HALL & PRIOR
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IMPROVING RESIDENT WELLBEING THROUGH OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
MEET OUR NSW RESOURCE TEAM
DIRECTORS’ AWARDS
Honouring our outstanding staff
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ABOUT HALL & PRIOR Started in 1992 by Michael Hall and Graeme Prior, Hall & Prior is a leading aged care provider with a passion for providing quality care to older people from all walks of life. Over the past 20 years, Hall & Prior has grown from one nursing home to an organisation that cares for over 1,500 people in Western Australia and New South Wales. Our people are our greatest asset. Each one of our 25 aged care homes is led by an experienced director of nursing who works alongside a team of registered nurses, personal carers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, dieticians and chefs to ensure that we meet the individual needs of every resident. As a private, family-owned company, Hall & Prior is committed to bringing long-term benefits to our residents and their families. Our dedicated care teams provide round-the-clock care 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure that every resident feels well cared for and at home.
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IN THIS ISSUE
From the Chief Executive Officer
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Director’s Awards - Honouring our outstanding staff Recognising our long-serving staff Meet our NSW Resource Team
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Improving resident wellbeing through occupational therapy
23 24 Lorna Tostevin – 103 Years Young Vaucluse Resident 25 Meet our Staff
Improving spirituality in regional aged care
Some of our Western Australian administration team members at the 2017 Directors’ Award event.
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FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER I am pleased to welcome you to the first edition of Life & Love for 2018. We finished off 2017 with our series of annual events, which see our staff, residents and their families come together to celebrate and reflect on the year that has passed. Along with my fellow Director Michael Hall, and the heads of Health & Care Services in each state, Jennifer Grieve and Kris Healy, we have the honour of presenting the Hall & Prior Directors’ Awards. These awards are an important part of our annual calendar, where we honour the exceptional staff throughout the organisation who consistently make a difference in the workplace and in the lives of others. We also recognised our longserving staff members, who have been with us for 10 years or more. It was wonderful to see so many people who have dedicated a significant part of their lives to caring for the older people in our community. The festive season brought a lot of laughter and fun into our homes, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the family members who joined us to celebrate with your loved ones over this special time. I would also like to make mention
of our hardworking staff, who took time away their own families during the Christmas break to ensure we are able to maintain our exceptional standards of care. In this edition we have taken an in-depth look at our New South Wales Resource Team, and how the work they do benefits not just our residents, but our organisation as a whole. This is an incredible group of people, and it has grown in the past few years as our NSW portfolio has also grown, with the acquisition of five homes since 2016.
These awards are an important part of our annual calendar, where we honour the exceptional staff who consistently make a difference in the workplace and in the lives of others. We have also featured one of our exceptional Occupational Therapists at Windsor Park Aged Care Home, Niki Batson. Through her hard work across the multiple areas her role covers, she has created a lot of positive changes within the homes, and she represents the hardworking young people that this organisation is becoming known for.
Thank you to everyone who made 2017 a success for Hall & Prior, and I look forward to what is to come in 2018.
GRAEME PRIOR Chief Executive Officer
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Directors’ Awards HONOURING OUR OUTSTANDING STAFF
Each year, we celebrate the achievements of our exceptional staff, recognising them with the Directors’ Awards. Events are held in Sydney and Perth, as well as separate events for our homes in regional areas – Albany, in Western Australia’s south west, and in Grafton, in New South Wales’ north. Chief Executive Officer Graeme Prior and Executive Director Michael Hall are joined by Hall & Prior’s management team to pay tribute to those who consistently go above and beyond their duties. In 2017, a total of 87 Directors’ Awards were presented across the seven categories: Outstanding Achievement, Outstanding Leadership, Outstanding Care & Services, Rising Star, Exceptional Teamwork and the St Lukes Medallion. In addition, four staff members were presented with scholarships, which will allow them to undertake further studies or professional development opportunities. Our New South Wales team held their Long Service and Directors Awards event in the
Grand Ballroom at Luna Park in Milsons Point on November 23. The event had a carnival atmosphere with the Luna Park Ferris Wheel, the iconic Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House as our backdrop making it an unforgettable experience. A huge 350 people attended the event, which saw all award recipients walk the red carpet to be presented with their award by Mr Prior and General Manager Health & Care Services NSW Kris Healy. The evening is a great chance for staff to come together and celebrate, with dinner, dancing and a host of door prizes to enjoy throughout the evening. In Perth, our staff gathered at the University Club of Western Australia on December 13 for our annual Directors’ Awards event. Mr Prior and Executive Director Residential and Community Care – Regional Leader Jennifer Grieve presented the awards to our recipients. As per our tradition, we recognise the homes who had successfully completed their accreditation from the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency each year. In 2017, we presented rose plants to the
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Directors of Nursing from five of our WA homes. Congratulations to Di Simpson of St Lukes, Sharyn McDavitt of Windsor Park, Terri Woolhouse, who accepted the roses for Rockingham before she turns her eye to her new role as Director of Nursing at Belmont, and Deborah Sinclair-Lane and Julie Beaton, on behalf of former Executive Manager Judith Davies and her excellent team at Concorde.
Outstanding Leadership: This award recognises employees in a leadership role that consistently performs above and beyond their job description.
Outstanding Achievement: This award recognises employees who continually try to achieve positive outcomes through commitment to our values, goals, mission and vison as well as dedication, commitment and motivation towards positive outcomes for the homes and the
Hall & Prior business in general.
Teams of the Year:
Outstanding Care & Service:
This award recognises a group of people within a team who achieve great outcomes in the spirit of teamwork with complementary skills and mutual commitment. They demonstrate an exceptional attitude and work ethic that binds them together. They deliver superior care and outcomes for residents and Hall & Prior.
