Yutjuwala Dijwar (case study): Community-led model of care
Key messages
- Yutjuwala Djiwarr (‘Little Heaven’) is located in Nhulunbuy on Yolŋu Country. Yutjuwala Djiwarr is a culturally responsive aged care home designed through deep community co-design and community leadership, with Yolŋu Elders and families shaping both the physical environment and the model of care.
- The built environment enables older Yolŋu people to remain on Country for aged, palliative and dialysis care, supported by a model of care grounded in Yolŋu values, family structures and ways of living.
- Participatory design was central to overcoming historical barriers, particularly site selection and regulatory constraints, ensuring the service reflected community-defined understandings of “good care.”
- The project demonstrates how culturally grounded, community-led design can meet stringent compliance while delivering culturally safe environments.
- The model strengthens community connection and local workforce participation. It supports continuity of culture, language and care through trust, local control and shared ownership.
About this case study
This case study of Yutjuwala Dijwar focuses on the built environment as a pillar for culturally safe aged care, highlighting how community co-design shapes the physical care environment, as well as, the model of care, that operates within it.
The project illustrates how place-based design, informed by Indigenous knowledge and ways of living, can fundamentally reshape how aged care is delivered in remote First Nations communities - where the community members are the key designers of the model of care and the environment that supports it, rather than passive recipients of the services delivered.
Why this is important
After 20 years of dedicated advocacy into a local care facility for older Yolŋu people, Yutjuwala Djiwarr finally came to fruition. Historically, older Yolŋu people requiring aged or palliative care were forced to relocate to Darwin, resulting in:
- Disconnection from Country, culture, language and family
- Emotional and spiritual distress at the end of life
- Loss of Elders’ ongoing cultural and community leadership roles.
Yutjuwala Djiwarr responds by enabling care on Country. It centres care around Yolŋu needs, preferences and ways of growing older, while supporting self-determination, cultural continuity and national aged care standards.
How the approach worked
Community co-design from the outset
Co-design began at the earliest and most critical stage - site selection. Previous aged care projects in Nhulunbuy had stalled at this point. Through patience and iterative dialogue, the community reached consensus to build on an unused hockey field near the town centre, with views to Banyan trees and the football oval.
This early decision-making power reinforced a community-led model of care, where location, outlook and accessibility were determined by what mattered most to Elders and families, rather than by service convenience or provider requirements.
Participatory design process
The architects of the aged care facility undertook extensive travel across Yolŋu Country over 3 years, meeting repeatedly with Elders, families and community members. Engagement was ongoing and relationship-based, with design concepts evolving slowly through listening, repetition and trust-building.
Elders’ voices validated departures from conventional aged care layouts and enabled “outside-the-box” thinking while maintaining compliance. Importantly, this process ensured the building supported Yolŋu-led care practices, including family presence, ceremony, language use and connection to land as integral components of care.
Implementation supports
Several factors supported successful implementation:
- Time and patience built into the design process
- Strong partnerships between the community, architects and aged care provider
- Regulatory negotiation, ensuring compliance without compromising cultural intent
- Local material sourcing, including timber milled near Nhulunbuy
- Alignment with community aspirations, not just service delivery requirements
- Co-design also supported community trust in the aged care provider, ARRCS (UnitingCare), strengthening long-term sustainability and enabling the service to operate within a community-endorsed, culturally orientated model of care.
What this means for practice (implications)
This case study demonstrates that:
- National aged care standards can be met without defaulting to standardised, institutional designs
- Built environments can actively support cultural safety, rather than simply accommodating it
- Early and genuine community involvement reduces project risk and increases acceptance of the provider by First Nations clients and their families as well as the broader community
- Place-based design can be a core care strategy, not an add-on or a ‘nice to have’
- Physical environments and care models are intertwined; together they can create a home that welcomes and enhances the opportunities for family participation and cultural practices.
For practitioners, this highlights the critical role of embedding co-design across planning, procurement and delivery, especially for providers operating within Indigenous communities and delivering services primarily to First Nations clients, where care must be shaped by community, not imposed upon community.
Practice learning (lessons)
Connection to Country matters
- Every resident room has three outward-facing views, maintaining visual connection to Country even for those with limited mobility
- Indoor and outdoor spaces are seamlessly connected
- Gardens feature Yolŋu-selected plants grown from seeds collected on Country
- Yolŋu flora and fauna patterns are embedded throughout the building.
Family- and community-centred design
- Dedicated spaces support family gatherings, ceremony and sorry business
- Accommodation pods allow family members to stay with residents
- Verandas attached to each pod enable outdoor sleeping for residents and families
- Areas are provided for fires, bush medicine preparation and pets.
Culturally informed spatial design
- The home is organised around a central hearth rather than a conventional administration hub
- Open-air walkways symbolise both a landing gull and the Christian cross, reflecting layered cultural identities.
Workforce and community benefits
- Local employment and training opportunities enable people to remain in community, which enables important cultural knowledge exchange
- Residents communicate in first language with staff and family
- Family proximity strengthens informal care and communication with the workforce
Together, these elements support a higher likelihood of a locally based, culturally fluent workforce.
Managing barriers
- Regulatory compliance posed challenges due to non-standard layouts
- Each design departure required careful assessment and negotiation
- Success relied on collaboration rather than rigid adherence to typical models.
Yutjuwala Djiwarr demonstrates how deep, respectful co-design and community-led models of care can shape care environments that reflect Indigenous concepts of “good care,” strengthen cultural continuity, and enable older people to age and pass on Country.
Research sources
This evidence-based example has been adapted from published literature to fit ARIIA’s case study format. For full detail and context, refer to the original sources in the references below.
