Caring for the carers: aged care facility puts staff wellbeing in focus
Sydney aged care provider Scalabrini Village has implemented a new strategy this week aimed at improving staff engagement and wellbeing through meditation.
Sydney aged care provider Scalabrini Village has implemented a new strategy this week aimed at improving staff engagement and wellbeing through meditation.
Scalabrini Village Chipping Norton began hosting fortnightly guided meditation and relaxation classes yesterday at the Chipping Norton Community Centre.
The classes are open to carers and relatives in addition to staff and are being led by Tricia Parker, who was a community palliative care volunteer for 19 years.
Ms Parker said she could see the need for her clients and their families to have an opportunity to relax and de-stress because of the difficult issues they faced every day.
The strategy is influenced by research showing health benefits of meditation including reducing stress, increasing wellbeing and improving immunity.
Scalabrini Village Chipping Norton Village manager Fiona Kendall said the research also showed that staff wellbeing was strongly linked to improved outcomes for residents.
“If we want our staff to be compassionate and truly deliver person centred care, we need to support them in meaningful ways; we need to be compassionate towards them,” Ms Kendall told Australian Ageing Agenda.
“Through our staff wellbeing program we can already see a greater level of connection between our staff, residents and their families. Our staff are happier and this is translating into compassionate, person centred care delivery.”
Is your organisation doing something to improve staff wellbeing? AAA would like to hear about it. Send the details to editorial@australianageingagenda.com.au
This is a fantastic move by a clear thinking organisation. Great to see, and I hope lots take up the opportunity offered. As a long term meditator, I know first hand it’s amazing long term benefits.
Fabulous forward thinking leadership. Congratulations on your broader view of caring. Let’s hope other leaders are reading this.
Great work. Supported staff do lead to benefits for clients. I am from the UK and heavily involved in delivering Restorative Resilience Supervision a very person centred staff supervision. This helps to reduce stress burnout and improve compassion satisfaction (the satisfaction you get from undertaking the everyday job). It really tunes in nicely with the well being agenda and is transferable between health and social care.
Happy to be contacted
sally@brownsally.co.uk