This award recognises employees who have demonstrated outstanding care and service delivery Hall & Prior’s residents by way of exceptional delivery of the employee’s responsibilities along with dedication, commitment and motivation to achieving positive outcomes for our homes and the Hall & Prior business in general.
Rising Star: This award recognises emerging and standout employees with exceptional accomplishments who have gone above and beyond what is expected of them. They demonstrate exceptional promise for future achievement and long-term growth within the company, and act consistent with the vision and values of Hall & Prior.
Scholarship: Since the creation of the Directors’ Awards, 21 staff members have shown an interest in further studies and have been presented with scholarships. To undertake further study while in the workplace is not easy, and we applaud our scholarship recipients for the determinnation they show in in wanting to take this on. Previous recipients have used the scholarship to advance their career and assist with our mission of providing exceptional care to older Australians.
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St Lukes Medallion: Our most prestigious award, the St Lukes Medallion, is reserved for dedicated longterm employees who have made exceptional individual contributions to Hall & Prior and the achievement of our vision, values and philosophy. There are no nominations for this award; a St Lukes medallion is only awarded by the Directors when a worthy candidate is agreed upon. In 2017, NSW General Manager Health & Care Services Kris Healy attended the awards service in Perth, and to her surprise and delight she was presented with the St Lukes Medallion. “When Kris began with Hall & Prior, she brought a warmth and competence with her that is obvious to all from the moment you meet her,” Mr Prior said. “She is a kind and caring friend to all those she meets - that no doubt comes from her years of training as a nurse with years of experience, but there is more to her than that.” Kris is an talented leader and is surrounded by a committed and loyal team that are determined to find a way to do what they can for Kris, as she encourages a type of motivation that only a true leader can. Since Hall & Prior’s Directors’ Awards began in 2011, this award has only been given out six times. Kris is the seventh person to receive this award, and the first NSW staff member to ever receive one. Congratulations to all of our exceptional staff members who were recognised in 2017.
Congratulations
TO OUR 2017 AWARD RECIPIENTS OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT Wendy Tang Nihar Khatun Shona Conroy Devi Subramaniam Jayne Cummings Dave Higgins OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP Breda McMenamin Carmel Greenwood-Hone Margaret Tranquille Treasa Lonergan Petelo Moana Denise Scott Duska Bodegrajac Sally Monteiro Ben Carrick Jason Waylen OUTSTANDING CARE & SERVICES Suzi Nikolovska Preeti Bhusal Gaire Lei Stehlin Elmer Juan Maria Katsoulotos Donne Moll Barada Sigdel Beth Underwood Aroha Savage Vickey Abraham Kim Souk Sanil Ram Alicia Roldan Vensia Mnzava
Prakachha Chapagain Rijal Radhika Subedi Sabita Sitoula Giovanna Gutierrez Hospina Lori McBride Anne Tanner Evelyn Manning Akiko Kitamura Taylor Shanti Sapkota Parvin Ghorbani Julie Beaton Pamela Windram Aisle Batucan Eden Dulay Nina Milankovic Patricia Adams Cassandra Ross Nino Lucero Alice Deman Che Hicks Laura Johnston Siobhan Walsh Betty Marie Walker Kelli Wiltshire Rahmo Farah Ruth Stauden Catherine Chibwe Christy Babu Abisekaraj Graziella Martino Jade Murray Kihong Park Nicole Belcher Tharaka Gorakanage Mariska Hawkins Terri Woolhouse Brenda McKell Karen Mitchell Sheri Petty Chandrika Perera Mina Pindolia Patrick Nganga
Anthony Mbira Fisseha Weldeslassie Nickola Szabo RISING STAR Sarita Ghimire Subash Bhandari Sunil Victor Esther Antonyo James Wightman Madelyne Glover Amanda Dyer Phil Bedford Kausalia Apparao Kate Campbell-Pope SCHOLARSHIP Graziella Martino Sally Monteiro Ben Carrick Jason Waylen EXCEPTIONAL TEAM WORK Grafton Integration Team WA Risk Management Team ST LUKES MEDALLION Kris Healy
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RECOGNISING OUR LONG - SERVING STAFF In Perth, we celebrated the achievements of these staff in October 2017, in a combined event to recognise our two local homes that received Commonwealth Better Practice Awards. Our team at Clarence Estate, in the town of Albany, in the State’s Great Southern region, presented the certificates as event as part of their annual Christmas Carols event. Chief Executive Officer Graeme Prior said he was continually amazed at the hard work those in our homes. “Working in aged care is not an easy job, so when we have people who have done this for 10, 20, even 40 years, that is an incredible achievement” he said. “Our people are our greatest strength in this organisation, and I am extremely proud to recognise these staff members.” We were proud to celebrate 54 people in WA, and the longest-serving staff member recognised in 2017 was St Lukes Director of Nursing Di Simpson. Di reached the incredible milestone of 40 years as Director of Nursing at the home, located in the Perth suburb of Subiaco. In New South Wales, 44 people were presented with their Certificate of Recognition during the annual end of year awards event. The longest-serving staff members in NSW in 2017 were Maria Katsoulotos from Clover Lea, and Teresa Rizzuti and Zora Skubeska, both from Menaville, who all reached their 35th anniversary. At our newest home, located in the town of Grafton, in northern NSW, staff got together on November 29 for a lunchtime celebration. The event was held at Sir Earl Page Park, and Mr Prior, General Manager Health & Care Services Kris Healy, Operations Manager Amit Malhotra and NSW Corporate & Marketing Manager Jacki Downs were all in attendance to show their support. There were a huge 31 staff members recognised for their service, as well as 20 certificates of appreciation awarded to the home’s loyal volunteers. The longest-serving staff member recognised on the day was Colleen Wiblen, who reached the milestone of 30 years. Congratulations again to all our long-serving staff.
