Bupa Aged Care Willoughby

My Parents have been a resident for the last 4 years. Bupa Willoughby has had 6-8 different Managers over the 4 years.Since Babari has taken the role, as General Manager, I wanted to give you insight of her management & communication skills.Hand on my heart, Babari has been the best General Manager we have had up to date. (Please keep her with us, she is not allowed to leave).We have all faced unprecedented times, and with her thorough communication emails and zoom meetings, she has always endeavoured to keep us updated at all times.My Parents and my Brothers and I, always are comfortable to speak to Babari, she always makes us feel welcomed and gives us the opportunity to address any issues with have with an action plan. She is the only one, up to date, who seems to be in control and not frazzled with the pressure of managing this large aged care home.I also want to express, the level of staff of friendless and communication is second to none. The staff here are like family to us, who look after my Parents so well and in return greet us and treat us like family.I don’t know the logistics of what Babari does behind the scenes, but I can only see from the moment I step in the home. The centre, is always, immaculately clean, smells wonderful and the staff are impeccably professional and kind.You should be very proud of the management of Bupa Willoughby.

Our mum was Bupa Willoughby late last year and we had a very different experience from other reviews. Like any area that deals with care needs, be it hospitals, GP's, or other services family need to be part of the process. We had a very good experience, the staff were lovely and took great care of mum. We had our reservations initially given the reviews but these largely proved baseless. If you are in a situation where you have to put a loved one in care ensure you are an active participant so that you achieve the result you want.

Dad went into BUPA Willoughby initially for respite post hospital. It became obvious that full time care was needed, and after 6weeks or so in respite there, we new that he was in the best possible place. The staff from the GM Barbari through admin, clinical, lifestyle and basically the whole crew are wonderful happy caring making dad feel at home and looking after everything he or we need. The listen and take feedback really well and genuinely make dad feel special and is welcome. It’s a great spot with beautiful garden and large outdoor courtyard. Dad is very much at home after just a few months. I really recommend the spot, we feel lucky to have dad there in what really does feel a bit like a big family.

I have been a resident at BUPA Willoughby since March 2022. I quickly became used to the weekly activity-routines, the daily meal-routines, and the need for individual me-time. As you will realise by reading just this far, my health issues are physical, rather than mental.BUPA Willoughby has a well-balanced calendar of events which is updated monthly and caters for residents who yearn for either active or passive activities, depending upon their state of engagement. Activities like Art Club, Music Club, or Floral Club. Activities like Morning Walk, Gentle Exercises, Afternoon Movie, Bingo, or White-Board Quiz. Every Thursday afternoon there is a Happy Hour which all residents are encouraged to attend. The Lifestyle Team engage an entertainer (s) and serve refreshments, so it feels like our own nightclub.There are four dining rooms at BUPA Willoughby, with slightly staggered start times. Each room caters for about 15 residents, with another 15 per floor requiring meals in their room. This is often a joyous time of the day between residents and staff. I am continually pleased with both the quality and quantity of food, with the chef and his team providing nutritious fare whilst taking into account shifting cultural cuisines, as well as government guidelines. I choose to take my main cooked meal in the middle of the day, with soup and a bun in the early evening. I enjoy the luxury of grilled/fried seafood four times a week, and roast lamb with mint-jelly on a weekend. I am a big fan of personal agency, and might put in a request to the Chef (Alex) and GM (Babari) for a condiment carousel per table.Over the last twelve months, the weather has thrown everything at us it can. If it is raining, instead of negotiating my walker carefully around the neighbourhood, I walk around our circular corridor. If it is too hot, or too windy, my walker and I wobble around our glorious garden pathways where I take my full of Gardenias, Hydrangeas, Gingers, Frangipani, and Lavender.I am looking forward to the next twelve months with my new circle of friends.

My father has been at Bupa Aged Care Willoughby for a year now and I wanted to take this opportunity to recognise the exceptional care and attentiveness of all the staff. Barbari the General Manager and Sherry and Trasji are so professional and responsive to my family and all our needs and especially my father. I can’t thank enough all the RNs who watch over dad so carefully and I especially want to thank all of his daily carers. A huge thankyou to all his carers, Kai, Anita, Isha - I’m sorry I can’t remember all their names. They are the kindest people I have ever met both to my dad and my mum who visits every day. Thankyou so much I know your job is not easy and you always do it with a smile. Much love Marilyn and Samira

The care my father receives by staff, management, doctors and ancillary staff is beautiful. He is so happy and settled, at 95 his health has improved beyond belief, he loves the food and has gained weight. So much love!

