Celebrating 65 years
2015 in review
A year of
The introduction of Government reform has resulted in significant changes to how aged care is delivered.
f
We welcome this change, as it gives our clients a voice, and allows them to make choices about what services they receive, and how they receive them. The introduction of Consumer Directed Care has turned the traditional aged care model around, and puts the focus, as it should be, on the client and what they need, when and where they need it. Life Care is excited about the opportunities this change brings, because
In a significant step, Life Care’s constitution was changed last year and as a result, major progress has been made, including changes to our Board structure and membership. The number of Directors was reduced to eight and the number of sub Committees also reduced. The re-defined make up of the Board along with its reduced size has resulted in a more focused and cohesive approach. As part of this process, we have engaged external consultants for assistance in highly speciaised areas.
2015 has been a very busy year for Life Care – one that presented many exciting opportunities and some challenges. we are striving to create an organisation that delivers aged care the way it ought to be, not the way it has traditionally been provided.
Roger Cook AM was engaged as the Chair of our Property Development and Facilities Management Committee. Working closely with the Board By this, we mean that on our ambitious new we are committed to Master Plan, Roger has listening to our clients, providing flexible service bought invaluable insights and skills options and looking at to Life Care in this their aged care needs from a holistic perspective important phase of our future development. not from a rigid, policy driven one. This new Board and Committee structure and We are making the more rigorous approach shift from being a to corporate governance service provider, to a will help to ensure true service partner. Life Care is in a good A key part of this position to understand evolution has been and respond to the ever led by our Board. changing aged care environment.
We want to partner with our clients, and their families, to ensure we are proactive, innovative and focused on their needs.
LEADERSHIP In addition to restructuring our Board this year, Life Care has also seen positive changes in our Leadership Team with the addition of two key roles. We have appointed a General Manager Corporate Services, Warren Ortmann and a new Project Director for Major Capital Works Developments, Loris Rigon.
f
These appointments, in addition to two new Residential Services Managers at Reynella Lodge and Aldinga Beach Court have added significant experience and expertise to Life Care. This is part of our strategy to invest in highly skilled staff to ensure we can deliver on our promise, that all of our clients can truly enjoy a ‘Live Every Day’ experience during their time with us.
Warren Ortmann
Another significant change has been the implementation of a new framework that looks at how organisations define their work structures, and how this impacts on individuals throughout the organisation. Known as Requisite Organisation, Life Care has adopted and implemented principles into our everyday work practices, which have a direct impact on our work outputs,
Loris Rigon
staff recruitment and induction, performance management systems, business and succession planning. Given the rapid rate of change in the aged care sector, Life Care wanted a framework to help organise, coordinate and utilise our workforce in the most efficient manner, now and into the future, to ensure we are in the best position possible to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
Life Care continues to implement its Better Practice Award winning Bedtime to Breakfast program across all Residential Living locations. This program is linked to our ‘Live Every Day’ model of service and moves away from the rigid, traditional overnight care.
Heather Fraser
Each year the Aged & Community Services SA & NT Awards are held to celebrate the achievements of aged, community care and retirement living professionals, providers and communities.
This has proved very successful, as it gives our clients more choice about their bedtime, overnight and breakfast routines. Life Care also introduced a Leadership Development Program this year. The program will be conducted over a three-year period and is designed to provide our managers and supervisors
with the skills and tools to lead and organise their teams to achieve our strategic goals. It also enables us to design an organisation that is flexible and responsive enough to deliver the kind of aged care services that suit our clients’ needs, rather than following a formula driven service model.
Merridy Schofield
A dinner was held in Adelaide where 22 finalists and 11 winners were acknowledged for their service and contribution to aged care.
Life Care then received the Winner’s Award for the Residential Care Design Category for our recent development at Aldinga Beach Court.
Life Care was delighted to be recognised in three separate categories.
To be recognised in the key areas of our people and facility design was a great honour. It reflects Life Care’s commitment to ensuring we have the best people, providing the best level of service and care, in facilities that challenge traditional aged care thinking.
The first two categories, involved our staff - Peter Salotti was a Volunteer Award finalist and Nima Janghorban was an Employee Award finalist.