10 YEARS Chris Lee - Agmaroy Lynda Murazvu - Agmaroy Gulshan Shaheen - Agmaroy Mary O’Neill - Agmaroy Tania O’Callaghan - Agmaroy Felicity McDermott - Alloa Christine Bennett - Belmont Librato Maglaqui - Belmont Ying-Tru (Ariel) Chen - Caroline Chisholm Alison Galante - Clarence Estate Mimin Mintarsih - Clarence Estate Raelene Lovett - Clarence Estate Juliane McKay - Clarence Estate Elizabeth Pietersen - Clarence Estate Alice Deman - Clarence Estate Amanda Egal - Clarence Estate Cheryl Lofts - Clarence Estate Suryiani Mohammed Dom - Clarence Estate
Suzie Ng - Concorde Mercy Nacor - Concorde Sri Setiadi - Concorde Kristene Lin - Clover Lea Angela Lam - Clover Lea Sarah Riach - Fairfield Alunita Simona (Chitez) Marc - Fairfield Natalie Thompson - Fresh Fields Lyn Povey - Fresh Fields Diane Besestri - Grafton Anita Ellis - Grafton Gwenda Betteridge - Grafton Frances Evans - Grafton Gregory Eastment - Grafton Julie Revis - Grafton Christine Hunter - Grafton Julie Spicer - Grafton Peter Walker - Grafton Anne Lollback - Grafton Linda Cole - Grafton Rindi Salomon - Grafton Penelope Lancaster - Grafton Amy Schultz - Grafton Karen McKew - Grafton Katrina Austen - Grafton Scott Winkler - Grafton Dharminder Singh - Grafton
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Karen Fordham - Grafton Sophy Burley - Grafton Sally Gutman - Hamersley Catherine Barlow - Kensington Park Mahin Aghlmand Azarian Kensington Park
Ruth Stauden - Kensington Park Margaret Tranquille - Leighton Caroline Cairns - Mayfair Street Mary Ang - McDougall Park Sonny Ba - McDougall Park Patricia Silao - Menaville Caroline Lawson - Mosman Park Shona Conroy - NSW State Office David Falzon - NSW State Office Mary Mondous - Sirius Cove Mechele Elder - Touhy Sandra Piercy - Vaucluse Pussadee Duangsri - Vaucluse Vensia Philemon Mnzava - Vaucluse Sammi Nepal - Vaucluse Moleen Machingura - Windsor Park Anthony Mbira - Windsor Park Deepa Biju - Windsor Park Priscilla McPherson - Windsor Park Tracey McKenzie - Windsor Park
Safina Khan Singh - Clover Lea David Boland - Fairfield Murdina Martinoski - Fairfield Wilma Jones - Grafton Sharon Hewitt - Grafton Glenda Gilmore - Grafton Michael Hewitt - Grafton Dane Spencer - Grafton Lara Bancroft - Grafton Karen Allen - Grafton Pam Worthington - Leighton Kate Favro - Leighton Jennifer Grieve - Mayfair Street Terri Woolhouse - Rockingham Hee Hyun Cho - Shangri-La Via (Kaloni Tivinia) Faamasa -
25 YEARS
Sirius Cove
Maria Katsoulotos - Clover Lea Teresa Rizzuti - Menaville Zora Skubeska - Menaville
Eddie Leau - Sirius Cove Suzanne Howard - Sirius Cove Kerry Sorova - Vaucluse Cheryl Green - Vaucluse Rita Grasso - Vaucluse Anthony Kuszyk - Windsor Park Ina Walker - Windsor Park Christina Brunton - Windsor Park Almaz Belay - Windsor Park Veronica Okeny - Windsor Park
15 YEARS 20 YEARS Gary Webb - Agmaroy Patricia Cuthbert - Alloa Itili Tupou - Caroline Chisholm Rasalingam Nethra - Caroline Chisholm Anne Curnow - Caroline Chisholm Linda Christy - Clarence Estate Fiona Gardner - Clarence Estate Radmila Radivojevic - Clarence Estate Dominic Brennan - Clarence Estate Margaret Miller - Clarence Estate Colleen McRae - Clarence Estate Denise Bylund - Clarence Estate Malaiporn (Pukki) Wetpram Clover Lea
Priti Tiwari (Malla) - Clover Lea Subadra (Shanti) Subadra Clover Lea
Ritu Chand - Clover Lea
Fatime Rida - Alloa Nur Uzzell - Alloa Kim Tuyen Vuong - Fairfield Beverley Duckworth - Grafton Diane Goodwin - Grafton Elizabeth Hackett - Grafton Denise Hoar - Leighton Denise Scott - Mayfair Street Terekaki Emily Hill - Sirius Cove Gillian Coates - Tuohy Aloiti Vakadranu - Vaucluse Margaret D’Rozario - Windsor Park
Miriam Holland - Aubrey Downer Sylvia Markovski - Clover Lea Christine Davin - Vaucluse
30 YEARS Colleen Wiblen - Grafton Clancy Aliphon - Hamersley Francisco D’Souza - Kensington Park
35 YEARS
40 YEARS Di Simpson - St Lukes
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PROMOTING QUALITY THROUGH OUR NEW SOUTH WALES RESOURCE TEAM Hall & Prior’s vision and values are aligned not only with our staff but with those of our residents and their best interests which remain at the forefront of our focus. Especially as a private, family owned organisation specialising in residential aged care Hall & Prior are committed to the pursuit of excellence in the provision of care and accommodation to the aged in our community and bringing long-term benefits to our residents and their families, this is their mission. We believe that our commitment and dedication to providing high quality care can make a real difference to the lives of our residents and their families.
