Carine Parkside Care Community

Sam Carter

Went for a visit to research for a family member. I did not get good impression from this facility. Hopefully staff can improve their attitude towards people of colour. I felt totally ignored there (actually I was ignored several times) , staff immediately assumed that I was a new trainee. It's got all the bells and whistles of a modern facility, but it's lacking.. something.. One of the new staff seemed to love his job, this young dude. That dude made me give an extra star, up from one star.

Shel Lee

Massive facility great views , I’ve worked here quite a lot with agencies, I’ve gotten myself lost on a few occasions though staff have been very helpful and kind.

Michelle Weaver

I am delighted with the care, compassion and professionalism shown to my mum at Opal Carine. All of the staff show genuine interest in her wellbeing, and provide regular communication and updates. Opal also runs information evenings for families which are great, as it’s often difficult knowing how to help a loved one living in a care facility. There are a variety of activities for the residents, including art classes, outings, exercises, concerts, and the staff do a great job of encouraging the residents to join in. The facility is modern, spacious and extremely well maintained. It has a variety of indoor and outdoor casual areas, including a cafe, which are great for the residents for a change of scenery. The onsite hairdresser does a fantastic job, and there is also an onsite gym and physio. Most importantly mum’s happy living at Opal Carine and she also thinks the staff are lovely. They’re always very welcoming and it’s a pleasure to visit.

Diane Greenway

My first impression of this facility was nothing short of impressive. It is, after all, relatively new and therefore modern. The inside looks the same - big, spacious, well appointed. We were advised to look past those things and look at the personal side of things - the professionalism of staff, the interaction of staff with residents, the care we could see being provided. Initially we, my sister and I, were very impressed with what we saw - and it is likely many other families would agree with us as there are many residents. As time went on and Mum settled into her new residence it became apparent that all was not as good and glamorous as we were to initially led to believe. My sister is able to visit Mum daily. Her daily visits enabled her to see the shortcomings of this facility. It soon became apparent also, that she was not the only one who was disgruntled by the services provided or lack of services. Most residents pay for extra services - $41.75 per day - and this is just one part of a major issue with this facility. When we initially chose this place we were given a vague list of what 'extras' meant - it soon became obvious that they were definitely not being provided. Without going into major detail here - the residents paying this extra money were basically receiving the same care and experiences as those residents not paying the extra services fee - and even the basic care was lacking. The administration staff has changed numerous times in the past year or so and people have been brought in from their head office in Sydney to try and sort out the issues - however as advocates for our loved ones - we have been given a lot of lip service and, although there has been some effort to rectify some of the situations, it has not been particularly successful or ongoing. My sister has had numerous meetings - face to face, phone calls and video calls - to try and rectify these issues but none of these resulted in positive progress in resolving anything. We, and other advocates of residents, have made complaints to the Aged Care Commission and their investigation is ongoing. This facility is one of many in the Opal group of aged care facilities. It is definitely business first and care a seemingly lowly second. The carers provide quite good care however I believe they are overworked and underpaid and there is often a language barrier between the elderly residents and carers - the ratio between carers and residents is definitely not enough. When Mum moved into this facility we were asked what her needs were. Many of those have not been fulfilled and my sister has constantly had to engage with staff regarding those issues. Overall, they do not provide the level of care anyone should expect in such a facility. They seem to forget who their clients are - suggesting recently that they are listening what residents want and that it is unfortunate if families do not agree...many residents are suffering from dementia and others - simply because of their age and because they are of the generation they are - need family members to advocate for them in all areas of their lives there. They advertise and offer more than they provide. You will notice that they offer to meet with those who have concerns...and they do, but nothing changes. They wanted my sister to have a weekly meeting so she could tell them what they needed to fix!! Very, very disappointed with this facility.

Brenda Otway

I first viewed Opal Carine in October, 2018 and my initial impression was that it was a beautiful facility with lovely garden outdoor areas. The atmosphere was very relaxed, the staff were welcoming and the residents seemed happy and well looked after. When it became necessary to make the difficult decision to place my brother into residential care, my first thoughts were of Opal. As it was an extremely emotional time for me, I found the compassion and understanding of Alexi Lawes and the team extremely supportive in making his transition into care as smooth as possible. Since then, my brother has settled in well and has his own well-appointed room. He is comfortable and at home in a facility that is both welcoming and top class. His meal-times are enjoyed in a beautiful dining room with a variety of food offered that is cooked fresh daily. With the additional services like physiotherapy and a doctor on site, as a family, it gives us great peace of mind knowing my brother is happy and being looked after by staff making every effort to give him a high level of care. Thank you to everyone at Opal!