The MICRO TOWN® Model
At NewDirection Care, we have reimagined what aged care can be. Our MICRO TOWN® is not just a beautiful place to live, it is a vibrant community where residents live with freedom, purpose, and joy. With a unique small-house design, a bustling town centre, and free access to nature we empower individuals to live life on their own terms.
Here, there are no uniforms, no rigid schedules, and no locked doors—just personalized care, meaningful connections, and a place that really feels like home. Discover how our innovative approach supports every resident to thrive in a community that celebrates individuality, fosters independence, and offers opportunities to connect and engage every day.
A New Direction in Care
NewDirection Care is pioneering a revolutionary approach to aged care—one that looks, feels, and functions like a typical home in any Australian suburb. We have adopted a “dementia village” approach, without catering exclusively to people with dementia. NewDirection Care supports senior Australians as well as younger Australians with complex care needs with a variety of diagnoses and support needs in the same inclusive community.
Everything at NDC is underpinned by our values of individuality, community, relationships, respect and empathy. we challenge the institutional model of traditional aged care and focus on enabling residents to live their lives as closely as possible to what they have experienced in their own homes, with the necessary supports to ensure their care needs are met.
NDC takes a human rights approach to people who are living with dementia which includes a nil restraint philosophy. Being able to live as a valued and equal member of the MICRO TOWN® community means all residents, including those living with dementia, live in homes according to their lifestyle not diagnosis and are supported to be as independent as possible.
With 17 small, domestic-style homes spread across six streets, our MICRO TOWN® offers an inclusive, dementia-friendly environment where residents live together in comfort and dignity. Each home accommodates just seven residents, with private bedrooms, shared kitchens, cozy living spaces, and beautiful front and backyards, creating a warm and familiar atmosphere.
Our innovative model eliminates the rigid routines and segregation found in traditional facilities. Here, residents live on their own terms—getting up when they choose, cooking meals, visiting neighbours, or strolling to the town centre. Designed to maximize independence, our MICRO TOWN® includes a vibrant retail precinct with a café, corner store, beauty salon, cinema, and wellness hub. All these amenities are open to residents, visitors, and the wider neighbourhood meaning residents don’t lose access to the services and community that form a normal part of their lives.
We don't just provide care—we empower people to live their life. Our unique workforce model ensures staff blend seamlessly into the rhythm of each household, supporting residents with compassion and care. With a focus on individual needs, we foster involvement in daily routines, encouraging freedom of movement and social interaction.
At NewDirection Care, life doesn’t stop when you move into aged care. Come discover a place where the freedom of home follows you and every day is an opportunity to continue living your best life.
The NewDirection Care Difference
The MICRO TOWN® is more than a beautiful place to live, it is an innovative model that
has redefined aged care—a community that offers more than just care, the MICRO TOWN® offers freedom, choice, and dignity. Unlike traditional task-focused facilities with regimented schedules, life at NewDirection Care empowers residents to live independently and follow their own routines. Whether it’s cooking a meal, going to bed when they choose, or spending the day socializing with neighbours, every resident has the autonomy to live life on their terms.
The 17 domestic-style homes each accommodate only seven residents, fostering meaningful relationships and eliminating the isolation often found in traditional care settings. There are no locked doors or memory support units here—residents with dementia live alongside others, participating fully in a vibrant, inclusive environment. With free access to gardens, parks, and our bustling town centre, residents stay connected to the world around them, enjoying amenities like a café, cinema, corner store, wellness hub, and more.
Our highly skilled team don’t wear uniforms—they wear casual clothes – and everyone from House Companion™ Support Worker to Management provide personalized support. Forming close, relationship-based connections with residents, their families and visitors.
At NewDirection Care, we believe that a diagnosis doesn’t define a person. Here, residents continue to pursue hobbies, enjoy time outdoors, and play an active role in their community. With access to pets, social activities, and professional services on-site, life at in the MICRO TOWN® is rich and engaging. It’s a place where the freedom of home follows you, and living well is possible at every stage
A globally recognised leader, NewDirection Care has inspired and shown others what is possible. While often emulated the MICRO TOWN® is never replicated, people may adopt elements of our unique model but never the whole – there is no one like NewDirection Care or our MICRO TOWN® communities in Australia!
A New Workforce for a New Direction in Care
At NewDirection Care, our commitment to innovative and reinvent aged care extends to the workforce, where we’ve redefined traditional task-focused roles to prioritize individualised support for each resident. Central to our approach is the House Companion™ Support Worker—a pioneering, multi-skilled position unique to NewDirection Care. While others may say they have similar roles, no one offers the full scope and depth of support provided by this unique role developed by NewDirection Care. House Companion™ Support Worker’s operate within each home, assisting with daily activities like cooking, personal care, medication management, household routines and much more, all while fostering meaningful, relationship-based connections with the residents who live there.
House Companion™ Support Worker’s are part of a larger, multi-disciplinary team that includes Clinical Managers, Registered Nurses, Dementia Specialists, Allied Health Professionals, Lifestyle & Events, NDIS team members and more. Together, they deliver a holistic and comprehensive care model that addresses each resident’s physical, emotional, and social well-being. By working collaboratively, our team ensures that every resident receives highly personalized care tailored to their individual needs, allowing them to live with the freedom, dignity, and community connection that defines life at NewDirection Care.
Every team member is recruited based on NewDirection Care’s core values—individuality, community, relationships, respect, and empathy—and undergoes rigorous multi-disciplinary training. This comprehensive induction program includes training on dementia care, nutrition, first aid, personal care, and more, with ongoing professional development to ensure residents and their loved ones receive the highest quality support.
Living Life with Purpose and Joy
This innovative workforce model is unique to NewDirection Care, no other aged care provider in Australia offers this.With a dedicated and highly skilled team focused on relationships, autonomy, and holistic support, we create a truly special community where residents live their lives with purpose and joy, every day.
Just Like Home – Because it is Home
If you are looking for something more than traditional aged care then our friendly MICRO TOWN® is the answer. For more information or general queries, reach out through our contact form or call us on 07 3505 3201. Alternatively, you can contact us on [email protected].