One-Stop Support In Assisted Living

A white and grey toned bathroom fitted with assisted living products

The aged care sector can be a reliable income stream for builders, and here’s how Bunnings Trade provides specialist support.

The aged care sector can be a reliable income stream for builders; there’s a constant need for qualified tradies to produce new units and install compliant products for assisted living. But working in this area does come with challenges, perhaps the biggest being keeping up with the ever-evolving list of affordable products that also need to meet Australian standards.

It’s an ongoing problem that builders, aged care facilities and Bunnings Trade have been trying to solve together.

“Bunnings Trade is critical for the healthcare industry because there is just so much demand to have these buildings maintained and kept in good order,” Drago Kozuh, maintenance manager at Victorian aged care provider MecwaCare, says.

Bunnings business development manager James Peterson says the co-ordinated effort is helping to make the obstacles more surmountable.

“The builder, Bunnings Trade and MecwaCare, for example, are working together,” he says. “Builders are able to buy the product at a low-cost price and they’re getting it quickly. MecwaCare is then getting it installed on time at the right price and Bunnings Trade is supporting all of that.”

Want to know more? Here are just some of the ways Bunnings Trade is working with the sector.

Tip: Always wear the appropriate safety equipment (safety glasses, gloves and a mask, for example) when required on the job. Always follow the instructions for the product or equipment.

Constantly updating the Assisted Living ranges

Maintenance of aged care facilities goes beyond the built environment with the need for specialised furniture, fixtures and equipment. Bunnings Trade can support this by supplying both typical and specialist building materials, as well as a wide range of Assisted Living products to fit out the space.

“We cover almost everything,” James says. “There’s taps, grab rails, basins, wall coverings, and even wheelchairs, walking sticks and walkers.”

There is also everything needed for bathroom and bedroom safety. “The range needs to be high quality, and compliant, and up to scratch with innovations.”

Creating a one-stop shop

MecwaCare manages 1500 beds across Victoria, and that means lots of repairs and equipment. “We don’t always have as many hours in the day as we’d like to, so we’ll reach out to [our Account Manager],” Drago says. “She’ll co-ordinate the stock and have it delivered to site so the maintenance officer can focus on what he needs to do.”

Ensuring personalised Assisted Living service

Account Managers take the stress out of the daily tasks, but the type of support you need depends on the scale of the job and complexity of your business. Bunnings Trade can provide specialist support to build out a product selection, pricing and tendering through the Assisted Living team, who also work with your Account Manager to deliver the right solution.

There are also Account Managers specifically for helping builders working for aged care companies. “The Account Manager takes orders, makes sure the stock is there and manages the delivery to site,” James says.

Drago adds that knowing he has support from Bunnings Trade helps to ease the mental load. “Having a Bunnings Trade Account Manager has relieved me of a lot of stress,” he says.

A woman with long blonde hair talks to a Bunnings Warehouse red shirt about the Assisted Living range]