Life Care has always looked at ways to innovate and be the best aged care provider in South Australia. In 2013 our CEO, Allen Candy and General Manager of Innovation & Service Development, Deborah Muldoon went on a study tour of Europe to view contemporary age care practices and facility design, with a focus on dementia care. A range of design concepts were observed and adapted to our recent redevelopment of Aldinga Beach Court, taking it to an increased capacity of 119 beds.
fo
There is strong evidence to support the view that compact, domestic scale Residential Living homes deliver improved client outcomes over the more traditional large scale institutional style aged care. This was factored into our design development phase at Aldinga Beach Court, and included:
Aldinga Beach Court – a glimpse into the future of Aged Care design · Compact house design of up to 15 clients that promote ‘normalisation’ where people with a cognitive impairment are supported to interact with staff in a natural way, to participate in activities that reflect the ‘normal rhythms of life’ · Traditional home features of a kitchenette, small dining area, lounge area, separate TV/sitting room and courtyards · The strategic use of colour coding of the individual ‘houses’ to aid recognition and identification for clients with cognitive impairment · The introduction of colour coded stripes to all client room doorways, again to aid recognition/ identification for clients with cognitive impairment · Use of a full vinyl wrap ‘Book Case’ graphic over the house exit doors to disguise them as bookshelves
This level of care and consideration which was applied to every element of the redevelopment reflects Life Care’s intention to change the way aged care facilities are designed and to create a more ‘homestyle’ environment for our clients, which encourages socialisation, independence and engagement. Throughout the design process, our operational imperative was to have a facility which actively supports the delivery of our ’Live Every Day’ approach. In summary these included: · Ensuring our clients feel engaged and orientated within their immediate environment through recognisable domestic design cues (kitchen, dining room, sitting room) · Supporting our development of ‘roles’ for cognitively compromised clients that promote a sense of purpose and meaning. For example clients working beside staff in the house kitchenettes at meal times, gardening tasks in the house courtyards · Separating front of house and back of house activities so that the back of house activities are not a regular part of the client or visitor experience · Disguising nurse work stations within the house environment to remove any clinical or insitutional feel for clients and visitors Our award winning Aldinga Beach Court facility is a showpiece of aged care excellence that contains a range of innovations representing international best practice, particularly in relation to supporting individuals living with dementia. It has set the standard for Life Care in terms of seeking out and defining world’s best practice in aged care facilities. As we move forward with our Master Plan, we will build on the lessons and successes of Aldinga Beach Court to ensure all of our Residential Living locations will become the standard in excellence of care for South Australians as they age.
In 2015, Life Care celebrates 65 years of providing aged care services to South Australians. As we mark this significant milestone, we are reminded of the original philosophy of the organisation, which was to provide quality care for people as they age.
f oc
It has prompted us to look at the next decade and how Life Care needs to evolve to become an organisation that challenges the traditional thinking of aged care. We want to offer flexible services and design facilities that allow our clients to truly ‘Live Every Day’.
Former CEO, Kingsley Curtis, celebrating Life Care’s 65 years
f ocu
s
Start the Conversation As we age, it can be hard to talk about what our changing needs are going to be. Life Care understands this can be a challenging time as there are so many options and such a wide range of aged care services available. Our approach to listening to our clients starts with the very first conversation, when our staff take the time to find out what the client needs and then looks at how Life Care can help them. They talk through all the services that are available, and ensure that the experience with Life Care is a positive one. Our Start the Conversation video that is on our website, reflects what many families go through as part of the process of talking about aged care and finding what suits them and their family.
Artists impression of potential Parkrose Village redevelopment
Vision for the Future Life Care’s aim over the next decade is to redevelop all of our campuses to support a wide range of integrated accommodation and service options that promote a sense of wellbeing while maintaining and developing strong connections to the broader community.
Our ambitious Master Plan has been developed over the last two years, and is geared towards ensuring that our property portfolio is redeveloped to support our strategic direction and allow us to deliver a ’Live Every Day’ experience to all of our clients. As part of our commitment to implementing our Master Plan, we have recruited Roger Cook AM and Loris Rigon to the Life Care Team. We have also engaged Marchese Partners Architects and we will use the following criteria which have been weaved through every element of the Plan:
· Ensure Life Care operates within a value set consistent with the spirit of ‘Live Every Day’ · Promote a point of difference in our aged care delivery · Become more customer focused, while remaining industry compliant · Establish a continuum of care across all of our services and deliver greater integration of those services · Ensure our decision making process is evidence based and aligns with the core values and strategic direction of the organisation · Ensure long-term sustainability for Life Care
Our Master Plan outlines $300 million of development across all of our primary sites, excluding Aldinga Beach Court, which has recently undergone its own major redevelopment. The first project is a $50 million redevelopment at Joslin, which will offer Residential Living along with serviced apartments. In addition, there is provision for a $35 million world-class Independent Living development in Norwood. This will offer apartment style living and Life Care will also provide a range of support services for clients.