I’ve been involved with Bupa Willoughby for a long while now, and I’m always proud to spend time there as a spokesperson for Koori Radio and as a member of the LGBT+ community.It made me emotional, learning that BUPA value their LGBT+ residents, as well as embrace opportunities for the whole community there to learn more about reconciliation, by honouring First Nations at their Cammeraygal home.There are some loving hearts and caring, open minds at Bupa Willoughby. Barbari, Izabel and Jordan particularly. I carry your loving smiles with me and when I think of Bupa Aged Care.

My mum has been at BUPA for almost 4 years. At the outset, it's a daunting experience finding an aged care home let alone coming to terms with putting a loved one into a home. Coming across BUPA Willoughby was a blessing but what a difference good management can make. Babari is brilliant, I've seen a few General Managers churn through the home in my time (some I had actually never met or spoken to) and didn't realise what a difference a really good GM can make to the operation and morale throughout the home. Who knew a GM in Aged Care could have a sense of humour as a personality trait?It's a tough gig for all workers in Aged Care and we are a very 'hands on' family in on-going care with my mum so, with being there so often, I really do know and see the enormous pressures they are under. I salute them and happy to ease their load in any way I can, but I always know my mother is happy and being looked after regardless of whether I'm there or not.From the management team to the assistant carers, there is always a smile, utmost care and I'm always made to feel like I'm visiting my mother at her home, not a facility. Beautiful gardens, courtyard and plenty of spaces to utilise internally, it is not your average aged care home. Nice decor and furnishings and, most importantly, excellent clinical care and meals.It has that family feel and it is good to be able to share a general laugh and conversation at all levels with all whom have basically become an extended part of our own family.It's easy to be critical but sometimes you really need to be empathetic and put yourself in their shoes, we only have our own loved one to concentrate on but sometimes forget there are some 80+ high care residents in the home that require 24/7 attention all at the same time. I thought I had a high-pressure stressful job in the corporate world but the world of Aged Care and increasing visits to hospitals has made me see things differently, I'm never saving someone's life.If you are researching Residential Aged Care in the Lower North Shore, give the new and improved BUPA Willoughby a call.

Struggling right now with the level of experience and with the management of Bupa Willoughby. Systems are antiquated and paper-based, very challenging to manage key metrics of more than 90 aged and often ill residents in folders and notebooks. This is impacting the ability of the home to manage my mother's health and well-being optimally. and in a way that makes the twilight of her life easier.I cannot fault the staff's caring and kindness - they are amazing: but this needs to be underpinned with the appropriate level of experience, training and accountability.

My mother lived at Bupa Willoughby from March 2021 until her recent death. She broke her hip back in October 2021 and was unable to return to independent living. Apart from some short-term memory loss, she had few major health issues and was probably at the lower end of the needs spectrum. My review should be read in the context of my mother's particular situation. I am not in a position to comment on how her experience would have been had her needs been greater.Overall, my mother and my family were very happy with how everything went for her at Bupa Willoughby. Managing an aged care home in the current funding environment is not easy, and we felt that they did a very good job under the circumstances. The home was comfortable and well maintained, with a lovely garden and break-out areas, good-sized rooms, and well positioned for outings to local cafes or walks on the leafy local streets.My family was very involved in my mother's care, and this I feel made a significant difference to the quality of life she enjoyed. I am very grateful to the Bupa management for doing everything possible to facilitate access during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was and is a difficult balancing act - protecting residents from the virus while keeping them connected with their loved ones. I felt that Bupa got the balance right, which cannot have been easy.Bupa Willoughby shares the challenges all aged care homes are experiencing. Government funding for aged care means that the important work undertaken by aged care workers is not as well remunerated as it should be. Most have to travel considerable distances to come to work, which was difficult with public transport turmoil at times. Retention of staff is difficult. If you have a family member going into aged care, it's important to have a good understanding of the challenges. We did, and we decided that it would require a high level of day-to-day involvement to ensure that our mother enjoyed a high quality of life. By way of example, my mother was a picky eater and we used to bring her things that she really enjoyed that went well beyond what an aged care home could realistically provide. The meals at the aged care home would have sufficed, but we wanted more than that and felt that it was up to us in that case.Despite the many challenges they face, we found all the Bupa Willoughby staff to be kind and eager to assist. My mother never complained once about the care provided to her. It is a big team, but the same kindness was offered by all , including the management team, the clinical care team, the nurses and assistant nurses, the physiotherapist, the chef and hospitality team, the recreation and activity team, the laundry and cleaning teams, and the maintenance team. I enjoyed getting to know many of them and knew they were trying their hardest. They were always looking for feedback so they could improve their performance.Thanks to all and keep up the good work!