Life&Love HALL & PRIOR H E A LT H & A G E D C A R E G R O U P
LEST WE FORGET
ISSUE 24 | AUTUMN 2020
A beautiful moment shared between a veteran and CEO Graeme Prior at an ANZAC Day Service in NSW in 2019.
Front cover: CEO Graeme Prior proudly wears his Grandfather’s war medals on Anzac Day 2020 at the Kings Park War Memorial in Perth (see story pg 34).
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IN THIS ISSUE 4
From the Chief Executive Officer
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Our COVID-19 Response
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Life (and love) in Lockdown
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Celebrating our Nurses for IND 2020
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Jennifer Grieve: Thoughts on Nursing
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St Paddys’ Celebrations
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ANZAC Day during COVID-19
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Graeme Prior: My Grandfather’s War Story
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Welcome to Bexley
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HelloCare: Profile
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Karingal Green Opens its Doors
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 27 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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From the
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER COVID-19 has changed our world. In early January, the world started talking about ‘Coronavirus’ as a crisis unfolded in China – at first it was a dull murmur, that suddenly turned into a roar and by late February we were putting in place our Pandemic Management Plan. I cannot thank our frontline staff nor our Pandemic Management Team enough for their hard work and dedication over the past few months. COVID-19 has challenged the aged care sector at every turn and we have had to react quickly and remain agile often under very trying circumstances. We care for some of Australia’s most vulnerable people, so on March 18, 2020 I made the very difficult decision to lockdown our homes. It is a decision that I stand by, as it allowed us to protect our residents and staff. This is and has always been our number one priority at Hall & Prior. On April 28, we decided to gently lift lockdown in line with Commonwealth Government guidelines and allow visitors back into our homes with strict COVID-19 restrictions in place. This has been done with guidance from the new Residential Care Visitor Access Code.
“We must remain vigilant against COVID-19 in Australia, this is a very real threat.” I would like to take a moment to thank our residents and their families for their patience. I understand how distressing it was not being able to see your loved ones and I appreciate your support.
wonderful moments in this issue that our homes shared while they were in lockdown. Continuing to allow families to connect with their loved ones through technology has made for some very heart-warming photos and videos and I thank our wonderful DONs for facilitating this. We also commemorated ANZAC Day 2020 in lockdown, a day that is very close to my heart. As we could not hold public ANZAC Day services in our homes, we thanked our veterans for their sacrifices and bravery with small services in our homes courtyards and gardens. I share my Grandfather’s war story on page 34. Lest we forget. Also in this issue you will find our tribute to International Nurses Day (and Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday) on May 12. We look forward to celebrating our nurses as part of 2020 being the WHO Global Year of the Nurse and Midwife. As this issue goes to print we have also welcomed our first resident to Karingal Green Health & Aged Care Community. This is a long held vision of mine, that has been more than a decade in the making and I cannot wait to share it with you in our next issue. Until then, please stay safe, be kind and take care of one another. We will get through this together. Yours truly,
We must remain vigilant against the COVID-19 in Australia, this is a very real threat and it’s my job as CEO to protect not just our residents, but staff and families as well. As we continue to navigate COVID-19 and this “new normal” I hope you will enjoy some of the
GRAEME PRIOR Chief Executive Officer
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CEO Graeme Prior & Director Michael Hall officially open Karingal Green Health & Aged Care Community in High Wycombe.
Nation’s nurses on the COVID-19 frontline An opinion piece by the Australian Government’s Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Alison McMillan. When the World Health Organization (WHO) designated 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, it could not have foreseen the health crisis that would engulf the world. 2020 also marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale – the world’s most famous nurse and founder of modern nursing. Her pioneering work was born out of crisis - war. And so it is today that nurses around the world and in Australia are once again on the frontline and in a war – this time against the dreadful coronavirus. Here in Australia, our nurses are playing a crucial role across the patient care spectrum. They are working in respiratory clinics, providing important support, comfort and guidance to people who are worried and frightened about whether they have COVID-19. They are delivering care to people in their homes so they can stay well – particularly people with chronic conditions. In aged care, nurses are helping to put in place vital infection control processes to protect the elderly. Nurses are very much at the frontline in the intensive care units, where the nurse is the person who is at the bedside of the most vulnerable, 24 hours, seven days a week. It’s not widely recognised that nurses make up the largest segment in our health workforce. Registered nurses comprise the largest health care occupation. In 2018, there were around 276,000 registered nurses in Australia. It’s a most valuable resource which the Australian Government is now looking to tap into as demand for hospital care is likely to put unprecedented strain on our health system and our health workers, who every day are saving and improving lives. Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced important initiatives to bolster the ranks of nurses around the nation. The Government is
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funding up to 20,000 new online education places so that registered nurses can develop skills and knowledge to help in the delivery of care in intensive care and high dependency units across Australia. This will allow experienced nurses to be used to maximum effect in the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and support a doubling in the number of intensive care beds in hospitals. The Government is also funding an online refresher course to get registered nurses, who may have recently left the profession for a variety of reasons, to return to the workforce. These initiatives have the strong support of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, Australian College of Nursing and Australian College of Critical Care Nurses. There has been a strong response from nurses. Across Australia, already 3083 enrolled to complete the refresher course– 983 here in NSW; and 14,600 looking to work in critical care. I am very heartened by this response – but certainly not surprised. That so many nurses would put up their hands to be part of the fight against coronavirus is, simply, what nurses do. It’s in their DNA. I also find it interesting that, in crises such as this pandemic and the Global Financial Crisis, we often see nurses returning to the health workforce when partners lose their jobs through no fault of their own. So the flexibility of the profession, which is still female dominated, helps meet both the individual’s and the nation’s needs. Finally, as we honour the work of our nurses through the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife and celebrate Florence Nightingale’s pioneering work, it is pertinent to recall that the major focus of her care of wounded soldiers in the Crimean War was the importance of sanitation and hygiene, including handwashing. Through simple improvements, she was able to cut the mortality rate massively. Following the principles of good hygiene, particularly handwashing, is now at the very heart of our coronavirus response. We are back to the basics – and they’re working, just as they did two centuries ago. Reproduced with the kind permission of the Australian Government Department of Health.
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Planning for Every Contingency Our Covid-19 Response Hall & Prior has had to be extremely agile in the face of the COVID-19 threat, a virus that challenged our sector on every level. As the virus constantly changed and evolved, so too did our response to it. The following is a small insight into the last few months ‌ By Beverly Ligman.
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Communciation is key Daniel Hitchcock, Hall & Prior’s Corporate Services Manager, said that responding to the threat of COVID-19 in aged care has been undoubtedly a unique and challenging experience across the entire company. However, despite these challenges, staff across the board have met each new obstacle with resilience and fortitude. “The champions of Hall & Prior’s COVID-19 response are undoubtedly the 1,800 plus staff who work in our 27 residential aged care homes and home care services across WA and NSW,” Daniel said. “They have been providing care and reassurance to each and every one of our residents and clients during this difficult time, which has challenged the sector across the nation. “Standing behind our frontline staff are the corporate and clinical management teams who have been charting our organisational response to the global pandemic.” Planning a response to the COVID-19 crisis began in late January, and even at that early stage, it was clear that the foundations of Hall & Prior’s response was laid down. However, Daniel said it was impossible to anticipate at the time the effect of Coronavirus on Hall & Prior, and the community at large. The corporate team has been working hard behind Hall & Prior’s frontline care teams in progressing some key aspects to our response, including the effective roll-out of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). “PPE is in demand worldwide; nevertheless, Hall & Prior have been able to ensure that key supply
lines of PPE have been maintained to ensure that all staff are provided with PPE as part of our safe systems of work,” Daniel added. Corporate teams have also worked closely with key suppliers in food, mobility, continence aids, and wound care to ensure that we have consistency and continuity of supply. Maintaining adequate staffing levels has also been an important factor in terms of riding out the COVID-19 Pandemic. “Regarding staffing levels, surge capacity staffing has been investigated to ensure that should it be required, consistent staffing for each of our homes would occur,” he said.
