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Jimbelunga Nursing Centre is a residential aged care service in Eagleby, south of Brisbane, on Yugambeh Country. It is owned and operated by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service Brisbane, an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation. The service was formed to meet the cultural and spiritual needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people but is also inclusive of people from other cultures in the wider community. The Jimbelunga model of care is relationship-based and built around four core values: connection, diversity, self-determination and healing. Jimbelunga supports residents with a wide range of needs, including aged care, dementia, mental health, disability and complex medical conditions.
This case study shows why aged care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people cannot be separated from culture, family, community and history. Many residents are living with the effects of colonisation, including direct or intergenerational impacts of the Stolen Generations. Residents may also be living with poverty, homelessness, trauma, disability, social disadvantage or disrupted family relationships alongside their care needs. In this context, a community-led model matters because it builds care around cultural safety, belonging, dignity, identity and healing rather than relying only on standard clinical care routines.
Jimbelunga’s model of care is built around relationships between residents, staff, families, community, place and history. Connection is treated as more than social contact. It includes connection to culture, Country, family and community, including for residents who are living away from home Country. Diversity is also part of the model, with Jimbelunga aiming to reflect community life and support a diverse resident group across age, background, diagnosis and life experience.
Self-determination is a foundation of trauma-informed care. Residents are supported to make choices about activities, care and engagement, even where those choices carry some risk. Healing is understood broadly as physical, spiritual, psychological and emotional wellbeing. Together, these elements support a model of care that responds to the whole person and their lived experience.
Before admission, staff discuss who is important in the person’s life and how those relationships can continue. New residents are often welcomed with a special meal, and family is encouraged to attend to support the transition. Care planning includes understanding culture background and needs, being shaped by each resident’s history, beliefs and lived experience.
Trauma-informed behaviour support is also built into care planning, including identified triggers and responses that work for the individual. Day-to-day support is shared across Jimbelunga, ATSICHS Brisbane, the IUIH network and other external providers, with the resident at the centre.
Implementation was supported by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership and governance through ATSICHS Brisbane and Jimbelunga. The model is also supported by integrated primary health, allied health and specialist services through ATSICHS Brisbane and the IUIH network. Staff who can build personal and cultural connection with residents are an important part of the approach. A buddy system for new staff supports rapport, trust and continuity before independent work begins. Culturally safe orientation, early relationship-building and care planning are part of implementation, not separate add-ons. The physical environment also supports the model, including natural outdoor features and spaces that help residents maintain connection to Country and community.
This example shows that a community-led model of care is not only about service ownership. It is also about how governance, staffing, admission, care planning, relationships, environment and service partnerships work together in daily care. For providers and leaders, the case study highlights the value of designing care around community connection, cultural authority and individual life history rather than around tasks alone. For workers, it shows the importance of understanding what matters to the person, who matters to them, and what experiences may shape how care is received.
Community-led care is strengthened when it is grounded in Aboriginal Community Controlled governance and strong local cultural leadership. Relationship-building should begin before admission and continue through orientation, care planning and daily routines. Trauma-informed care requires staff to understand history, not only symptoms or behaviour. Choice, belonging and healing should be treated as core parts of care quality. Diversity can be used positively to reflect community life and support connection across residents, families and staff. Integrated partnerships can help community-led models sustain both cultural care and clinical care around the resident.
This evidence-based example has been adapted from the original Jimbelunga Nursing Centre's model of care report and an interview with Belinda Charles, Operations Manager at Jimbelunga, to fit ARIIA’s case study format. For full detail and context, refer to the original report or the interviewee in the link provided.