The Japara story
We all want what’s best for our family, but sometimes even ‘the best’ isn’t enough. That was the reality facing Andrew Sudholz—founder and recently retired CEO of Japara—when his mother, Vera, developed dementia and could no longer live independently. Despite a long career in the healthcare sector, it was Andrew’s first exposure to residential aged care. Though humbled by the dedication of the care home’s staff, he could see major shortcomings in its accommodation, services and amenities.
Determined to raise the standard of aged care in Australia, Andrew developed the blueprint for a higher quality, more individualised, and better integrated approach—one he could recommend with pride to anyone needing residential aged care for a member of their own family. Operating initially under the joint names of Japara Healthcare, and Aged Care Services Australia Group, that blueprint was first realised in 2005, with the opening of Japara Central Park in Windsor, Victoria.
Now a publicly listed company, Japara today is one of the largest and most respected providers of residential aged care and retirement living in Australia, and a leader in the specialist field of dementia care.
