Texas residents rally to fund local aged-care home on Queensland border

A community group in Texas, Queensland, is raising money to buy a 3.5-hectare site for a private aged-care facility, aiming to keep seniors close to home.

In the small Queensland town of Texas, where the median age is 53, there is currently no aged-care facility, prompting a community-led initiative to build one. The Texas Care Foundation Limited, a board of local volunteers, has earmarked a 3.5-hectare parcel and aims to raise $750,000 over the next twelve months to purchase it. Joan White, whose husband Alan was placed in an aged-care home 120 kilometres away after a heart attack, is a leading advocate, citing personal experience to prevent other families from facing similar separation.

Seniors such as Brian and Annette Mearns, and other residents, voice concerns about being forced to relocate far from family. Rural GP Colin Owen argues that staying in one’s hometown offers better support for dementia patients. Local business owner Warwick Trim, a board member, stresses that the facility will serve current and future generations of Texas residents.