In Conversation with Grace Scaffidi (current CEO) and Kingsley Curtis (former CEO): Life Care Celebrates 75 Years of Compassionate Care and Connection in South Australia
Adelaide, South Australia – October 2025 – Life Care, one of South Australia’s most trusted home care providers, proudly celebrates 75 years of serving older South Australians with compassion, dignity, and personalised care.
Since its establishment in 1950 by the Churches of Christ Social Services Department, Life Care has grown from a single nursing home to a comprehensive statewide network, guided by a philosophy that places human connection at its heart. As the desires of ageing Australians evolved, Life Care listened and led, pioneering Home Care and Allied Health services to empower individuals to remain in the comfort and familiarity of their own homes.
In 1993, Life Care made history as the first South Australian-based organisation to accept what are now known as Home Care Packages—today delivered through the Support at Home program. Most recently, on July 1, 2025, Life Care unified its cherished brands—”Life Care at Home” and “Life Care Active”—under one single identity: Life Care. This strategic evolution represents a renewed commitment to fostering relationships of care that generate fullness of life.
A Legacy Built on Relationships
“Looking back over 75 years, what stands out most is the feeling of connection through relationships,” says Grace Scaffidi, current CEO of Life Care. “I love to hear from clients about the joy they get from having a shopping experience heightened by a friendly support worker or having our staff recognise the special moments in their life. Taking time out to listen, talk and share is the best feedback we get.”
This commitment to personalised, relational care has remained constant throughout Life Care’s evolution. “The rules and regulations change, but the needs of our clients are quite consistent,” explains Scaffidi. “It goes beyond their physical care needs – it’s providing them with real humanistic services where we relate to them as a person with their own story, not just a client or a transaction.”
From Past to Present: A Unique Perspective
Kingsley Curtis, who served as Life Care’s CEO during the 1990s, now experiences the organisation’s services from a unique perspective – as a client himself. His journey with Life Care has come full circle, from leading the organisation through pivotal moments including facility upgrades and community expansions to now receiving the very care he helped shape.
“It is good to see Life Care continuing to develop and adapt this valuable service while maintaining the critical and important thing of all: that the staff who deliver excellent, caring, friendly and efficient service,” Curtis reflects.
Innovation Meets Compassion
As Life Care enters its next chapter, the organisation is focused on leveraging technology to enhance – not replace – the human touch that defines its care. With the Australian Government’s expansion of home care funding from November 2025, Life Care is positioned to help more South Australians age safely and comfortably in their own homes.
“We’re keenly focused on how we can use innovation to genuinely boost both the quality and quantity of care,” says Scaffidi. “We’re exploring how AI functionality can take on the heavy burdens of compliance and administration so we can shift our focus to where it truly belongs: back into the hands of our care team and our clients.”
Recent initiatives include wellbeing and spiritual care programs that focus on wellness rather than only responding to mental health diagnoses, ensuring clients receive holistic, whole-person care throughout their health journey.
A Transformative Approach to Home Care
Life Care’s commitment to personalised care stands in contrast to the increasingly transactional nature of many aged care services. “A client who recently joined us specifically commented on that level of personal service,” shares Scaffidi. “Someone was willing to take the time to visit them, talk to them, understand their story – something they hadn’t experienced from their previous providers. It was a shock for them that they were able to reach their case manager, let alone have personal visits.”
While this approach impacts margins, it’s a quality compromise Life Care refuses to make. “For our clients, this experience is truly transformative,” Scaffidi emphasises.
Looking Ahead
As Life Care celebrates this milestone, both Curtis and Scaffidi share important advice for families beginning to explore home care options: “Don’t wait until it’s too late!”
“Most people only start thinking about home care when they really need it,” they explain. “At that time, it can be difficult as they are then at the mercy of extremely long wait times for assessment and funding. We encourage people to get into the system as early as you can, even if it is for basic services, so you don’t have to start from the beginning when the need increases.”
About Life Care
For 75 years, Life Care has served older South Australians with compassionate, high-quality home care services. From its beginnings in 1950 to today’s statewide network focused exclusively on Home Care and Allied Health, Life Care remains unchanged in its mission: to foster relationships of care that generate fullness of life. As a pioneer in home-based care—being the first South Australian-based organisation to accept Home Care Packages in 1993—Life Care continues to lead with innovation and compassion. Following the unification of its brands on July 1, 2025, Life Care stands stronger than ever in shaping positive ageing lifestyles where compassion meets care, supporting clients to live independently with dignity and joy.
Read the full feature article: Fifty+ SA – 75 Years of Care and Connection
For more information, visit: lifecare.org.au
Media Contact:
Cassandra Coggins
Email: cassandra.coggins@lifecare.org.au
Phone: 1300 555 220