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Keeping clear lines of communications open with families and key stakeholders is a vital component of the company’s response, keeping all parties informed of new rules and regulations, and any other news. “Our Corporate Communications team have endeavoured to ensure that information regarding our response and access restrictions in our homes have been communicated as quickly as possible through a range of digital and printed materials,” Daniel said. Finally, Hall & Prior’s IT team deployed additional tablets and iPads into each home to ensure that there was an increased opportunity for videoconferencing/FaceTime with our residents during lockdown. Creating connections wherever possible for our residents to help them continue to see their loved ones and safeguard their mental health was of paramount importance.
Living with COVID-19 Breda McMenamin, Co-ordinator Quality, Safety & Staff Development at the NSW State Office and Ben Chard, Lifestyle Co-ordinator, are on the frontline as the effects of COVID-19 continue to evolve and develop in the aged care sector.
Lockdowns at our homes started on March 18 and continued until April 28, and even though it was a difficult time for families, it did help us manage the threat of COVID-19. “There were fewer people in the homes which reduces the risk of COVID-19 being transmitted to both staff and residents,” Breda said. The idea behind restricting access to the homes is to help flatten the curve in the spread of Coronavirus, as advised by the Government and State Health Departments.
“The champions of Hall & Prior’s COVID-19 response are undoubtedly the 1,800 plus staff whowork in our 27 residential aged care homes and home care services across WA and NSW,” Daniel said. Now that our homes are out of lockdown, fever screening and some visitor access restrictions are still in place; this helps us continue to protect some of Australia’s most vulnerable people. “In NSW we have had public health workers coming into the homes and assisting with the swabbing of residents, taking prompt action in prioritising these results for any affected homes,” says Breda. At Shangri-La, where there was one COVID-19 positive case, the team received daily support and a Doctor provided reassurance and support on the phone daily to staff. “As the weather turns chilly, and flu season approaches, the public health units have also been working closely with the homes in assisting with the supply of flu vaccinations for staff and prioritising flu vaccinations for aged care residences,” Breda added.
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The New Normal Important rules and restrictions are in place to keep residents and staff as safe as possible from any possible COVID-19 infection. “These rules include the restriction of people visiting the homes, self-screening completed by all staff before they begin a shift, and should there be any positive responses to that self-screening, then they are required to contact the Director of Nursing or Manager prior to attending work at a home,” Breda said. “All staff returning from sick leave are again risk assessed, and to reinforce key hygiene messages, a banner has been provided to each home to increase awareness of hand hygiene, cough etiquette and other directives from the medical authorities.” Every staff member has their temperature checked before going on duty, and a comprehensive risk assessment is completed by all contractors, agency staff and visitors to the home; this includes a temperature check.
“Activities like colouring-in, word search and jigsaw puzzles, poems, calendar-themed activities, listening to music, watching DVDs, art activities and reading.” Hall & Prior have invested in extra resources in WA and NSW to support these individual programs, concentrating on sensory, musical, cognitive, religious or spiritual and artistic resources. “We have also been making more use of technology, specifically iPads and smart phones to make video calls between residents and their families and friends,” Ben added. “It’s the best way to keep residents connected with the outside world.” Hall & Prior will continue to update staff, families and residents with COVID-19 information throughout the pandemic.
COVID-19 updates can be found on our website www.hallprior.com.au/news. We also recommend you download the COVID Safe app.
A Pandemic Management Plan has been developed to guide all staff in management roles and social distancing is in place between staff and residents, where possible.
Keeping positive Despite the fact that many residents’ lives will continue to be impacted by the restrictions and rules imposed by the pandemic, it’s still important to keep their spirits up during these difficult days. As a Lifestyle Co-ordinator, Ben Chard says there has been an increased focus on emotional support for residents, and maintaining a connection with the outside world and family members. “We’ve achieved this through individual programs that have been developed and facilitated by LSO room visits as well as more personalised activities which can be enjoyed in the resident’s rooms,” Ben said. CEO Graeme Prior on ABC News, Perth.
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2020
Immunisation Program In the wake of COVID-19 and with new Government legislation making it a legal requirement that anyone entering an aged care home must have a current flu shot by May 1, 2020, our immunisation program is now more important than ever. As a leader in the aged care sector Hall & Prior has had a staff influenza immunisation program in place for the past 12 years. Free to all employees, last year we reached a 96 per cent immunisation rate, this year it has to be 100 per cent due to the Government legislation. “The immunisation program has been condensed this year due to the 1 May deadline, but staff have worked together to achieve an enviable result. We have to reach 100 per cent this year, and we will achieve it,” In-house Pharmacist Kath Whisson said. “We pre-ordered vaccines last December and due to the enormous voluntary response from staff in previous years, our order has meant we have been able to vaccinate all staff despite shortages in some communities.”
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Running the program in WA is Clinical Quality Coordinator Toni McHale who said she has been impressed with uptake so far.
Clinical Quality Coordinator Angela Day is running the program in NSW and said take-up was positive there too.
“Our staff are always responsive to getting their flu shots to protect our vulnerable residents and their families from any influenza outbreaks, but this year as the threat of COVID-19 looms, it is even more important,” Toni said.
“The New South Wales program has been incredibly well received in 2020, we have completed six locations already as of the end of April, Angela said.
“These are unprecedented times and we must protect each other as much as we can.” Aged care homes such as Tuohy in WA have taken an innovative approach to administering vaccinations, conducting a non-contact drive through clinic so staff could get their flu shots safely. And all of our homes and corporate offices across NSW and WA have been working hard to make sure we have herd immunity.
“New Government legislation has helped us tighten the program now that aged care staff require compulsory flu vaccinations to attend the workplace. “Overall, everyone has welcomed this move and been positive about what this program will achieve health wise for our residents.” For more information on Hall & Prior’s immunisation program please contact GM Health Service Jennifer Grieve jgrieve@hallprior.com.au
Staff receive their flu shots in WA and NSW.
Life&Love Who we are Content inspired by the wonderful residents and staff at Hall & Prior. Collated, written and edited by Beverly Ligman, Jacki Downs and Gabi Mills. Designed by Sean Baker. If you have any story ideas please contact lifeandlove@hallprior.com.au or (08) 9321 1388.
It ’s the
Small Things…
Even though the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic have been many and varied in aged care, there have been many beautiful moments where staff, residents and families got to interact digitally or through ‘windows of love’ during our lockdown. We received many letters of thanks for the care we provided throughout lockdown (18 March to 28 April) and on the following pages we’d like to share with you the ‘highlights reel’ of some of the magic moments that were happening in our homes and online. Thank you to our residents and their families for their continued understanding through this difficult time and to our staff for their ongoing dedication and always giving our residents the love, mercy and care they deserve.
We will get through this together.
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CELEBRATING OUR NURSES The foundations of our organisation are built on strong clinical care. And this year we celebrate our 200 plus dedicated nurses within Hall & Prior by thanking them for the love, mercy and care they provide to our residents and their families every single day. Florence Nightingale, often referred to as the “Mother of Nursing” would have turned 200 on this day.
In honour of Miss Nightingale and all of those who have dedicated their lives to care we ask you to please pause for a moment on May 12 to praise our nurses for the wonderful job they do.
Let us never consider ourselves ‘finished nurses’ – we must be learning all of our lives. Florence Nightingale This year is also the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Year of the Nurse and Midwife to highlight the fact that the world needs 9 million more nurses to achieve universal health coverage by 2030. This year WHO will celebrate the work of nurses and midwives, showing the challenging conditions they face, and advocating for increased investments in the nursing and midwifery workforce. We look forward to celebrating our nurses all year long!