All Hall & Prior aged care homes are led by an experienced Director of Nursing or Manager who works alongside a compassionate and dedicated team of Registered Nurses, personal carers, hospitality staff and health care professionals who are also supported by the head office staff and backed by an incredible multidisciplinary Resource Team that work with all the homes to ensure that we meet the individual needs of every resident. Our Resource Team is a multifaceted team of specialists whose roles oversee the quality, safety and education within the organisation as well as the care documentation, exercise and mobility of our residents, speech pathology, dietetics and newly appointed Clinical Nurse Specialist.
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Meet our New South Wales Resource Team: Director Quality and Education Jennifer O’Connell Overseeing the quality and education in an organisation is a big enough job especially within the aged care sector as there are so many things that ‘can’ go wrong. Our extremely capable Director of Quality and Education Jennifer O’Connell ensures that they don’t. Supporting the General Manager and Resource Team as well as the homes’ staff, she is responsible for a wide area of compliance and care services development. Jennifer joined Hall & Prior in 2011 and has extensive experience in hospital and quality roles. She has the ability to read the external environment and bring the emerging issues into the organisation to prepare for any risk. She has the capacity to bring people together to address issues, particularly recognising the skill and knowledge staff have in being able to improve the care of residents in response to their needs. This allows us as an organisation to learn, and to improve our systems.
Coordinator Quality, Safety & Staff Development
Jennifer is a dedicated and integral member of the team, who goes above and beyond what is expected or required in her role. Her passions revolve around her work and making work for staff easier and more satisfying by improving systems. “Working with people who are also passionate is very energising,” she said. “I like how our nursing management, clinical and non-clinical team are all able to work with a reasonably high level of autonomy in order to meet solutions that meets resident’s needs.”
“I enjoy aged care as you get to develop a friendship and relationship with the residents and their families. You have the time to get to know the resident.” – Breda McMenamin.
Breda McMenamin Breda has been with the organization since 2001, and is responsible for supporting the homes in the development and implementation of systems and processes. This ensures quality systems are maintained within the homes and compliance is achieved with all accreditation standards. She also assists with learning and development of staff in the homes.
Due to her longevity within this organisation and experience as a previous Deputy Director of Nursing and now a Quality Coordinator Breda knows all of Hall & Prior’s systems extremely well. Because of this breadth of knowledge, she is able to step in when needed, and support the homes while management staff are on leave.
Breda contributes to the operations of Hall & Prior through her work both in the office and in the homes. She acts as a support person to the homes’ staff by working with them to elevate and maintain high standards and to provide quality care to our residents. She also assists with education and staff development, providing them with the knowledge and skills to allow them to provide not only high quality care to the residents but also creating a home-like environment for them too.
Breda has been a huge help to the organization and is passionate about all Hall & Prior staff working together as a team in providing quality, individualised care to all Hall & Prior residents.
“I enjoy aged care as you get to develop a friendship and relationship with the residents and their families and having the time to get to know the resident,” Breda said.
Stephanie Leila Stephanie is a new addition to the Quality team, having only joined Hall & Prior last year. She is responsible for the quality, safety and staff development for all our north facilities in New South Wales. Stephanie works with all members of the Resource Team as well as the facility staff to maintain best practice in all areas of nursing care. She enjoys building relationships with people that are not solely based on health care issues. She said this is what attracted her to aged care,
and that she finds it very different to other areas of nursing, in that illness is not the main focus. In aged care, caring is the main focus, allowing for the person as a whole to be seen and valued. “At the moment, the most challenging aspect of my job is keeping up with the changing expectations around aged care practice in Australia,” Stephanie said. “It’s a big job, but I know that with the combined support from all at Hall & Prior it is more than achievable.”
Care Documentation Coordinator Parvin Ghorbani Parvin’s passion for helping people and working with older people made her the perfect person for this role. Starting in 2015 with Hall & Prior as a Care Documentation Coordinator, Parvin is able to pursue her two loves by not only helping staff but also by providing better care for the elderly through ACFI claims. Parvin who has a Master’s degree in Nursing and extensive experience in the Aged Care sector worked as a Clinical Nurse Educator in the 10 years prior to joining Hall & Prior and between 2015 and 2017 was the organisation’s Care Documentation Coordinator in New South Wales. It was also during this time that the daily ACFI income average increased for all Hall & Prior NSW homes. This represents an improvement in documentation processes in our homes. “I believe in success through hard work and
dedication and I believe respect is the foundation of all human relationships,” said Parvin who goes on to mention that her role is both challenging and extremely rewarding. Parvin works closely with senior management and allied health professionals to assist the homes in achieving the highest possible funding from ACFI that is matched with the care needs of the resident through the entire ACFI process. This also contributes to the high quality of assessments and care plans. She also provides education in care documentation and ACFI to home staff and not only coordinates but also supports homes in ACFI validation visits. “It makes me happy to be able to contribute not only to the organisation but, also to the better care of our residents and seeing what a difference it can make.”
Ruby Discaya-Ortega Ruby started in 2017 and works closely with Parvin Ghorbani including the rest of the Resource and Finance Team as well as Directors of Nursing, Deputy Directors of Nursing, Clinical Nurse Managers, Registered Nurses and other care staff in the homes. She is involved in checking and reviewing the assessments and documentation that are required as evidence in submitting ACFI and ensuring that the care needs of the residents are being met. As a Care Documentation Coordinator Ruby is involved in and facilitates education to staff members and provides support to the homes as needed.
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By supporting the goal of the organization Ruby’s role ensures that each resident is given their required care needs and that their families are involved in their care. She believes in residents having ‘quality of life’ and optimises resources that are available for them to ensure appropriate funding is received from the government. “I have high respect for the elderly as they have paved the way for all of us so the we can enjoy what we have right now,” said Ruby. “Working and serving them now that they are in their frail state is just giving back the love and care that they deserve.”
