FAQs

What activities do you offer residents?

When residents first join us their interests and lifestyle choices form part of their overall care plan, and the monthly activities program that is put together by our full-time activities officer. The program offers a range of recreational activities that encourage mental stimulation, physical independence, friendship and a role in the wider community. Activities are offered five days a week and include:

  • exercises
  • concerts
  • weekly Church services
  • Happy Hour
  • hairdresser and beautician
  • bus trips.

If residents simply want some time to themselves, however, we have many quiet areas including a well-stocked library, a prayer room and a landscaped garden.

Is Bethel safe?

Residents can feel physically safe and secure at Bethel as we lock the door at 6pm. Any residents returning home after this time can ring the outside night bell to be let in.

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What are your fees?

Bethel charges a daily care fee. This fee is set by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing (DOHA). A full list of government fees and charges is available on its website.

Care fees cover items such as nursing and personal care, meals and recreation activities.

Please contact Empowered Living to find out more about Bethel’s fees.

What tourism sites and activities are nearby?

Bethel is just an hour from the beautiful Pokolbin Valley, one of Australia’s premier wine districts and home to such estates as Tyrell’s and Lindemans. Wineries offer tastings at the cellar door, and the bigger ones offer picnic or BBQ areas. If you want to sit down to a meal, there is a wide range of styles on offer from café and brasserie to fine dining.

Closer to home residents can enjoy Newcastle’s many different areas such as the Civic Cultural Precinct. This precinct features the city’s most prestigious venues such as City Hall and the Art Deco Civic Theatre, built in the 1920s. Or there are the glorious views from the Honeysuckle redevelopment of Newcastle’s waterfront. What were working wharves are now foreshore promenades and open squares that offer waterfront cafes and restaurants. The Promenade along the foreshore is an easy walk suitable for all the family.

For more ideas on what to do, visit Newcastle Tourism.

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What is the local public transport like?

Newcastle offers a comprehensive bus network and Bethel is a 5-minute walk from the nearest bus stop and a 10-minute walk to Waratah train station.

Meanwhile the regional transport network provides good coverage and residents can reach Central Station in Sydney in about 3 hours. For timetable details go to http://www.cityrail.info/index.jsp. To plan a regional trip on public transport you can phone the Transport Infoline on 131 500 or visit their website at http://www.131500.info/realtime/default.asp

What are the meals like?

We have a rotating menu plan that is overseen by a dietitian to ensure nutrition and hydration. We can cater to diabetic and other diet choices and residents can make suggestions for meals they’d like included. Residents have 24-hour access to food and drink with our staff happy to prepare a light snack in between meals.

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Does your facility smell nice and fresh?

Yes it does. We don’t want our home to smell like a hospital or institution - we want it to be like home for our residents. To make sure of this we have a professional cleaning firm here every day of the week.

Do you help residents shower?

Personal hygiene is incredibly important not only to the health of our residents, but to their general sense of well being. To make sure everybody gets the attention they need, Bethel is staffed 24 hours a day. Our staff help residents shower and provide massage and physiotherapy.

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