Recognising industry excellence

Aged care and retirement living managers and leaders have been recognised for their leadership, innovation and excellence at a series of recent business and industry awards around the country.

Aged care and retirement living managers and leaders have been recognised for their leadership, innovation and excellence at a series of recent business and industry awards around the country.

Closing the gap

Leanne Cruse, Care Connect, presented with her award by Hugh Melville, Dawes and Vary Solicitors.
Leanne Cruse, Care Connect, presented with her award by Hugh Melville, Dawes and Vary Solicitors.

Leanne Cruse, client adviser with Care Connect, has won the 2013 Powercor Australia Campaspe Murray Business Awards – Employee of the Year award.

The award acknowledges Ms Cruse’s collaborative work with the Aboriginal community in the Loddon Mallee Region, with particular focus on building the capacity of the community to seek and secure culturally-appropriate services and support for its elders, and working with the sector to bring about stronger health outcomes for the community by sharing knowledge, experience and approaches.

Paul Ostrowski, CEO of Care Connect, said Ms Cruse’s work had made a significant and lasting difference to the lives of many in the Aboriginal community in the region as well as the community care sector.

Mc Cruse said: “This award is great recognition of the work Care Connect is currently doing with the Aboriginal community in Echuca… The two years in this role have been an amazing journey towards ‘closing the gap’ within the Aboriginal community.”

Recognising excellence

Martin Bending, Rising Generation winner, Joelle Muns, Business Manager, Retirement Living at Property Council of Australia and Kerry Rentsch, Manager of the Year.
Martin Bending, Rising Generation winner, Joelle Muns, Business Manager, Retirement Living at Property Council of Australia and Kerry Rentsch, Manager of the Year.

A Victorian retirement village and its manager and a NSW-based exercise physiologist were recognised for their excellence at the retirement living industry’s national event recently.

Kerry Rentsch and The Oaks/Walmsley Friendship Village, operated by Australian Unity Retirement Living, secured the 2013 National Manager of the Year award at the Retirement Living Summit in Melbourne last Thursday.

Ms Rentsch has significantly reduced costs in the residents’ budget, while increasing service levels and productivity, and created a private dining room for fine dining experiences with family.

The other major award, the Rising Generation Award, recognises young professionals who display innovation and leadership. The award, sponsored by IRT College, was won by Martin Bending.

Mr Bending has pioneered an exercise physiology program for residents at the Constitution Hill Retirement Village in Sydney as rehabilitation services manager, with positive health outcomes for all involved. Similar programs are now being initiated in other Australian Unity villages.

Outstanding work

Blue Care’s Bundaberg team won the health category in 2013 Bundaberg & Districts Business Excellence Awards announced last Saturday.

Blue Care Fraser Coast general manager Amanda Farrar said the award meant a lot to staff as it acknowledged their outstanding work in the community.

“I am so proud to work with the wonderful staff at our nine services in Bundaberg and I want to thank them for their brilliant work they do every day,” Ms Farrar said. “To be nominated in the hotly-contested health category felt great, but to actually win the award is just amazing.”

Blue Care’s nine services in Bundaberg assist more than 2,100 clients with services such as allied health, community care and residential aged care.

 

Tags: blue-care, care-connect, irt, paul-ostrowski, the oaks/walmsley friendship village,

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