Clinical Nurse Specialist Gillian Simpson The role of Clinical Nurse Specialist in aged care can be incredibly varied. In our team we have Gillian Simpson, who joined us last year. Gillian’s role is to provide advanced and extended clinical nursing knowledge and skills to the Hall & Prior teams in order for them to provide excellent evidence based care for their residents. This nursing knowledge is provided in the form of group training for the staff and one to one referrals for individual residents. Gillian works closely with the Directors of Nursing, their deputies, Clinical Nurse Managers, Registered Nurses and Nursing Assistants at each
facility as well as with the wider Resource Team, and the residents themselves. Gillian is able to focus on the clinical care of our residents, ensuring that they receive the best care possible from our staff. “I believe that as people age they are more vulnerable and this is the time when they need to be loved and well cared for more than ever,” Gillian said. “I’m passionate about ensuring that our ageing residents are cared for in a friendly and safe environment and I enjoy seeing the residents happy in their home.”
Exercise & Mobility Coordinator Laura Majewski As a person ages, it is not uncommon for muscle strength and mobility to decline. This can make it difficult to perform many tasks like getting up out of a chair or lifting a cup of tea. Our Exercise & Mobility Coordinator Laura Majewski is passionate about helping people and has been helping our residents since starting in 2014. Laura works with nursing staff, management, allied health, Lifestyle Officers and the rest of the Resource Team to enhance the movement and wellbeing of each resident not just from a physical capacity, but social as well. Her role involves assessing resident’s mobility and movement capacities dependant on their needs. She creates individual care plans and conducts ongoing education for the staff regarding manual handling and falls prevention. Another important aspect of her role is building strong relationship with residents and their families and providing support for family members to help optimise the care of their loved one and to better understand the condition of their relative. The noticeable benefits are that residents and their families can see the progress of ongoing exercise and how it can promote wellbeing and give residents a sense of purpose. Laura describes the role as being incredibly rewarding. “It’s more than just being able to walk, it’s about living a comfortable, pain-free life,” said Laura. “I love working with the elderly as the response from them is incredible. Their faces light up when the exercise class start or they can see themselves improving their mobility.”
Laura was recently awarded a 2017 Commonwealth Better Practice Award for her ‘Resisting Age Related Muscle Decline’ program that she rolled out in five of our New South Wales homes. This initiative was in response to the recognition that rehabilitating muscles in the elderly could give better quality of life and enjoyment to aged care residents. “This is such a huge honour to be recognised by the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency for a Better Practice Award,” said Laura. “Working alongside professionals that want to better the health and wellbeing of the elderly community inspires me,” Laura said. Laura is constantly inspired and loves thinking of new ideas to better the health of residents. Her face lights up when she talks about what she would love to implement in the homes. She said she is already thinking about additional programs that would be appropriate for future Better Practice nominations.
Speech Pathologist Emma Alonso Speech Pathologists work with people experiencing difficulties with understanding and using communication and assist these individuals to convey their needs and wants. Speech pathologists also help in assessing and managing difficulties with swallowing food or fluids due to stroke, dementia, or brain injury. Emma joined Hall & Prior in 2016 and is the only Speech Pathologist for New South Wales servicing all 11 of our homes in the state. Her role involves individual dysphagia and communication assessments as well as recommendations for residents to increase swallowing safety.
resident quality of life with safe swallowing recommendations derived from the best current evidence. In addition, her role allows her to bridge the gap between knowing what is safe to eat and drink, while taking into account the needs and wants of residents. Families benefit from gaining specialist knowledge through individual discussion on their relative’s swallowing presentation. Through these discussions, well-liked food can be modified so that residents can still enjoy the taste of the food and not have their swallowing safety compromised. “I have had a great opportunity to be involved in the service development of Speech Pathology in NSW and participate in quality improvement projects that assist nursing staff with identifying residents at swallowing risk,” said Emma.
Another major part of her role is to ensure food service staff are equipped with dysphagia mealtime knowledge for residents which involves education on correct food preparation of modified diets and thickened fluids to staff. Emma also provides additional education to nursing staff on topics such as dysphagia, mealtime assistance and communication strategies. This allows the opportunity to get staff to revise their dysphagia knowledge on residents with multiple diagnoses, including dementia and stroke.
Not only does Emma liaise and meet regularly with the Hall & Prior Speech Pathology and Dietetic team in WA, she also works closely with NSW Dietitian Fiona McHugh as swallowing difficulties increase the risk of residents not eating enough which can lead to poor nutrition and dehydration risk. She also works with Registered Nurses and management including Clinical Nurse Managers, Directors of Nursing and their deputies in the homes to communicate and aid implementation of recommendations for residents.
As a Speech Pathologist, Emma’s role facilitates resident swallowing safety and through personcentred assessments she can further increase
Through working independently and liaising with the Speech Pathology team in WA Emma has been able to hone her problem-solving and clinical skills
to best effectively service our diverse resident population. One of the biggest challenges Emma faces is balancing swallowing safety with the wants of residents and families. “Residents can desire certain foods and fluids however due to a swallowing impairment, those foods and drinks now are a choking and aspiration risk,” Emma said. “Education regarding risk and choice, involving the resident and their families, General Practitioner as well as Directors of Nursing assist with this challenge.” Another challenge Emma faces is prioritising and setting realistic swallowing and/or communication goals that are in line with families. “Goals must be agreed upon with the resident and family with further education and guidance needed if goals are unrealistic,” said Emma.
Emma has always had a passion for working with older people and enjoys building long relationships with residents, staff and families in the homes and can relate to family queries and concerns. “I have personally seen the effects of stroke on a loved one’s ability to swallow and communicate effectively,” Emma said. “Losing the ability to eat and drink and effectively communicate your needs and wants is devastating for that individual and their family. Working in aged care gives me the opportunity to fulfil my purpose in helping others in these areas of their lives.” Emma is also passionate about advocating for our ageing residents to enhance their quality of life as they are a vulnerable population in our community. “I am excited for upcoming projects that adopt a holistic approach to service residents, working alongside nursing staff and the multidisciplinary team,” said Emma.
