News digest

In this story:

• Regis buys ECH’s NT facility
• Design award for BaptistCare’s seniors complex
• Top marks for app that helps age in place
• Meals on Wheels SA marks 60 years
• Recognising exceptional service

Regis buys ECH’s NT facility

ECH has sold its Tiwi Residential Care Centre in Darwin to Regis Aged Care.

It follows the recent announcement by ECH of a strategic shift to focus exclusively on community services, including increasing the options available in affordable age-friendly homes, said ECH chief executive Rob Hankins.

As Australian Ageing Agenda has previously reported, the shift in focus led ECH to sell its 10 residential facilities in South Australia to Allity in May.

“This sale completes our withdrawal from providing residential aged care services and allows us to fully focus on increasing and diversifying our community services to people’s homes and expanding our 97 retirement villages around South Australia. It enables ECH to extend the social benefit it brings to the South Australian community,” said Mr Hankins.

“Society’s expectations around ageing and the needs of older people are changing and ECH is responding. ECH’s focus will be on giving more people the opportunity and flexibility to decide where they receive the care and support that they require as they age.”

ECH said it would continue to control $400 million worth of retirement and community services assets. It will maintain a workforce of more than 700 people and already provides community services and independent retirement living units to more than 6,000 people.

All of the residents at Tiwi will maintain their occupancy arrangements and all staff employed in the Tiwi residential care facility will be offered continuing employment Regis Aged Care.

Regis Aged Care is one of Australia’s largest providers of aged care services, with 45 established facilities across the country.

“We carefully chose Regis Aged Care as we believe they understand the needs of the residents and staff at the Tiwi care facility,” Mr Hankins said.

ECH said that staff, residents and their families were informed of the sale yesterday.

Design award for BaptistCare’s seniors complex

Community living complex for seniors, The Gracewood, has won the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) Award for Excellence in Seniors’ Living.

BaptistCare’s The Gracewood, located on Memorial Ave in Kellyville, includes 73, a restaurant, bar, café and kiosk, a chapel, gymnasium and pool, hair salon and day respite centre.

BaptistCare said The Gracewood apartments and grounds were designed and built to high environmental standards; making the best use of natural light, energy efficiency, and environmental responsibility.

At the development’s core is the Humanitas principle, which focuses on balancing care with the opportunity to lead an active lifestyle. A full suite of home care services are also available on site, allowing residents to live independently while enjoying choice and flexibility of services on their terms.

“We are thrilled with this award, especially in such a highly competitive field,” said Mr Ross Low, CEO of BaptistCare. “It gives due recognition to the BaptistCare Board for their vision, and McFadyen Architects for their design.”

The Gracewood will soon also house a $25 million dollar aged care facility alongside the seniors’ complex.

Top marks for app that helps age in place

An app that tracks the movements of elderly residents around their home has won the aged care category of the Health Informatics Society of Australia (HISA) 2014 Health Apps Challenge, which was announced at HISA’s annual HIC conference in Melbourne this week.

Dhruv Verma built the Protego app to support ageing in place.

HISA’s app of the year was DoseMe by James Bennett, in the category of medications management.

Other finalists were: Jennifer Tang and Jarrel Seah with Eyenaemia (quantified self) and the Northern Sydney Local Health District with Traffic Light Guide (clinical productivity).

Meals on Wheels SA marks 60 years

Meals on Wheels SA, the state’s largest community-based volunteer organisation, last week celebrated six decades of service in South Australia.

It also honoured more than 8,000 volunteers who donate their time to prepare and deliver nourishing meals to many people, so they can continue living independently in their own homes.

Several social functions, such as movie screenings and a high tea, are being held to celebrate the anniversary. A commemorative booklet is also being produced as a keepsake for volunteers and clients.

Meals on Wheels SA was founded in 1953 by Doris Taylor, with the first branch kitchen established in Port Adelaide in 1954. Since then, the organisation has delivered almost 47 million meals across a network of 88 branches. In the past financial year alone, it served over one million meals to some 9,000 clients across the state.

Meals on Wheels SA CEO Sharyn Broer said the organisation played an integral part in local communities across South Australia. “In the course of one day, over 4,000 meals are delivered by our volunteers to clients in Adelaide and in regional and rural areas across the state,” she said.

Recognising exceptional service

The Bethanie Medallion is an honorary citation presented in recognition of an individual or organisation having a history of consistently delivering an exceptional standard of service within the aged care sector.

This year is a special year for the Medallion, with Bethanie Aged Care celebrating 60 years as leaders in the aged care industry.

The Bethanie Medallion is designed to recognise the people who serve and support our state’s aging population and nominations are opening soon for all volunteer individuals, organisations and professionals who contribute to Aged Care.

This includes doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, care workers, volunteer organisations, students and individuals or anyone making a difference in the Aged Care community through their work.

The categories are:

• Bethanie Professional Medallion: recognises a professional with a history of consistently delivering exceptional service within the Aged Care sector.
• Bethanie Volunteer Medallion – Organisation: recognises an organisation that has shown outstanding dedication towards others in the community, inspiring others to contribute to, and participate in the Aged Care sector.
• Bethanie Volunteer Medallion – Individual: recognises an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to those in Aged Care in a voluntary capacity.
• Bethanie Volunteer Medallion – Student: Recognises an exceptional student who goes above and beyond their education or community outreach programs to service aged care.
• Bethanie Media Reporting Medallion: recognises a journalist for balanced reporting on aged care and/or exceptional reporting of a WA Aged Care related issue.
• Bethanie Graduate Medallion: recognises an outstanding Bethanie Graduate who has achieved outstanding academic results and has delivered quality care while undertaking their clinical work.

Individuals, groups and organisations within the aged care sector are encouraged to nominate online.