The 2011 winners

Find out who won this year’s HESTA & ACSA Aged Care Awards.

Above: The 2011 media award goes to Orbost Regional Health

The HESTA & Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) Aged Care Award winners were announced at a special dinner ceremony in Sydney last night, on the eve of the ACSA national conference.

The awards recognise excellence in members’ contributions to improving the quality of life for older people, people with disabilities and their carers. State winners contend for the national awards in six categories.

ACSA CEO, Patrick McClure AO, said that the awards provide offer a great opportunity to acknowledge and hear the great stories from a variety of aged care workers and organisations.

The 2011 Award winners were:

Jim Gilligan, aged 92, won the Volunteer Award in this, his 10th year of volunteering at St Michaels Aged Care Facility in Murrumbeena, Victoria. Jim drives to Murrumbeena every week to provide support for residents including pastoral care and entertainment. Mr Gilligan makes Melbourne Show bags for the residents every year based on 43 years as the state manager for Darrell Lea Chocolate.

Behaviour advisor with Frontier Services NT Dementia Behaviour Advisory Services (NT DBMAS), Steph Charlesworth, took out the Employee Award. Ms Charlesworth’s nominationsaid: “Steph’s natural ability and desire to reach those who were often lost in their world and to give them some pleasure and hope shone in everything she did. Steph always challenged the system: ‘Why can’t she have a beer at 11 o’clock?  That’s what she did when she was living at home’.” 

Enrolled Nurse at the Kellock Lodge Alexandra (Vic), Carolyn Bridgart, was awarded the Trainee Award.  In her six years at the lodge, Ms Bridgart has graduated from being a part-time cleaner to qualifying in personal care and food services before successfully completing a course to become a medication endorsed enrolled nurse. Ms Bridgart started studying for a diploma in nursing this year.

The Media Award was given to Orbost Regional Health, Orbost (Vic), for acheiving  impressive coverage of a 12-month art project despite limited access to media outlets. Residents of Waratah Lodge and Lochiel House created 102 works of art for an exhibition and contributed their stories for a book.  The media coverage resulted in a successful exhibition, 200 book sales and a positive portrayal of aged care.

The Organisation Award was won by Mission Australia’s Charles Chambers Court, NSW (Read AAA’s article on the organisation by clicking here)

The Individual Award was awarded to John Ireland from Southern Cross Care NSW & ACT (Read AAA article by clicking here).

Tags: &, acsa, act, charles-chambers-court, cross, frontier-services, health, hesta, ireland, john, kellock-lodge, mission-australia, nsw, orbost, regional, southern, st-michaels-aged-care-facility,

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