LASA recognises sector’s best on Aged Care Employee Day

Ryman Healthcare’s incident management team, Roseneath Aged Care Centre general manager Janelle Veale, and Rosewood Care Group are among those recognised nationally for their commitment to excellent aged care services.

Aged care peak body Leading Age Services Australia announced 23 state and territory award winners for its Excellence in Age Services Awards 2021 on Saturday to coincide with Aged Care Employee Day, which takes place annually on 7 August.

The multi-category awards aim to recognise excellence across the aged care sector and celebrate the passion and achievements of those working in aged care.

In Victoria, Ryman Healthcare’s incident management team, which was established in January 2020 to lead the organisation’s response to COVID-19 in Australia, received the team award for its COVID-19 Go-Kit and handling of the pandemic.

The kit includes an hour-by-hour outbreak emergency response plan and aims to support all staff to understand and it.

The team also developed a contact tracing tool that updates staff and resident interactions eight times a day.

Ryman Healthcare Victorian operations manager Paul Sutton said the team was thrilled to win.

“We do what we do because we care passionately about our residents, not for awards. But it’s always a nice feeling when someone says you’re doing a great job,” Mr Sutton told Australian Ageing Agenda.

The award validates the hard work Ryman Healthcare has done to keep residents safe, he said.

“When the pandemic broke out we were faced with a dynamic situation with a lot of unknowns. We had to be creative and innovative in our approach and nimble enough to respond quickly as the situation evolved.

“While we certainly didn’t get everything right, this award feels like an affirmation of the key measures we took to keep COVID-19 out of our villages,” said Mr Sutton, who leads the incident management team.

Ryman Healthcare’s COVID-19 Go-Kit is available for any provider who is interested, he said.

Incident management team member Joanne Wang, who is the organisation’s quality operations manager in Victoria, won the Next Gen Young Leader award for assessing, reviewing, and refining infection control measures during the pandemic.

Elsewhere, Janelle Veale, general manager at aged care provider Roseneath Aged Care Centre in Glen Innes in the New England region of New South Wales, won an individual award for her commitment to helping seniors in regional areas.

Ms Veale has developed a team-based customer-focused culture using an approach she calls “person first care planning,” which aims to bring excitement, joy and laughter to the home and satisfaction to residents.

Rosewood Care Group in Western Australia won the organisation award for its aged care services, which aim to provide premium care and enhance the quality of life of seniors.

The organisation celebrates champions in care and undertakes audits to benchmark results for staff and resident satisfaction.

LASA CEO Sean Rooney said congratulated all of the award recipients.

“The winners are exceptional and offer care and companionship for older Australians across the state and territory,” he said.

The awards are sponsored by industry superfund HESTA.

Full list of award winners

Individual

• Bill Appleby, Jewish Care Victoria (Victoria and Tasmania)
• Lee-Anne Beazley, Life Without Barriers (SA and NT)
• Patricia Van Niekerk, Home Instead (WA)
• Lesley Schneider, Mercy Aged Care Services Central Queensland (Qld)
• Janelle Veale, Roseneath Aged Care Centre (NSW and ACT)

Team

• Rembrandt Living (SA and NT)
• Woodvale Getaway Team, Community Vision (WA)
• Gymea Community Aid and Information Service (NSW and ACT)
• Footprints Recovery and the Reablement Program Team (Qld)
• Ryman Healthcare (Victoria and Tasmania)

Rising Star

• Tom Kariko, Royal Freemasons (Victoria and Tasmania)
• Lena Judrill, Halls Creek Peoples Church Frail Aged Hostel (WA)
• Emily Skeen, Carrington Care (NSW and ACT)
• Wayne Crase, Everglow Community Care (Qld)

Organisation

• Chaffey Aged Care (Victoria and Tasmania)
• ECH (SA and NT)
• Twilight Aged Care (NSW and ACT)
• Blackall RangeCare Group (Qld)
• Rosewood Care Group (WA)

Next Gen Young Leader

• Richelle Johns, My at Home Care (WA)
• Michael Monteleone, Whiddon (NSW and ACT)
• Lucy West, Angels in Aprons (Qld)
• Joanne Wang, Ryman Healthcare (Victoria and Tasmania)

Find out more.

Main image: Gymea Community Aid and Information Service won the team award for their senior’s exercise programs which include Zumba, seniors boxing, matwork pilates and yoga.

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