MORE people living with dementia in the Maranoa will be able to remain close to their loved ones after Pinaroo Roma Inc. received a grant to extend their dementia wing.

The 60-bed not-for-profit aged care facility obtained a $250,000 grant from Hand Heart Pocket the charity of Freemasons Queensland for the conversion of an existing wing into a second secure dementia-specific wing to accommodate 11 additional dementia residents.

Pinaroo Roma Inc. CEO Ian Murphy said the grant would help ensure ongoing sustainability of aged care in the regional community.

"Our current 12-bed dementia wing has had 100 per cent occupancy since 2013, plus we currently have 15 people on our waiting list, so this second dementia wing will make all the difference - allowing us to care for a total of 23 residents with the cognitive illness,” he said.

"Over the years many locals have had no option but to move far away from their loved ones and community to access dementia specific residential care due to a lack of local services.

"We are pleased that as a result of this partnership with Hand Heart Pocket, we'll be able to finally address this issue and ensure more residents are able to stay in Roma.”

The converted wing will have 11 private single rooms - each with an ensuite, a lounge room, meals area and landscaped gardens, while being fully secure with key pad access.

Hand Heart Pocket CEO Gary Mark said this was the first significant grant for the Maranoa region, due in part to the local Freemasons, who were vocal supporters of this initiative.

"Our focus is to provide sustainable support that delivers positive outcomes for charitable organisations that have limited access to other funding sources, so we thank the Freemasons of Roma for the role they played in highlighting this regional issue,” he said.

"Efforts to provide more dementia specific places in a regional community such as Roma aligns with our values which are about empowering people to lead better lives as well as initiatives that improve the quality of life of the ageing population forms part of our long-term strategic focus.

"We are proud to partner with Pinaroo Roma Inc. to ensure more dementia specific care places are accessible to southwest Queenslanders.”

The project start date will be finalised at the next board meeting in late January.