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Dietitian Fiona McHugh Due to changes in how well our body systems function as we age and often in the presence of chronic diseases, nutrition priorities change as we get older. Reducing the risk of malnutrition and dehydration, and minimising muscle loss are our main nutritional goals. Hall & Prior Dietitians specialise in evidenced based aged care nutrition. They recognize the importance of food and nutrition for both optimized health and quality of life for their care recipients. New South Wales Dietitian Fiona McHugh is passionate about creating new ideas and methods to optimize the food systems we currently have in place. “I want to ensure our residents receive meals which sustain them nutritionally but importantly which they enjoy and contribute positively towards their quality of life,” said Fiona. Fiona joined Hall & Prior in 2016. Her role includes clinical assessments of our residents, educating staff about nutrition for aged care, assisting in the development of menus which are tasty and nutritionally balanced and ensuring that our nutrition and hydration systems remain up to date with current best practice evidence. Fiona works closely with NSW Speech Pathologist Emma Alonso and kitchen staff to ensure that modified diets are a suitable texture, nutritionally optimised and maintain good flavour so that these residents have the best chance of meeting their nutritional needs while still enjoying their meals.
“Our residents with swallowing difficulties are at a greater risk of not eating or drinking enough and may require texture modified foods and thickened fluids,” said Fiona. Fiona also works closely with clinical management staff to ensure our residents at risk of malnutrition are identified and nutrition strategies are put in place to reduce this risk. This may include offering extra nourishing snacks, fortifying foods or providing nutrition supplements as well as other environmental or assistance strategies. When asked about what challenges she faces Fiona says that it can be tricky to create menus which satisfy our resident’s food preferences, mixed cultural needs and yet remain nutritionally sound. “Our residents often face many obstacles which make it difficult for them to eat and drink enough to sustain them, they may have small appetites, food aversions and changes in their ability to taste and chew food,” Fiona said. “Ensuring they eat and drink enough can be a daily struggle and require constant review.” “Food is about so much more than the nutrients it provides; food brings people together, encouraging social interaction. It can have religious, spiritual or cultural meanings, its flavour and textures can give us great pleasure and may bring back fond memories,” said Fiona. “Giving food to another can be a sign of love and bring connection. Working in aged care we have such potential to make a positive difference to people’s lives using food, this is what excites me most about working in the aged care setting.” Our Resource Team work hard every day to ensure we can continue to provide exceptional care. They truly embody our company values and are compassionate people, dedicated to care.
IMPROVING RESIDENT WELLBEING THROUGH OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY Within an aged care home, Occupational Therapists have a vital role to play in the overall quality of life our residents experience. Throughout our 14 homes in Western Australia, we have six occupational therapy staff members, who collectively cover all the homes. They who work closely with clinical and care teams, as well as other Allied Health professionals like Physiotherapists. Assisting students to undertake their practical assessments at university is an important part of Occupational Therapy, and we are proud to host students from Curtin University and Edith Cowan University at our homes. Occasionally, when an exceptional student comes to one of our homes, we are fortunate enough to welcome them back as a staff member once they have completed their studies. Niki Batson, who works at Windsor Park Aged Care Home in Carlisle and our home in
• Executive Director of Health & Care Services - Regional Leader Jennifer Grieve, Occupational Therapist Niki Batson, Windsor Park Executive Manager Sharyn McDavitt and Chief Executive Officer Graeme Prior.
Rockingham, is just one example of our success stories. She chose Occupational Therapy because the field is so versatile. “With every area you work in as an OT, you have the ability to make a meaningful difference in someone’s life,” she said. “There is a clear purpose to this job, it’s really rewarding and challenging.” While she also completed placements in paediatrics and at Royal Perth Hospital for an acute assessment unit, a personal connection to aged care was part of what drove her to a career in this sector. “Both of my grandmas have dementia, and I took care of my Singaporean grandma when I was 16,” she said. “We didn’t even know she had it until it got to a more severe stage because there wasn’t a big awareness of dementia back then. I feel like that’s why I wanted to work in aged care, because I couldn’t give my grandma the care I wanted, and at least I can help people now.” She was placed at Windsor Park during her studies, and enjoyed the experience so much she wanted to return once she graduated. She has also worked at Concorde Aged Care Home
in South Perth, and said seeing several different homes was a valuable experience. “Out of all the homes I’ve had experience with, Windsor was the most interesting because there’s such a variety of care needs,” she said. “You have to push yourself to learn something new with each person, because the residents here have complex needs. But this role and this home has the right amount of challenge and I never get bored.” “There’s such a good culture here among all the staff, and some days it’s so challenging that you just have to laugh and be optimistic.” Niki said working in aged care was more fastpaced than she expected, and that she has been able to drastically improve her clinical skills. “What you learn at university is a tiny portion of what you actually do,” she said. “In your first year in the workplace, you learn more than you did throughout your degree. It’s such a diverse field, you have to learn a bit about hand therapy, a bit about seating, you have to be a jack of all trades.” “You have to learn how to prioritise, you have to really know what you’re doing and make sure it’s based on the current evidence, to ensure its best practice. Niki said her work with our residents starts with an assessment to allow her to create an occupational profile. Through the profile, an OT can understand their cognitive needs, spiritual needs, gross motor needs, which are all
• Occupational Therapist Niki Batson, OSH Coordinator Jenni Davidson and Occupational Therapy Coordinator Madelyne Glover.
important to their care. “You determine what they could engage in that’s meaningful to them, but that also has therapeutic benefits, meaning it can positively affect their health and wellbeing,” Niki said. “For example, we had a resident who loves make up, but due to physical and cognitive impairments we needed to adapt the activity so she could independently put her own make up on every day.” Niki said this role opened her eyes to the clinical side of Occupational Therapy, and she has done a lot of work with seating adjustments to prevent injuries and sores. “I’ve done a lot of work to educate our care staff about the most appropriate seating, as pressure care is one of my main roles here,” she said. “We also do a lot with eating and finding what adaptive equipment residents can use, to give them more independence with feeding themselves. We always try an enable independence. It is not just to make it easier for the carers, but because it affects the residents’ self-esteem and their sense of identity.” “Another big part of what I do creating activity programs and developing dementia-specific projects.” Niki said that with Australia’s ageing population, the number of people diagnosed with dementia will increase, and that aged care workers need to be innovative and build knowledge to prepare for these growing needs.
