people are great, and we have made this lovely community where we can go on walks together and get to know each other,” she said. 

The first residents of BaptistCare Glendale Lodge have quickly formed a tight-knit community supported by the expert care team and “Household” model of aged care.

With 96 beds organised into cosy households of 16 residents, BaptistCare Glendale Lodge looks and feels like a family home. 

In each household, residents enjoy shared living, dining, and leisure areas that connect to private bedrooms. This, paired with state-of-the-art, specialised care and support from the BaptistCare teams, creates an industry-leading model of aged care. 

Betty, another of the new residents at BaptistCare Glendale Lodge, was quick to take advantage of the services on offer at the home.

“I was one of the first clients in the salon here getting my hair and nails done. They really pampered me,” she said. 

Betty and May will be part of the official welcoming party for new residents as they arrive at the home, helping to show them around and settle in. 

“I’m excited for more people to arrive because this is just a beautiful home and everyone is so lovely. The staff, the residents, everyone is great,” Betty said. 

With more residents set to move in over the coming weeks, Nirusha Shrestha, BaptistCare Glendale Lodge Manager, said the home is starting to come alive. 

“I’ve been here since this was a building site and you’d walk in and there were wires out of the walls and everything in the process of being built,” she said. 

“To see it now, with residents and staff all getting comfortable and getting to know each other, the home is really coming to life.”

“I have a wonderful team who do such great work and we’re really excited to welcome more residents and continue growing our community,” Nirusha said. 

BaptistCare Glendale Lodge neighbours BaptistCare Angus Bristow Retirement Village and BaptistCare Narralling Community, creating a vibrant multi-generational community and integrated care and support services for people at all stages of life. 

BaptistCare is proud to be a part of the Macarthur community and play a role in supporting Macarthur seniors to live and age well without having to leave their community.