A Life Well Lived Hall & Prior cares for many former nurses at its 27 homes in NSW and WA, one of them is Jennifer Smyth, a nurses who now lives at St Lukes Aged Care Home and was never quite “off duty”. By Gabi Mills Jennifer and her husband John.
Digging through the archives of Jennifer Smyth, one of St Luke’s long-time residents, have sparked many happy memories for her children – David, Mary, Peter and Michael. Those who know and love Jennifer, a resident at St Luke’s Aged Care Home in Subiaco for the past eight years, use powerful words to describe her: kindness and generosity. A nurse who never quite took off her uniform, even in her 80s, Jennifer would often attempt to help other residents who had perhaps fallen or required help. Her eldest son David explains. “My mother was long past the point of being able to offer assistance and Trevor Weaver, one of the home’s Registered Nurses would say to her with a smile; “Nurse Smythe, you are not on duty tonight.” Born in 1934 in Lambeth, London, as a child Jennifer was evacuated to north London with her younger brother Michael during the war like so many other children at the time. Peter says that she recalled a beautiful summer spent playing with the children from a gypsy camp nearby to where she was billeted. “Mum said it was the happiest summer she ever knew,” Peter said. Her youngest son Michael, who now lives in Germany, recalls his mother reading ‘Carrie’s War’ to him as a child, a book about two children who were evacuated from London to Wales.
“I remember my mother recounting her experience of being evacuated – she had many pleasant memories of seeing the countryside,” Michael said. As a teenager, Jennifer belonged to the nautical arm of the Girl Guides, and won awards for the long jump at school, even visiting the Commonwealth Games facility in London on occasion. Blissful family holidays were spent on Hayling Island, off the south coast of England, and there are many photographs showing Jennifer with her brother, mother Phyllis and father Nelson having fun by the seaside. Nelson, a machine tool foreman from Wales, died suddenly in 1954 while Jennifer was training to be a nurse, and Phyllis and the children were subsequently taken under her Uncle Alec’s wing. A close-knit family, Phyllis’s father Ernest lived next door to the family on Hannington Road in Clapham, meaning Jennifer and her brother were always surrounded by love and support. Uncle Alec would go on to give Jennifer away on her wedding day, to John Smyth, on August 23, 1957. “You can see Uncle Alec and Aunt Lala (as my mother referred to her), standing next to her in the group wedding photograph,” Michael said. John and Jennifer met after she started her midwifery training while John was rostered to manage the staff clinic at London’s University College Hospital.
John would write touching letters to Jennifer, who was on night duty. “They would be addressed ‘Dear Dormouse. . .” David said. “Mum also remembers getting sunburnt after falling asleep in the roof garden of the nurses’ quarters. She went back to work with a starched apron on her burnt knees and was accosted by a staff nurse with a broad Sydney accent who reprimanded her for being sunburnt!” Her nursing role even had a touch of glamour at times; she nursed on ‘The Wing’, a private ward in the hospital where she looked after Clementine Churchill, Winston’s wife, and Hollywood superstar Dirk Bogarde. Just a few months after marrying John, the couple left Tilbury Docks in London on the Stratheden for Perth, arriving on October 28, 1957. During the long voyage, Jennifer was pregnant with David who was born on December 1. “When my mother went into labour, my father was stopped for speeding en-route to the hospital,” Mary said. “The police helped with an escort when they realised what was happening.” Initially, the couple lived in the Perth Hills at Wooroloo Sanatorium, a facility initially built for those suffering from TB and leprosy but by the time the Smyth’s arrived, it was also a general hospital for the area. The change of scenery seemed to agree with Jennifer, who enjoyed taking walks with her new baby around the Sanatorium’s grounds, meeting local Indigenous families who were camping nearby, and continuing her lifelong habit of making friends with an eclectic group of people.
Over the ensuing years, Jennifer and the family would return to the UK to visit relatives, introducing her four children to British traditions, like a Christmas pantomime. “Mum remembers the first time we went back to the UK in 1965, taking us to see a panto. The theatre was full of families and nannies with their children who were horrified when the lights went up after the show to see four Aussie children scrabbling under the seats to find their shoes,” Mary said. “We were more accustomed to thongs and sand between our toes and found shoes an unnecessary restriction!” The Smyths relocated to the south west of the UK near Exeter for 12 years when the children were high school age, but returned to Perth in 1978 for good. “My parents both enjoyed travel, theatre, gardening and art. Mum played the piano very well and loved dancing, cooking and eating food from around the world,” Mary added. In 2011, John died and in 2012, Jennifer moved into St Luke’s in Subiaco. These days, she loves listening to Mozart, gardening and watching movies, according to Madelyne Glover, Hall & Prior’s Senior Occupational Therapist. Her four children now live in four different countries and have perhaps inherited from their parents a love of travel. “A significant number of our family’s lifelong friends were neighbours from various places around the world,” David said. “My mother made herself available to adults - and especially children - which endeared her to so many. She has become an honorary grandmother for so many people and always took everything in her stride, as she seemed to do with all the major changes in her life.”
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This year is the World Health Organisation’s Global Year of the Nurse & Midwife and to celebrate some of the wonderful nurses we have on staff, in every issue of Life & Love this year we will profile a nurse from WA and a nurse from NSW.
Lyn & Trevor at St Lukes.
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Lyn Thompson
St Luke’s Aged Care Home, Subiaco Registered Nurse (RN) For Lyn Thompson, nursing is something of a family affair – three of her four sisters went into the profession. For the past 18-and-a-half years, she has been a popular and caring Registered Nurse at St Luke’s Aged Care Home in Subiaco – and when she’s not mentoring and sharing her knowledge, you’ll most likely find her feeding the birds or in her garden. What made you want to become a nurse? My mother always wanted to be a nurse but never had the opportunity. I am the youngest of four girls, and three of us chose nursing as a career. My other sister fainted at the sight of blood which wasn’t conducive to nursing, so I guess we wanted to honour our Mum’s dream. She instilled in us good values; to be caring, non-judgmental, respectful, and helpful, especially towards others less fortunate than ourselves. I was so proud of my sisters that I wanted to become a nurse too. What does the WHO’s Global Year of the Nurse & Midwife mean to you? I think it’s great to have global recognition for nurses and midwives. For too long, nursing was not considered a profession and I thank WHO for giving us that recognition. How long have you worked at Hall & Prior?I have worked for Hall &Prior for 18-and-a-half years and have enjoyed the journey! Before my time at\ Hall & Prior, I did work at St Luke’s for 10 years in the 1970s and 80s. How long have you worked in aged care and what drew you to it? I trained at Princess Margaret Hospital and after my marriage, we moved to Melbourne for six years. It was here that I first worked in aged care in a very small 12-bed home run by a matron who had been in the army and also lived at the back of the home! When I was pregnant with my third child, I decided it was time to return home to Perth. Child number four arrived two years later and with four kids
under six, night duty was the best option. So then my lasting journey into aged care began. What does an average day look like for you? It’s usually a busy one. I am and have always been an early riser, often up 4.30am even on days off, but I do admit to having the odd nanna nap. I like to be organised, prioritise my workload so that I have time to have a cup of tea or coffee as well as making time for a chat with the early risers. I like to be able to support the care staff, who are wonderful, and to be prepared for the unknown. Paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork is an ongoing task. I think in aged care you need to be all things for all people; be available for any situation, as a mentor, decision maker, advocate, friend, counsellor, teacher and much, much more. And all of this could be in one day. Tell us one part of your job that makes you feel rewarded and connected to those who you care for? It’s the friendly greeting and recognition from the residents when you arrive at work. They may or may not remember your name but saying ‘hello love, nice to see you’ is more than Ok by me. To see that response, the little smile, especially from someone who is feeling sad and being able to bring a little bit of joy into their lives is very rewarding. St Luke’s is home away from home for me. What’s the best piece of advice you have ever got about caring? Some advice from my Mother was to always treat people with respect, to treat others how you would like to be treated and always look for the good in people. My Mother would always look for something positive, even in a serial axe murderer! Be kind and considerate especially to those less fortunate than yourself and listen to others. What do you think aged care will look like in the future? The future of aged care is about moving on. We are looking daily at ways that things can be
If I wasn’t an RN, I would be... I had a fleeting desire to be a vet but I think nursing has always been top of the list.
