Resthaven Mitcham

In March 1960, three acres of land at Hill Street, Mitcham, was purchased, along with land at Westbourne Park, for around £25,000. Plans for the future Resthaven Mitcham included 19 aged care beds and sponsored units, which required a contribution towards capital costs upon taking up residence.

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On 7 April 1962, Resthaven Mitcham was officially opened by Sir Thomas Playford, Premier of South Australia. It was an extraordinary event, attended by a crowd of 1,500 people. Starting in 1961, the build took 12 months, with residents moving into the accommodation shortly before the official opening.

On 15 June 1973, the start of a new site development was marked with the turning of the sod. Just over a decade since the home opened, a new infirmary was to be built.

Celebrating the home’s 25th anniversary (calculated from when the first residents moved in, not the official opening ceremony), a formal dinner was held for residents, who all dressed in their finery. Staff volunteered their time to serve the three-course meal.

To bring efficiencies across all of Resthaven, a decision was made to establish a central laundry at Resthaven Mitcham, where all linens and clothing would be laundered.

With months of planning involved, the home held a Spring Fete and raised more than $6,200. The 'Friends of Resthaven' supported the fete and also purchased two wall-mounted hair dryers for the newly designed hairdressing salon. The fundraised money was used to update furnishings, including colour-coordinated curtains, which helped make the surroundings feel more homely.

On 11 November 1988, Resthaven experienced a major fire, with flames engulfing the central laundry at Resthaven Mitcham. Luckily, staff were quick to respond, and the fire did not spread to other areas of the building. Because of the fire, Resthaven moved to contracting their laundry work.

An automatic sprinkler system was installed at Resthaven Mitcham in the latter part of the year, which enhanced the lawn and garden areas. Around this time, through the generosity of the Mitcham Rotary Club, the home gained a new patient lifting machine at a cost of $3,490.

The destroyed central laundry building was rebuilt to house a smaller domestic laundry, housekeeper’s office, chemical storage and maintenance workshop. This resulted in less noise near the hostel units and a work environment more conducive to safe and efficient work practice. Additional fundraising was spent on developing an attractive courtyard area outside the offices and shop.

As part of the new ‘Community Links’ program, residents warmly welcomed Resthaven Community Services clients to the home on Saturdays. The program provided a hot midday meal and an opportunity to socialise for those who were isolated and/or in need of nutrition. A dedicated team of volunteers supported the initiative by offering transport to clients.

To make the rooms more comfortable for residents, a $150,000 upgrade to the air conditioning system was instigated.

Redevelopment of Resthaven Mitcham’s nursing home commenced early in the year, with Stage 1 completed and Stage 2 building commencing by June 1992. Total completion was achieved in December 1992, with an Open Day held in April 1993. As part of the upgrade, bathroom facilities were added adjacent to the dining room and fire hydrants were upgraded.

In association with the Mitcham Council, Resthaven Mitcham participated in a national pilot program to bring Resthaven services into the homes of older people.

The home held a ‘Big Birthday Party’ on 2 April 1995 to celebrate 60 years of operation for Resthaven.

Resthaven Mitcham participated in a successful project in which acute patients from the Flinders Medical Centre would be discharged early to recover at the home.

Residents were given the opportunity to take part in an educational program to teach them about using computers.

In keeping with modern standards of living, four of the home’s hostel units underwent an upgrade.

In celebrating ‘International Year of Older Persons’, Resthaven Mitcham was involved in numerous initiatives. A bus shelter was constructed in the nursing home garden, courtesy of the efforts of local member, Martin Hamilton-Smith, and the Mitcham Council.

Planning commenced for an upgrade at the site, including the eventual construction of a hostel (self-care rooms). The redevelopment commenced with transferring administration and reception facilities to an area previously used as the hostel lounge.

A large screen television was financed from interest income from the Resthaven Development Fund, extending the activities that residents were able to enjoy.

Despite wet conditions, considerable progress was made to the home’s major redevelopment. With the hostel build commencing the year prior, Stage One was completed early in the year, with a new 14-place high-care wing increasing capacity to 47 places. The second stage, featuring a 60-bed low care facility and new entrance to the site, commenced in February 2004, with significant changes to work routines needed to accommodate the build.

Following completion of the $10.8 million building program in June 2006, the upgraded residential care home was officially opened by the Minister for Ageing, Senator Santo Santoro on 28 August 2006.

Staff and residents at Resthaven Mitcham assisted the peak body, Aged and Community Services SA & NT, in developing a film to highlight issues facing the aged care industry. This film was screened as the introduction to the National Conference in Adelaide in September 2008.

Resthaven Mitcham celebrated Resthaven’s 75th anniversary with a fete.

Beginning in August 2010, Resthaven worked collaboratively with the ‘WORX’ respite program to provide respite for working carers, using vacant units at Resthaven Mitcham.

Witha significant investment made to the Resthaven ICT department, nurse call systems were upgraded at the home.

Resthaven Mitcham celebrated its 50th anniversary.

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On 21 November 2012, a dedicated ‘learning hub’ area for nursing students was launched at Resthaven Mitcham, in conjunction with the University of Adelaide. A second hub was also established at Resthaven Paradise for medical students.

On 9 October 2014, Resthaven Mitcham hosted seven international theology and nursing students from Japan, who were studying English at Flinders University. They visited the home to learn about the home’s chaplaincy, lifestyle and volunteer programs. Groups from the same university travelled to the home again on two occasions over the following two years.

Planning approval was granted for a major redevelopment of the home. The purpose was to provide all resident rooms with individual ensuite bathrooms, thus eliminating shared rooms and facilities (except for purposefully allocated rooms suitable for a couple to share).

To ensure safety and business continuity in the event of an unexpected power failure, a generator was installed at the home.

Resthaven Mitcham held at afternoon tea on 20 June 2017 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the formation of the Uniting Church.

On 28 September 2018, the completion of the $14 million major site redevelopment was officially celebrated with a cake cutting ceremony.

Residents celebrated Resthaven’s milestone 85th anniversary with a garden party in October 2020. Being held outside, COVID-19 measures were easier to uphold, with social distancing enforced to keep all guests safe.

Resthaven trialled the ‘Tovertafel’ game console, a unique interactive projection system. Tovertafel blended physical and cognitive stimulation, making it an ideal activity for individuals with cognitive challenges or special needs.