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CELEBRATING THE FESTIVE SEASON IN OUR HOMES Christmas is a special time within our homes, as our staff pull out all the stops to plan the festivities. Our homes in New South Wales had a more relaxed event style than in previous years, with a luncheon instead of a formal service. Residents, their family and staff all shared a delicious lunch with leg ham, roast turkey, salads and sides and of course a variety of indulgent desserts. The Men’s Shed Chorale returned to eight of our NSW homes again this year to perform a range of carols during the celebrations.
Across all our homes, it was great to see everyone getting together for festive meals, singing carols and enjoying visits from Santa. Some of our homes organised trips out to see the beautiful Christmas lights in their area, as well as organising raffles and gifts for residents and staff alike. Thank you to everyone who attended our Christmas events, as well as all family members who visited our homes during the festive period and helped make these days special.
IMPROVING SPIRITUALITY IN REGIONAL AGED CARE Hall & Prior’s regional aged care home Clarence Estate are joining forces with Australia’s peak body for spiritual care and ageing, to improve training and education. Meaningful Ageing Australia will visit 17 regional locations around the nation to deliver the training, with the first stop in with our Albany home, in Western Australia’s Great Southern region. The training program aims to provide a professional development opportunity to aged care staff and volunteers. It will address a range of spirituality topics based on local needs. The series is being run in partnership with superannuation fund Prime Super and is open to all aged care staff, volunteers and members of the public interested in the sessions. Session topics include supporting older people in the transition to aged care, acknowledging diversity, responding to loss and grief and conversations about end of life. Meaningful Ageing CEO Ilsa Hampton said the training series filled a gap for regional providers, which sometimes missed out on the best education more readily available in metropolitan areas. “The beauty and challenge of contemporary spiritual care gives staff the opportunity to engage with what it means to integrate spiritual care from within their own situation, personally as well as professionally,” she said. Ms Hampton said the upcoming review of the National Guidelines for Spiritual Care in Aged Care would be informed in part by conversations at these seminars.
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LORNA TOSTEVIN – 103 YEARS YOUNG VAUCLUSE RESIDENT Lorna Hazel Tostevin, 103 years young resident at Vaucluse Aged Care Home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs was born in Gladstone, South Australia on November 24, 1914. Lorna was the third youngest of her eight siblings; four sisters and three brothers. Lorna has led a fulfilling life, she got married to Darby Tostevin and gave birth to her only child, a daughter, Denise McCarron. Denise was a dental nurse and volunteer with the Australia Red Cross at Julia Farr Hospital in Adelaide for six years before moving to Sydney in 1976 where she got married. Two years later, in 1978 Lorna’s husband Darby passed away. Lorna packed up and moved to Sydney to live with her daughter and grandchildren, James and Marina. One of Lorna’s passions is travelling, which she did extensively. She has enjoyed an overland trek from London to Kathmandu, many cruises, white water rafting and an unforgettable hot air balloon ride on her 80th birthday with her daughter. “Lorna always has a smile on her face and has been a marvelous role model with a positive and happy outlook keeping traditional polite standards in life,” said Denise. “One of the reasons she has extremely happy at Vaucluse
Aged Care Home is the genuine warm and loving staff and nurses that surround her daily for the past nine years.” Lorna’s infectious attitude has everyone in her company smiling, happy and inspired. Although she is unable to communicate now she is still very much interested and aware of her surroundings and has a great sense of humour. Every morning after Lorna has a shower the nurses at Vaucluse Aged Care Home help her to put some makeup on. “She loves to have make up on every day,” said Assistant in Nursing Rosa Mavoli. “When we help her put lipstick on Lorna sometimes puts it all around her face and when she sees herself in the mirror she laughs.” Always being the active person she once was, Lorna is now unable to walk but has found new interests which keep her entertained. She loves sitting in the lounge room watching TV and joining in on some of the home’s activities. Denise visits her mother every week, bringing her flowers and magazines. Lorna loves spending time looking through the magazines that her daughter brings her and reminiscing of her joyful life when looking through all her photos. Anyone who meets Lorna and sees her smiling face can see that at 103 years young she is still very much enjoying life!
MEET OUR STAFF With more than 1500 people in our care across 25 homes in New South Wales and Western Australia, it takes a lot of people to make things run smoothly. We want to share with you a snapshot of the dedicated, compassionate people who work in our NSW homes. There is an incredible amount of diversity, with different backgrounds, cultures and personalities. But whatever role they are in, from carers, to maintenance officers, to clinical roles, our staff share the same commitment to exceptional care and our organisation’s vision.
Alloa
Suzi Nikolovska - Lifestyle Officer Starting at Alloa in 2010, Suzi has taken on many different roles in the homes, including nursing, working in the kitchen and laundry and then becoming the home’s full-time lifestyle officer. The best part of her job is having fun with the residents, and she said she loves forming friendships with them. In her spare time, you’ll find Suzi relaxing with friends, watching the footy or travelling around Australia.
Maya Costa - Registered Nurse Born in Bangladesh, Maya came to Australia when she was 27 as part of a skilled migration. She has been at Alloa for 14 years and said she loves helping and comforting older people. In her spare time, Maya loves gardening, exercising, spending time with her cat and cooking, especially Italian dishes.
