Bolton Clarke among innovation winners

Independent, not-for-profit aged care provider Bolton Clarke is celebrating being awarded Innovation of the Year for Career Development for its Care Champions program at the 13th Asia Pacific Eldercare Innovation Awards.

Announced in Singapore last week, the award recognised the success of the care champions role in improving customer experience in residential aged care and providing an alternative career progression pathway for personal care workers.

Care Champions program participants work with residents who require extra support and are responsible for checking in with residents to ensure comfort, care and support needs have been addressed. They are also responsible for keeping families up to date with residents’ care and wellbeing needs. When necessary, they will fill in to address residents’ planned care and support too.

Bolton Clarke has appointed over 550 care champions across 88 residential aged care homes since the program began, alongside introducing a targeted education program and community of practice to onboard, train and mentor team members. This includes training in communication skills, person-centred care, customer experience and responding to feedback.

Bolton Clarke chief operating officer of residential aged care Glenn Hancock said the recognition was testament to the ongoing work of teams supporting residents to age positively, as the Care Champions are able to get to know people better through spending more quality, one-on-one time with them.

“This program has resulted in measurable improvements in reported customer experience while also future-proofing the workforce by fostering talent retention, attracting top-tier recruits, facilitating career advancement, and prioritising internal staff for caregiving roles,” he said.

Bolton Clarke was also a finalist in Facility of the Year: Residential Aged Care for its Darlington Grandfriends program, Operator of the Year Residential Aged Care for Bolton Clarke Willowdale and Operator of the Year: Senior Living for its Health and Wellbeing in Retirement Living strategy.

Other Australian providers recognised at the event included:

Facility of the Year

Community Engagement – Regis Intergenerational Partnership by Regis Aged Care
Residential Aged Care – The MICRO TOWN: A New Direction In Aged Care by NewDirection Care

Operator of the Year

Active Ageing – Motiview by Harbison (read our story on this initiative)
Active Ageing for Residential – Motiview by Harbison

Innovation of the Year

Dementia Empowerment – Motiview by Harbison
Social Engagement (Experiental) – Regis Interhome Community Connections by Regis Aged Care
Health and Wellness Program – Holistic ageing for mind, body & soul at Sol Spa by Mark Moran Group
Operational Management Technology and Productivity – LenexaCARE: Boosting Efficiency, Enhancing Care, Delivering Results by Lenexa Medical
Productivity by Operator – Project ‘Welcome’ by IRT Group
Technology: AI Solution – LenexaCARE: Smart Monitoring for Safer, More Comfortable Ageing-in-Place by Lenexa Medical.

Peaks sign MoU

Ageing Australia chief executive officer Tom Symondson and Ageing Asia founder and managing director Janice Chia also signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the conference, launching a new partnership under Ageing Australia’s three-year global engagement strategy.

Above: Ageing Australia’s Tom Symondson and Ageing Asia’s Janice Chia sign MoU (Tuire Karaharju-Huisman)

Ageing Asia also signed MoU’s with the Association of Senior Living India, and the Japan-based Yushoukai Medical Corporation. ASPIRE55 – sister company of Ageing Asia – has also signed an MoU with Grow Singapore under TS Group, to be the Active Ageing Operator for 98 Henderson, the first private assisted living intergenerational community.

Do you have an aged care industry award to share? Send us the details and images to editorial@australianageingagenda.com.au