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improved, giving our consumers a voice on how they want to be cared for, giving choices and with our valued colleagues in Allied Health, the best possible care and protection for all. Nursing is a female dominated role – would you encourage more men to become nurses? I would love to see more males on staff. Poor Trevor (Weaver) does get a fair bit of ribbing from us girls and he loves it. I think it’s more of the norm now to see men in this role and they do have the respect of women in nursing. What’s the best think about St Luke’s Aged Care Home? We are a small home and it’s like being with your family. The staff are a wonderful group of people, they keep me feeling young and will always be friends. Also because we are a small home, the residents become part of your extended family too. We are all there for each other. What do you wish people understood more about aged care? There are many misconceptions in the wider community about aged care, often by people who have never been into an aged care facility, or have never had any contact with families who have entrusted the care of their loved ones to us.
I remember hearing a radio a presenter stating that people looking for a job should get a job in aged care because it was easy. It is sad that there have been negative reports on the treatment of our elderly citizens in recent times and people seem to apply that assumption to all aged care facilities. We should all be proud of the honour and trust that is given to us - a job in aged care is very rewarding.
Tell us... Your favourite song?
Time to Say Goodbye by Sarah Brightman / Andre Bocelli would be up there. Also Kiera Jas (my granddaughter) is an up-and-coming singer/ songwriter. Her song Shadows, and also Daisy Fields are pretty good. Your favourite movie?
I enjoy British and Aussie comedy; The Castle is re-watchable. When I’m not at work you’ll often find me...
In my garden, walking our dog Billie, feeding the birds in the aviaries or on my iPad.
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Trevor Weaver,
St Luke’s Aged Care Home Registered Nurse
Trevor Weaver, turning 79 this year (although he tells us he’s often told he looks like he’s still in his 60s!), is a Registered Nurse at Subiaco’s St Luke’s Aged Care Home. A keen gardener, Trevor’s long career in the medical and caring professions gives him unique perspective on the current state of nursing. What made you want to become a nurse? I was drawn into nursing as my Mother was riddled with rheumatoid arthritis - she was one of Dr Gacher’s ‘experiments’ on arthritis patients at Royal Perth Hospital. I attended so many appointments with her the hospital was like home. What does the WHO’s Global Year of the Nurse & Midwife mean to you? Nursing - particularly male nursing - might lift its profile thanks to Coronavirus. We have the time to rethink what we value in health matters: aged care, mental health issues, domestic violence and drug misuse. How long have you worked at Hall & Prior? I signed with Hall & Prior seven years ago on March 13, but I was employed with them via a Perth nursing agency for 10 years. How long have you worked in aged care and what drew you to it? I have worked in the aged care sector for some 20 years - probably due to my Mothers’ ill health, as I mentioned. Tell us one part of your job that makes you feel rewarded and connected to those who you care for? I enjoy lateral thinking and also finding out about our residents’ journey with them as many have had very interesting and varied lives. What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received about caring and from whom? From my adopted parents (which I only discovered some four years ago) and that is to prepare for that ‘rainy day’ and keep an open mind.
If I wasn’t an RN, I would be... A garden guru.
Nursing is a female dominated role - would you encourage more men to become nurses? I would say it’s much better for it! What do you think you bring to the role? A certain calmness and lots of fun by working as equal team members. What’s the best think about St Luke’s Aged Care Home? Being a small, 32-bed residential home, we are able to offer individual services of care. What do you wish people understood more about aged care? I wish they would understand that we all will have this challenge ahead eventually.
Tell us... Your favourite song?
Any of Johnny Cash’s songs. Your favourite movie?
Any tearjerker! When I’m not at work you’ll often find me...
In my garden
This year is the World Health Organisation’s Global Year of the Nurse & Midwife and to celebrate some of the wonderful nurses we have on staff, in every issue of Life & Love this year we will profile a nurse from WA and a nurse from NSW.
Sabita Maharjan,
Caroline Chisholm Aged Care Home, New South Wales A relative newcomer to the Caroline Chisholm family, Sabita has nevertheless worked in the aged care sector for more than 10 years. She loves to make a difference to those she cares for and enjoys nothing more than cooking up a storm in the kitchen during her time off. What made you want to become a nurse? I wanted to do something in my career that was challenging, interesting and makes a real difference in people’s lives every day. What does the WHO’s Global Year of the Nurse & Midwife mean to you? It will hopefully raise the status and profile of nurses and midwives all around the world. How long have you worked at Hall & Prior? For seven months. What does an average day look like for you? Every single day is momentous, exhilarating, exhausting and energising! Tell us one part of your job that makes you feel rewarded and connected to those you care for? Making a difference to the lives of others makes me feel very rewarded and connected.
If I wasn’t an RN, I would be . . . A chef because I like cooking.
What do you think aged care will look like in the future? I think aged care could drastically change the perception and nature of growing old and help keep people in their own homes for longer. What’s the best thing about working at your aged care home? It feels like home and caring for your own grandparents.
Tell us . . . Your favourite song?
Someone Like You by Adele. Your favourite movie?
Parasite.
When I’m not at work you’ll often find me . . .
In the kitchen, cooking
The Fast Five Words that describe you
Care for all - that’s nursing in a nutshell.
Good Nurses Practice Good Nursing Reflections on Nursing by our General Manager Health and Care Services WA, Jennifer Grieve RN, MBL with Keryln Carville RN, PhD In a letter to the nurses and probationers at St Thomas’ Hospital, London, written on May 6, 1881, Florence Nightingale wrote: “nurses should be good rather than clever”. She would write the same letter to nurses in Hobart, Tasmania some three years later, also on May 6. My first reading of this letter in which she used the word ‘good’ ten times, was when I was standing in Miss Nightingale’s bedroom in Selimiye Barracks, Istanbul in 1994. It was at this fort where, during the Crimean War, Florence and other British nurses and doctors cared for the sick and wounded soldiers, turning the fortified building into a general hospital. On reading her words, I first assumed that she had in mind the Victorian moral values of her time, and I sensed personal disagreement rising in me; surely nurses needed to be clever as well as good? The word 'good' has been used to describe nurses and nursing since the word 'nurse' first occurred, recorded in the Biblical book of Genesis (24:59 and 34:8). Deborah was the first recorded ‘nurse’ as well as a maid-servant who, according to the historian Donahue (1996), would have been expected to perform basic nursing duties in the care of those she served. Since then, the term ‘good’ has been commonly used by nurses, their medical colleagues, their patients and the community at large to describe nurses and their care activities. However, there has been little explanation as to what characteristics define a ‘good nurse’ and what constitutes ‘good nursing’. While undertaking a study on the Evolution and Experience of Stomal Therapy Nurses in Australia 1959-2000, I unveiled key insights into what constitutes good nurses and good nursing. Drawing on my analysis and anecdotal evidence, I was able to identify five distinct attributes either
stated or alluded to by Miss Nightingale as good: the attributes of caring, competence, cognisance (educated), commitment and comradeship (mentorship). She reveals two fundamentally important goals for nurses in an extract from one of her letters below. They should want to acquire nursing expertise, and in our domain, gerontological nursing expertise, and to be cognisant of the need to use their expertise for the betterment of those they are privileged to care for.