Aubrey Downer
Kim Mellor - Lifestyle Officer
Tina Hayes - Accounts Payable
With more than 10 years’ experience in the aged care industry in the United Kingdom, Kim came to Australia when she was 29 with her husband and two children. She has gained a further 18 years’ experience in Australia, and has spent the past five years at Aubrey Downer. In her spare time, Kim enjoys listening to music, reading and going to church.
Having worked at Aubrey Downer for the past 22 years, Tina has worked in several different departments, as a personal carer, in administration and now working with the finance department. Tina is an avid motorbike rider, and spends her spare time volunteering in the community, camping and reading.
Carol Leaudais - Assistant in Nursing / Hostel Supervisor Born in England, Carol came to Australia when she was 9 years old. She has worked at Aubrey Downer for 22 years, and came to aged care after her mother’s battle with cancer made her realise she wanted to care for others. Her mother was a resident at the home for 18 months, and Carol said although it was a hard time, it was great to be able to see her every day.
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Clover Lea
Fere Jujama - Assistant in Nursing, Kitchenhand Born in Ethiopia, Fere came to Australia 10 years ago by herself, as a refugee. She has one brother and two sisters, and she said it was hard to leave them when she moved. This is her first aged care role, and she gets a lot of joy from helping people. In her spare time she loves walking, listening to music and dancing.
Caroline Chisholm
Ganga Bhushal - Registered Nurse
Henry Aarden - Maintenance When Henry was five years old, his father moved their family to Australia from the city of Enschede, in the Netherlands. He has worked at Caroline Chisholm for the past seven years and makes sure the home keeps on top of renovations and repairs. In his spare time he enjoys playing golf and collecting Australian stamps with his granddaughter.
Fairfield
Ganga was born in Nepal and came to Australia with her husband in 2007. She’s worked in aged care for the past 10 years, with five years at Clover Lea. She said aged care is a service that doesn’t exist in Nepal, as elders are cared for by relatives in the family home. Her biggest passion is advocating for people who can’t for themselves.
Glenwood Evelyn Mining - Assistant in Nursing Living over an hour away from the Sydney suburb of Greenwich doesn’t stop Evelyn, who gets up at 3.30am every morning to catch the train to work from Woy Woy. She said the beautiful views make it worth the long commute, and has worked at Glenwood for 19 years. The residents and staff are like family and she loves helping older people.
Kim Souk - Senior Admin Kim has worked at Fairfield for four years, and worked in the home’s kitchen before moving to her current role. She is originally from a small city near Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and her family moved to Vietnam and then Australia on 1983, to escape the Cambodian-Vietnamese War. When she’s not working, Kim loves spending time with her children.
Lyra Lapus - Clinical Nurse Manager Having moved from the Philippines to Australia in 1994, Lyra said she couldn’t imagine living anywhere but here anymore. She started at the home as a Registered Nurse almost four years ago, and said aged care feels like it’s her calling. “Fairfield feels like a second home – it’s like working with my family.
Pritika Lal - Assistant in Nursing Getting to know the residents and forming relationships with them is Pritika’s favourite parts of working at Fairfield, who has been at the home for six years. She was born in Fiji and moved to Australia with her family when she was eight years old. On the weekend you’ll find her watching her son’s soccer games.
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Menaville Tonderai (Tony) Nyakudanga Maintenance / Nursing Born in Zimbabwe, Tony came to Australia nine years ago with his wife. He has been at Menaville since 2011, starting as a nurse and then moving to a maintenance role when there was an opening. He said Australia’s social lifestyle and culture is very different to Africa, where everyone in the neighbourhood knows each other.
Stephanie Komjele Assistant in Nursing
Christine Rugless Administration
Margaret Rayner - Lifestyle Officer
Joining Menaville in an administration role was a challenge for Christine, as it was a career change for her, but she’s settled in well since she started in 2011. She likes interacting with the residents and will often dress up in wigs to put smiles on their faces. In her spare time she loves keeping active with walking and jogging.
Margaret has always loved caring for people, starting from when she was a child she would visit her local hospital to give gifts to sick children. She has a great respect for older people, as their generations were the ones who fought in wars and lived through the Great Depression. “It’s love that makes the world go ‘round and I want our residents to feel loved,” she said.
Shangri-La Khilraj Shrestha - Assistant in Nursing / Kitchenhand Leaving his home in Nepal in 2009 and coming to Australia as a student, Khilraj was looking for work opportunities and a better life. He has been working at the home for six months, and his wife is also an AIN at the home. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his two children.
Born in Papua New Guinea, she came to Australia by herself in 2010 to find new work opportunities. While she misses her family, she has settled in well and enjoys working at the home. She loves talking the residents, learning about their lives and getting advice from them. Every weekend you’ll find her at church where she says she feels at home.
Grafton Amy Schultz - Lifestyle Officer Undertaking a school-based traineeship at the age of 15 led to Amy working at the home for the past 11 years, and the team there have seen her grow up. The most rewarding part of her role is knowing she’s making a difference in the lives of those she cares for. She is passionate about being a mum and loves spending time with her family
Tanya Ditton - Registered Nurse Working in aged care feels like getting to spend every shift with your grandparents, according to Tanya, who has been at the home for three years. She was inspired to become a nurse after seeing the incredible medical and nursing team that took care of her daughter when she had to undergo spinal surgery.
HEAD OFFICE 16-18 Mayfair Street West Perth WA 6005 PO Box 1593 West Perth WA 6872 T 08 9321 1388 F 08 9321 1490 E info@hallprior.com.au NEW SOUTH WALES STATE OFFICE 274 Burns Bay Road Lane Cove NSW 2066 PO Box 84 Lane Cove NSW 1595 T 02 9427 8978 F 02 9427 3218 E infonsw@hallprior.com.au
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