Celebration marks new owners at Rahiri

Rahiri resident Mary Fraser cuts the cake at a celebration to mark the change of ownership of the home.

A new name, new signage and new uniforms are the main changes under Rahiri Lifecare Limited’s new owners - otherwise, it’s business as usual.

New Zealand Aged Care Services Limited officially took over on July 1 and a low-key celebration to mark the event was held two weeks after that.

New Zealand Aged Care Services Limited general operations and clinical manager Pam Joll said the celebration was to mark the end of something and the beginning of something new.

“Rahiri will continue to have the same great staff. There will be no new faces, no new people.”

Rahiri previously offered a day-stay programme to the wider community, and this has been reinstated under the new owners.

Joll said day-stays were an important part of socialisation and support and made a difference in people’s lives.

“We are happy to say that we have opened the doors for people who would like to spend a day, a week, or however long they need.”

She said one of the reasons it was important to do this was because of the gap that the closure of Dannevirke’s Elske Centre had left.

“I feel really blessed to say that we are doing that. Places like Rahiri and Waireka in Pahīatua are very much a part of the community, and we want to be part of that as well.”

New Zealand Aged Care Services Limited was a reasonably small group that was established two and a half years ago.

“We now have 10 homes throughout the country, including two in Dunedin, and we are completely New Zealand-owned and operated.”

As well as acquiring Rahiri, the group also took over Waireka and another home in Dargaville at the same time.

While the company was relatively new, Joll said the group’s senior management had 25 to 30 years of experience in running rest homes.

Rahiri manager Tina Broad said she was pleased the home was again able to offer day-stays. They are available to people who have subsidised hours or private individuals across all levels of care.

The day-stay hours were flexible to suit individual needs, starting from 8am right through to providing the evening meal.

“Respite care is also available for a minimum of a week, although generally, if those caring for a family member are stressed, they often need a fortnight.”

Rahiri was opened in 1965 and was owned by Presbyterian Support.

The hospital wing was opened in 1998. It was built to house continuing care patients after Dannevirke Hospital closed.

Over the years, Rahiri has had a number of other owners, including Anglican Care, Oceania and most recently Bupa.