“Let us be anxious to do well . . . to honour and advance the cause, the work we have taken up. Let us value our training not as it makes us cleverer or superior to others but inasmuch as it enables us to be more useful and helpful . . . Let it be our ambition to be thoroughly good . . . nurses. And never let us be ashamed of the name of 'Nurse'.” (Nightingale, 1881). In other words, good nurses practice good nursing (Keryln Carville RN, PhD).'
Nursing 2020 This year marks 200 years since Miss Nightingale’s birth, and in honour of nurses and midwives worldwide and the subsequent evolution of modern nursing, we are celebrating the WHO Global Year of the Nurse and Midwife. It is a time for celebration and a time for reflection on the past, present and future of the profession. This is particularly relevant in light of the role nurses and midwives are playing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, nursing as a profession within the broader health care sector is focused on the care of the individual, their families and communities with a goal to attain, sustain or recover optimal health and wellbeing; and a good quality of life as defined by each person for themselves. Within the profession, there are many diverse specialities and contexts. Nurses work within the clinical, educational/ academic, research, administration areas in hospital, aged care and community settings. Competent nurses can be found leading a better way forward for those who require compassionate and good nursing care and service.
Gerontological nursing Nurses have always been involved in the care of older people. As early as 1909, a nurse, Jessie Breeze, was writing about the special needs of aged people. From observation, she was aware of the sensory changes in vision and hearing that created a special approach to care. She recognised her older patients as individuals whose lifestyles needed to be considered when planning care. Her practice was based on intuition and imitation, because the scientific knowledge in gerontological nursing was sparse. Since that time, as the need for health and aged care services for older people have increased, people in the nursing speciality of gerontology began and continue to build on the body of knowledge that is gerontological nursing. The development of scientific based knowledge has accompanied the expansions of health care services for older people. Nurses in health and aged care lead and collaborate with an interdisciplinary team in providing holistic
Miss Florence Nightingale.
care for people with complex and multi-focal care requirements often across multiple dimensions; physical, mental/cognitive person, social, cultural, spiritual, financial and environmental, underpinned by a moral and ethical relational framework. These days, gerontological nursing has emerged as a speciality practice in nursing with a quest to continually improve the spectrum of services available, in a manner that translates best scientific evidence into best practice. The aim, in short, is too practice the art and the science that is good nurses practicing good care. “For us who nurse, our nursing is a thing, which, unless we are making progress every year, every month, every week, take my word for it we are going back.� Nightingale (1872 in Baly, 1997). Reference: Baly, M. (Ed.). As Miss Nightingale said. Bailliere Tindall. Donahue, M.P. (1996). Nursing the finest art: An illustrated history (2nd ed.). Mosby.
Good Craic Residents from five Hall & Prior homes celebrated St Patrick’s Day in fine style at the beginning of March, with a special morning of song, dance and good old fashioned craic at the Irish Club in Subiaco. By Gabi Mills
The brainchild of our Senior Occupational Therapist Madelyne Glover, this was the first time a St Paddy’s Day event had been held involving multiple homes. “We held a survey at the beginning of the year and there were a lot of people interested in a special St Patrick’s Day event,” Madelyne said. “We wanted to do something that would bring together lots of our homes and also make it a special celebration.” A competitive Irish dancing champion for more than 16 years, Madelyne was especially qualified to bring an extra touch of magic to the proceedings, teaming up with Occupational Therapist, Roisin Colgan (who was also a competitive Irish Dancing champion) to perform some dances for the residents. Residents from the five participating homes – Hamersley, Belmont, Kensington Park, St Luke’s and Mosman Park– were picked up in the Hall & Prior bus to head to the Irish Club. Many had gone to the extra effort of wearing green, with funny hats, stripy stockings, and leprechaun outfits. To set the mood and get everybody’s feet tapping, local band, The Broken Pokers, played some lively traditional Irish songs once everybody had arrived. “We also arranged for the residents to have some money so they could buy snacks and drinks from
behind the bar at the club,” Madelyne said. “It didn’t take long for everyone to get into the spirit of the day. Who doesn’t love a Guinness to get into the St Paddy’s mood?” The Belmont Nursing Home Choir were up next, performing a version of popular ballad, Danny Boy. “The choir had been practising for the past month, and performed it perfectly,” Madelyne added. Hamersley resident Peter also stepped up with his tin whistle and recorder, playing Lord of the Dance alongside The Broken Pokers. “He was so good that he stayed playing alongside the band for the duration of the event,” Madelyne said. “He had an absolute blast doing it.” As the morning continued Roisin and Madelyne stepped in to do some more Treble Reel steps; then encouraged the residents to get up and shake a leg. “Two of residents – Peter and Gary – joined Roisin and I to perform a version of the traditional Walls of Limerick dance,” Madelyne said. “They were brilliant; and after that everybody got up and began dancing to the band too.”
The festivities were such a success that even those who sat out the dancing said afterwards that it had been an amazing event. “One of the residents from Kensington told her family that they must ‘come and see the show’,” laughed Madelyne.
“They obviously think it’s going to be a regular event, and even now, residents are still talking about what a great morning it was for all.”
ANZAC Day 2020
This year because of the threat of COVID-19 entering our homes we could not commemorate our veterans as we normally would with public services to honour their bravery and sacrifices. Instead all of our homes celebrated ‘in-house’ with Anzac Day ceremonies held in their gardens or courtyards. Some homes including Rockingham Aged Care Home participated in the 6am driveway services that were collectively being held around the country to remember fallen soldiers and Fairfield Aged Care Home even had their service filmed live for YouTube so that relatives and friends could tune-in and see their loved ones from afar. We look forward to celebrating our veterans at our 27 Hall & Prior aged care homes and at White Oak Home & Community Care Services in Perth and Clarence Community in Albany next year.
Lest we forget.
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Fairfield Remembers As Australia continues to navigate COVID-19, precautions such as social distancing and rules around public gatherings and travel made our annual ANZAC Day commemoration plans change significantly in 2020. But Fairfield’s Director of Nursing, Eva Ballai was determined to create a safe and special moment for her residents and staff. By Jacki Downs. Just as our brave soldiers fought throughout history to protect the Australia that we know and love today, Eva (an Army Reserve Soldier) wanted to ensure that residents and staff were given the opportunity to remember, reflect and respect our soldiers who fought so bravely. “I really wanted to make a video commemoration service to acknowledge our heroes, especially those nurses who also served in the wars to help save lives in the harshest of conditions,” she said. “I reached out to our local community, who were originally coming to Fairfield for ANZAC Day, to see if they would allow me to put together a video message from them to our residents. “The video helped to make our ANZAC Day 2020 incredibly special.” Fairfield Aged Care Home would like to say ‘Thank You’ to the following people: Fairfield RSL President: Paul (Angus) Bryant, Mayor of Fairfield City: Frank Carbone, John Logan, resident of Fairfield Aged Care Home: Gemma Bonser, Fairfield resident and our only veteran: Samjhana (Sammie) Tiwari, Clinical Nurse Manager: Myint Ni, Registered Nurse and Sara Bhattarai: Fairfield DDON.
You can watch the full video on Hall & Prior’s website: www.hallprior.com.au/news
My grandfather, Private Frederick Hacket: Service No 3819 – His Life A personal account from CEO Graeme Prior about his Grandfather Frederick Hacket’s involvement in the Great War.
Private Frederick Hacket was my Grandfather, sadly he died on the day I was born. I entered the world at St Anne’s Hospital in Mt Lawley, the fifth son in six years to George & Poppy Prior. My father George sent a telegram to my maternal grandparents - Frederick and Margaret Hacket - in Coolgardie, letting them know I had arrived. My mother told me that her mother thought Frederick was having a lie down and when she went to wake him for tea, she found he had passed away peacefully in his sleep. Poignantly, the telegram announcing my birth was found neatly folded in the palm of his hand. I always felt I had a close connection with him and wanted to know more about his background, particularly his experience during World War I. He was born in Landsborough, near Stawell in Victoria in 1894. His mother, Margaret Leslie née Barnett, was a widow with a daughter called Florence, when she married Theodore Hacket. Theodore, was born in South Australia and returned there with Margaret and Florence after his marriage and the subsequent birth of my grandfather, Frederick, who was to be their only child together.
Frederick as a soldier: WWI
Opportunity was calling from across the Nullabor desert in Western Australia. After the Gold Rush in the eastern goldfields of the 1890s and the formation of the Federation of States, the WA government was trying to lure people to the state by offering cheap farmland as an incentive. My great-grandparents took up this offer and arrived from South Australia in 1911. The land they were able to purchase was in the Hindmarsh district, south east of Dowerin in the Central Wheatbelt, around 157kms from Perth. The property was large, amounting to 500sqkms, and they named it Belulah Farm. Derived from the Bible, Beluah was the name of the Land of Milk and Honey, and perhaps indicated the high hopes Florence and Theodore had for their new way of life. By then, Frederick was 16 years old and no doubt helped his father around the farm. Storm clouds were gathering thousands of kilometres from this idyllic farmland. Just three and a half years later on July 28, 1914, war was declared in Europe. By the following year, on August 7, 1915, Frederick, like so many of his generation, was anxious to serve his country, despite being just 20 years old. With his parents’ written consent to serve, and despite knowing how hard such a decision must have been for them, Frederick travelled to Northam to join the Australian Imperial Force (known as the AIF). Official military records show that he was a slight fellow of just 5ft 7in, weighing 140lbs (64kg). He had fair skin and hair, grey eyes and his religious denomination was noted as Methodist. The rate of pay for Privates was 5/- a day, 2/- of which was to remain in Australia. For the next four months, Frederick endured army training at Blackboy Hill Camp, near Helena Valley in the Darling Ranges above Perth. Then on December 17, 1915 the call up they were all waiting for came. He and his fellow recruits, totalling some 400, boarded the Ajana, an A31 transport ship, for the trip across the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal and on to Cairo and the unforgiving Egyptian theatre of war. Just a month later, Frederick contracted mumps and was sent to the auxiliary hospital in Abbassia, Cairo to recover. After being discharged from hospital, he joined the 52nd Battalion on March 3, 1916. Two weeks later, he was transferred to the newly-established 4th Pioneer Battalion, an Australian infantry and light engineer unit, raised for service as part of the all-volunteer AIF. The 4th Pioneer Battalion would go on to fight in most of the major battles that the AIF participated in during the war.
Frederick left Alexandra on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast for Marseilles, France and the Western Front on June 11, 1916. The 4th Pioneer Battalion was transported to Armentières and then relieved the 2nd Division at the Poziers Heights on the battlefield perhaps most synonymous with the First World War: the Somme. In 1917, the 4th Battalion fought at the Hindenburg Line in the first Battle of Bullecourt. By now, Frederick had been transferred for duty to the signalling corp. This was a savage time in an already savage war; many lives were lost and the futility of those losses was well-documented. The two brigades of the 4th Battalion involved in the battle suffered over 3,300 casualties; 1,170 Australians were taken prisoner - the largest number captured in a single engagement during the war. Frederick’s unit was sent back to the Somme in 1918, and this time it seemed like his luck had run out; my grandfather was reported as missing in action. The Germans had gassed him, but fortunately, he had been found by some French monks who took him to their monastery, nursing him back to health before allowing him to return to his battalion. On March 7, 1918, he was admitted to the 2nd Australian
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General Hospital at Wimereux, near Boulogne. He was diagnosed with myocarditis, a heart disease, caused by the inhalation of chlorine and mustard gas – he also had debilitating anaemia. A week later, he sailed to the south west of England aboard the HMHS St Denis hospital ship. He was admitted first to Christchurch hospital in Bournemouth and then on to the Queen Alexandra military hospital in Cosham, Plymouth. The doctors treating him believed that he would probably not survive a sea voyage back to Australia, but Frederick was determined to take the risk. He left England aboard the Matatua for Australia on June 20, 1918. Soon after his arrival in Western Australia, he was discharged from the AIF, and was declared medically unfit to serve on September 4, 1918. Returning to his parent’s farm in Dowerin, Frederick was nursed back to health by my great grandmother, Margaret. Life gradually returned to normal, post-war, and Frederick’s life slipped back into a rural routine. In early 1922, while riding his horse into Dowerin and coming over a hill, he encountered a young woman riding a bicycle in the other direction. She got a fright and fell to the ground, the story goes. Frederick immediately went to her aid, not realising that this would be the girl he would eventually marry. My grandmother, Margaret Hanks, was a schoolteacher. Her third appointment as a teacher was to a school at Hindmarsh, six miles south east of Dowerin. The romance blossomed in the year that followed and in January 1923 they married in her hometown, Harvey. Sadly in December 1922, one month before the wedding Frederick’s mother died.
The newlyweds returned to Buelah Farm to live with the now-widowed Theodore, my great grandfather. Over the next six years, three children were born: Joan, Frederic James, known as Theo, and Bob. The farm was in the Avon Valley Drainage area. It may be that the farm was in the Avon Valley drainage area, perhaps already affected by salination p r o b l e m s following the clearing of native timber, but nobody was aware of this at the time. Theirs was a story which would become all too common among farming families of the Wheatbelt. As the Great Depression loomed in 1929, the export price of wheat dropped by nearly half, making it impossible for many to weather the economic storm. Many farmers were unable to meet their debts and had to walk away from the land they had worked and loved. The Hacket family was no exception so Theo, Frederick, Margaret and the three children under six years of age closed the door on Buelah Farm forever, moving to Mahogany Creek in the Darling Ranges to start afresh. My mother Poppy, was born there (called Poppy because she was born on Armistice Day, November 11). She once told me that she had asked her father why the Germans hadn’t shot him. “Because the Germans had forgotten to write my name on a bullet,” was Frederick’s reply. The Land of Milk and Honey may not have been so far off the mark after all.
Welcome
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Bexley Aged Care Home
Hall & Prior has recently acquired Bexley Aged joined by 63 dedicated aged care staff who joined Care Home in Southern Sydney to the group. Hall & Prior with the acquisition. The 60-bed home is in the southern Sydney suburb of Bexley, on a quiet tree lined street. Bexley is Hall & Prior's 11th home in the state and is situated 14 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Bayside Council.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank our tremendous integration team led by Kris Healy and Chris Grady, who have been whole-heartedly supported by our diligent NSW staff. Thank you to all involved for their efforts in this venture,” Graeme added.
“Our NSW portfolio is on a growth trajectory at present in the southern areas of Sydney,” Graeme said.
“The opportunity for growth is one of the fundamental reasons we are attracted to southern Sydney. It is a truly beautiful part of the inner Sydney region with easy access to amenities such as Sydney airport and shops as well as world class beaches and transport systems. There will be a further investment into this home over the next financial year to increase resident amenity and develop this home into part our Hall & Prior community.”
“Bexley will complement our Menaville and Shangri-La Aged Care Homes, which are located in surrounding suburbs as well as support the presence of our world class, new aged care residence Georges Estate, which is due to open in 2021. Hall & Prior’s coverage of this popular Sydney area is testament to our commitment to caring for those in the southern Sydney region.” Mr Prior welcomed Bexley’s Director of Nursing, Lu Guo, Clinical Nurse Manager, Mery Singh, and Administration Officer Maria Calatzis. They are
“On behalf of my fellow Director Michael Hall, I wish to welcome everyone at Bexley to the Hall & Prior family.”
L to R: Mery Singh (Clinical Nurse Manager), Lu Guo (Director of Nursing), Chris Grady (Director of Nursing, NSW State Office), Jennifer O’Connell (Director Quality and Education), Breda McMenamin (Coordinator Quality, Safety & Staff Development).
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Mertome in safe hands Mertome Aged Care & Retirement Village in Perth’s eastern suburbs is enjoying a new lease of life, a year after it was taken over by Hall & Prior. The home’s Executive Manager was tasked with implementing transformation for the home, and team’s hard work is beginning to fruit.
Laura Currie a period of a year on her bear beautiful
“We’ve worked hard to create a family atmosphere here where people can relax, socialise and be themselves,” Laura said. Mertome is a special place in many ways. With many younger residents who contribute to the home’s vibrant and diverse character. “The residents have plenty of input into how the home runs, what activities take place and even how the renovated living spaces might look,” Laura added. “They really like to participate in the running of the home, they come up with ideas and like to be part of the process. It’s part of the reason why it’s such a friendly home.”
Fast fact
The name Mertome is an adaptation of the name Mervin Thomas; a well-known local council member and former Mayor of the City of Bayswater.
There are plenty of things to do at Mertome; from the popular pool table which often hosts matches, to a hairdressing salon and a movie and an exercise room. “We’re able to create a diverse offering for the residents,” Laura said. When Hall & Prior took over in 2019, they ‘inherited’ some 25 residents, most of who required low care. Laura believes this helped set the ‘personality’ of the home, as when potential residents came to visit, they would look around and see that it might suit them too. The building restoration process is ongoing, with rewiring, new flooring and bathrooms as well as new lighting being fitted throughout. Laura is perhaps most proud of the increase of vibrancy of the building she’s achieved over the year. “When we started we had no staff – and now we have 63 dedicated staff members looking after the 65 residents and it’s a great place to work,” she said.
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Twenty years and counting Alfred Horsfall, or Alf to his many friends, is One of his daughters lives nearby which means Alf celebrating 20 years of living at Hall & Prior’s can still join his family for BBQs on occasion. Rockingham Aged Care Home on 29 May. At the home, he particularly enjoys the Occupational For such a warm, inviting home, it’s no surprise Therapy team’s never-ending suggestions for fun perhaps that Alf has spent many happy years activities to pass the time. under its roof. “I enjoy taking part in quizzes and playing board But the Langley Street address he now calls home games,” he said, “I’ve made some very good friends over the years, and the staff are very good is a far cry from his early years. here.” He was born in Doncaster in Yorkshire on June 16, 1934. In those days, post-Second World War, Alf also heads over to play bingo once a week times were tough for many in the United Kingdom. at the Rockingham Centre, and declares that the constant stream of activities are ‘good for the soul’. The golden beaches and great climate in Australia He particularly enjoys the food on offer - Asianseemed almost too good to be true - and for Alf inspired dishes are his favourite and said the and his family, the temptation to up sticks proved staff pull out all the stops to keep him and his Rockingham companions well-fed and entertained. too much. “We lived in Bristol for a while too,” says Alf of his early years in the United Kingdom. “Then in 1949, when I was 15, my Mum, Dad and I came over to Fremantle as ‘Ten Pound Poms’.”
“It’s good fun – we’re always having a joke here,” he says “I think that makes all the difference really, you’ve got to have a laugh!”
The scheme, which began after the Second World War, allowed British citizens to migrate to Australian and New Zealand, paying just £10 in processing fees for their new life Down Under. Alf’s father was an aircraft engineer and Alf went on to qualify as an accountant; taking up training rather than attending school on the family’s arrival in Fremantle. He had two sisters, who are considerably younger than him, and he married his wife Dinah in 1959. “We had two daughters – Elizabeth and Susan, as well as lots of grandchildren,” Alf said. He says he never made a return visit to the UK, and very happily embraced his Aussie life.
Happy Anniversary Alf
g n i v i L 40
Dream
the
Nurse Lauren Todorovic and HelloCare
A Registered Nurse Lauren Todorovic started HelloCare to give a voice to the elderly and aged care workers. It has grown to become a trusted industry news source for those who need advice, have a story to tell or want information about providers. On a recent trip to Perth we spent some time with Lauren to hear how it all began ‌ By Beverly Ligman.
Lauren shares a laugh with a resident.
Why did you start HelloCare? HelloCare started because I wanted to give a voice to the elderly, their families and aged care workers. I felt that there were many conversations being had in homes, and I wanted to bring these out into the public and create space for constructive dialogue that challenged peoples thinking a little. What do you hope it brings to the aged care industry that didn’t exist previously? We aim to inspire, educate and inform. Before HelloCare there were other news sites and still are many - but they don’t speak directly to the
consumer or aged care worker. We take a different approach, we try to make things fun while not shying away from difficult and challenging topics that others may be too afraid to discuss. Ideally, how do you hope people use it? I hope people use HelloCare to inform themselves - to stay informed about the latest industry news, the latest research and best practice methods of caring for older people. But most of all with our human interest stories, we want to trigger emotions in people. Happiness, laughter and even sadness. We want people to really feel what others are going through. When
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you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes you can understand what older people and carers are going through.
diagnosis of Glioblastoma Multiforme /or brain tumour and sitting with those families to navigate them through the life-changing event.
We also created a dedicated support group for aged care workers to provide a safe space for people to share the daily the challenges and triumphs of working in the aged care sector. And for people to have a place to seek out peer-topeer support and advice.
I still remember the impact on me - caring for patients my age - knowing that they only had 12 months to live. They didn’t get the opportunity to make a decision on what they wanted to do with their career. Because for them there was no tomorrow. It made me stop and think. Just stop waiting for tomorrow, do what you want today. And who cares if you fail - after all the only thing I will regret is not giving it a good hard go.
What’s the most important thing for you about your platform? When I hear back from people that one of our stories have moved them to tears, inspired them, helped them understand their own medical conditions or challenged them a little on their thinking. Tell us about your most rewarding day at Hello Care … The most rewarding moment for me comes when I look around the office and see the dedicated team working alongside me who believe in the purpose of HelloCare. Your background is nursing … why did you decide to take the next step into this space? My interest in the wellbeing of older people has always been apparent. I’m drawn towards, or perhaps it’s that I simply follow opportunities, where I’m surrounded by older people, whether it be for work or in my own time. I believe they are so wise and there is much I can learn from older people in general. I want to be a part of the information, advice and life lessons they can teach me. They have lived through many of the things you and I are about to embark on, they are like the crystal balls we all wish we had, having made mistakes, lived life to the fullest or opportunities they regret they didn’t take up. I believe that everyone has the right to a good quality of life, to be happy, and laugh and have a good quality of life no matter their age or ability. I started out my career in nursing, and have been working in the healthcare industry for more than 15 years from clinical to senior managerial roles across acute, palliative care and aged care services. I am very proud to be a nurse.
So that gave me the inner strength to drive and push hard for what I believe in and to take the financial and career risk with the establishment of HelloCare and CarePage. What’s the best piece of life advice you ever received? My grandma always use to say to “Why do you want to be like everyone else? No, you don’t! You need to stand out - do something different”. At the time I didn’t know if I could be bold enough to do this. What do you think the future of aged care will look like? I think Baby Boomers will become creative with how they are cared for. We are already seeing models of care where a “group of friends” have decided to live together in a house and share their living costs and any carers needed. Assistive technologies will be the new normal and families/ seniors will begin to make their choice on these key features. What’s the one thing you’ve learnt on your journey so far that you’d like to share with others? Believe you can do it, believe you deserve it and believe you’ll get it! Find out more about HelloCare @ www.hellocaremail.com.au
You see people at their most basic, most human. You see people born and you see people die. In the end, as a series of life events, it is rewarding. It is something I found strength in. Working in Neuro-Oncology I was the first point of call when families or individuals learnt of their Lauren with CEO Graeme Prior
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The team at Tuohy Aged Care Home in Midland are celebrating a rare certification - and it’s not for the first time. Following an audit, Tuohy was once again recognised as Western Australia’s only aged care home with the nationally recognised Rainbow Tick accreditation, a testament to a team passionate about delivering LGBTI-inclusive care. Director of Nursing Mina Pindolia is thrilled with the award.
lives, and the prospect of entering an aged care can be daunting in their later years. “Our residents’ sexual orientation, gender identity and/or intersex status are all valued in our home,” Mina said.
“It means a lot to me and the whole team at Tuohy,” Mina said. “We are very proud to have received the Rainbow Tick again, and know that the wider community is aware that we are a culturally safe haven for LGBTI elders.” The Rainbow Tick is approved for organisations which are committed to the ‘safe and inclusive service delivery for LGBTI people’, and the Swan Valley-located home more than met the standards expected for this prestigious national recognition. “We continue to strive to maintain the highest standards by ensuring our staff understand and practice our objectives and outcomes,” Mina added. “Our home is safe and inclusive for all our residents and their families of choice.” Many LGBTI people may have experienced exclusion and discrimination throughout their
The national award is presented by the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency and since 2014, Mina and the team at Tuohy have worked with Perthbased community group GLBTAI Rights in Ageing Inc to deliver diversity training to staff, to better support older people of diverse genders and sexual orientations. Hall & Prior recognised the need for specific LGBTI-focused care and established an internal Diversity Action Group, which has resulted in WA’s only Rainbow Tick aged care home once again exceeding the criteria required for such a special award.
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COMING TOGETHER FOR IWD Clover Lea’s residents celebrated International Women’s Day in style on March 8 with a special event designed to highlight womens’ achievements around the world. Bandana Thapa, Clover Lea’s Lifestyle Officer said that everybody enjoyed a delicious housemade morning tea, tucking into specially prepared savouries and pastries as they listened to speeches and took part in activities. “Staff, carers, residents (both men and women) and their relatives all got together to celebrate International Women’s Day,” Bandana said. “The ladies especially had a great day, they were so proud of themselves, and feedback was overwhelmingly positive.” These photos prove that all those who took part had a wonderful time, living up to the day’s motto: Equality for women is progress for all.
Leighton Blessing of the Home Leighton Aged Care Home in West Perth held a Blessing of The Home event on February 25, delivered by local clergyman Father John, and Sister Mary. Leighton resident Antica Melvin also took part in the service by reciting The Lord’s Prayer in both English and her native tongue of Croatian. Father John can be seen here walking through the home sprinkling holy water, to ‘cleanse against evil and allow God’s spirit to enter the home more easily’. Leighton’s Acting Director of Nursing Deborah Sinclair-Lane said the ceremony is an uplifting and positive experience, that brings comfort to residents and staff alike.
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Celebrating Mums in Style
Mother’s Day 2020 was a Mother’s Day like no other with social distancing and COVID-19 restrictions in place, but that didn’t stop happy reunions and high teas taking place at many of our homes.
Elizabeth Pell whose Mum Loreto lives with us at Freshwater Bay Aged Care Home in Mosman Park couldn’t wait to see her Mum again once lockdown was lifted. “It was really hard only being able to see her through the ‘window of love’ but I came every day to lift her spirits,” Elizabeth said. “It’s so wonderful to be in the same room with her again even though I can’t give her a hug yet.” Residents at Tuohy Aged Care Home in Midland and Kensington Park Aged Care Home in Kensington also celebrated Mother’s Day with some special deliveries from Mayfair Street and a grand high tea to celebrate mothers. Beautiful cakes and cups of tea were shared with laughter and love as residents made the most of their special morning and said thank you to mums of every age.
Happy Mother’s Day 2020 to all of the mums who live with us and work with us. Thank you for all that you do and all the love you give.
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Elizabeth Pell visits her Mother Loreto at Freshwater Bay Aged Care Home for Mother’s Day.
Kensington Park Aged Care Home also celebrated its wonderful mums.
Residents celebrate and share a special morning for Mother’s Day at Tuohy.
Karingal Green Opens its Doors After more than a decade in the making Karingal Green Health and Aged Care Community has opened its doors in High Wycombe.
Karingal Green will significantly boost aged care services in Kalamunda providing 160 beds for the region and 200 plus local jobs. The home is a thoughtfully designed connected community that offers generously appointed, modern accommodation designed to suit the specific needs of its residents. It also offers beautiful living and garden spaces; a wellness centre, heated hydrotherapy pool, gymnasium, café and cinema; an on-site allied and primary health clinic; and a dedicated research, training and education centre.
“My heartfelt thanks to the team at Hall & Prior, my fellow director Michael Hall and the team at Broad Construction. Karingal Green is a major milestone for the group.” Kalamunda and surrounding areas have an expected population growth of approximately 70,000 people by 2029. More than 10,000, or 14%, of these will be aged over 70. It’s therefore critical to ensure that there are adequate services in the area to meet the current and future needs of aged care in the local community.
The $90 million home has been more than a decade in the making, was designed by leading international architects Hassell and built by Broad Construction. Officially opened on Monday 4 May 2020, by Hall & Prior CEO Graeme Prior and Director Michael Hall, Graeme said opening the home was a major milestone for the group. “Karingal Green is a part of our $500 million investment portfolio and I’m incredibly proud to see it open its doors,” he said. “Unfortunately due to COVID-19 restrictions we could not open the home to the community as we originally planned, but we have welcomed our first resident Maxine Taylor to Karingal Green this week. “This is a new concept for aged care in Perth and means that Western Australians now have access to world class aged care services in their community.” Karingal Green is named after the Aboriginal Koori word meaning ‘happy home’ or ‘happy camp’. Set in the leafy Perth foothills it has been purpose designed to be a place of nurturing and healing. Every element of the home has been carefully considered, from features that enhance views and natural daylight to elements that ensure ease of movement and add character to achieve a feeling of ‘home’ for residents.
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The Karingal Green team pause to reflect on site.
Excellence in clinical care is at the core of every decision made.
Inc and the Western Australian State Government have been integral to the success of this project.
“I am grateful for the unwavering support that this project has received from so many individuals, organisations and Government at all levels. Karingal Green was designed by award-winning international architects Hassell Studio and built by Broad Construction. The building and living environment is truly phenomenal and is a credit to the team for their design, innovation and expertise – Karingal Green is now a place to call home,” Graeme added.
“The home offers rooms that cater to all care needs; we also have companion rooms so couples can stay living together which we believe is vitally important in aged care.”
“My heartfelt thanks to the team at Hall & Prior, my fellow director Michael Hall and the team at Broad
We look forward to sharing the full Karingal Green experience with you in our next issue.
Karingal Green offers care on permanent, respite or day respite basis as well as Parkinson’s and Dementia Care and a purpose built area for individuals under 65 that have high level 24/7 care needs.
Construction. Karingal Green is a major milestone for the group. “In addition, the support of our community partners, the City of Kalamunda, Activ Foundation
www.karingalgreen.com.au
Hall & Prior HEALTH & AGED CARE GROUP Aged care is evolving – and Hall & Prior is leading the way. We are more than a provider; people are our passion and our purpose. Our team has spent the last 25 years having illuminating conversations with Australia’s senior community to understand how to create aged care experiences that truly meet their needs. These are lives to celebrate – a generation of doers – and how they experience their twilight years matters to all of us. What we’ve learned has inspired us to invest our heart and soul into designing and operating world-class centres for healing and wellbeing across Australia. In Western Australia and New South Wales, we provide much-needed quality residential aged care services to 1,600 residents across 25 7 homes and 1,100 home care clients. Our programs and ‘centres for healing’ offer world-class care, amenities and cuttingedge aged care programs.