Our Master Plan is not just about bricks and mortar, it’s also about how we deliver services. Life Care is planning on flipping the traditional aged care model on its head. We are looking to develop a service model that ensures respect for client preferences, promotes client and family empowerment, and takes a more comprehensive and holistic approach to overall wellbeing, rather than just a clinical approach. Our investment in our capital works is as vital as our investment in staff. We are bringing together world’s best practice design principles and skilled staff to deliver premium services in state-of-theart accommodation options for people as they age.
Aged Care The way it ought to be
It is widely acknowledged that your environment plays a significant role in your wellbeing. This has been a focus for our upcoming redevelopment at Joslin. Life Care has taken on the challenge of creating an environment at Joslin, which contributes to our clients’ quality of life, as well as supporting a style of service delivery and personal interaction which further enhances their sense of wellbeing. Our entire design team including Life Care staff have adopted the approach of Louis Kahn (an influential 20th century American architect) who wrote “A great building must begin with the unmeasurable, must go through measurable means when it is being designed and in the end must be unmeasurable.”
The redevelopment is proposed to be undertaken in two stages, with Stage 1 consisting of 96 Residential Living beds and a Stage 2 proposal of 30 Residential Living beds, 28 serviced apartments and a wellness and rehabilitation centre. Final planning approvals for the development were received in September 2015 and Stage 1 is earmarked for commencement in mid-2016 with a completion date of late 2017. It is expected that Stage 2 will commence in early 2018.
Joslin Stage 1 will offer an improved quality of life, while providing operating efficiencies and a superior aged care product. The interior design is based on supporting the Life Care Service Model, bringing together elements of international evidence based practice, such as the Greenhouse model, Eden principles and other contemporary practice in services for people as they age.
The result of our research and collaboration with Marchese Partners will be a contemporary home-like environment based on 6 houses which will run like a home for 16 people.
Critical to the development of this building is embedding best practice in design for people as they age. The house-like environment is built around common areas and open plan living, while ensuring the Atul Gawande in his building can support book `Being Mortal’ future service delivery notes models as well as the “…research has found needs of people living with dementia. that in units where there are fewer than Stage 2 will incorporate 20 people, there tends many of the same to be less anxiety features and design and depression, principles but provide more socialising more choice in terms of and friendship, an accommodation styles increased sense of and may incorporate a safety, and more purpose built wellness interaction with and rehabilitation staff, even in cases centre run under the where clients have Life Care Active banner. developed dementia”.
Dementia innovation the Life Care Way Statistics tell us that people living with dementia will be a large proportion of the ageing population in the future. The facts are startling.
We know that each week, 1,800 new cases of dementia are diagnosed in Australia. That is about 1 person every 6 minutes. 3 in 10 people over the age of 85 and almost 1 in 10 over the age of 65 have dementia. An estimated 1.2 million people are involved in the care of a person living with dementia. (Source: Alzheimers Australia)
Life Care is determined to take the lead on providing excellence in dementia services in South Australia and has started this journey from our Life Care at Home services right through to our Residential Living. We have done this through a range of activities from adopting best practice design in our Residential Living
locations, through to forming strategic partnerships around the world.
How we engage with people living with dementia is a key challenge, not only for staff, but also for volunteers and families. Currently Life Care has also we are developing formed a partnership programs and activities with Stirling that are specifically University, Scotland for those people with on implementing cognitive decline that international best build on what they can practice on living do, rather than what environments and they can’t do. These working with them on programs encourage undertaking relevant independence and research opportunities in promote physical activity the dementia arena. and wellbeing. Specifically, the internal design and living spaces of the new houses at Aldinga Beach Court have set a new standard for Life Care.
In 2016, we will be undertaking specific training throughout the whole organisation from the Board to staff, volunteers and families, on what dementia is, what it means for a person who has dementia and how we interact with people living with their dementia. Life Care is about to undertake an ambitious redevelopment of our site at Joslin as Stage 1 of our Master Plan, and there is a strong emphasis on ensuring
that the whole building design is aged friendly, but with a specific focus on the additional requirements for people living with dementia. We acknowledge the growing rate of dementia in our society and we are determined and committed to be at the forefront of best practice design and service delivery to ensure that all of our clients living with dementia receive the best care and ‘Live Every Day’ experience during their time with Life Care.
Highlights
Life Care celebrated 65 Life celebrated yearsCare in 2015 and of course 65 years 2015 Each and of there wasincake! Life course there was cake! Care location celebrated this significant Each Life Care milestone location and fun wasthis hadsignificant by celebrated everyone! and fun was had milestone by everyone!
Life Care recognised Life Care recognised the invaluable role our the invaluable role our many volunteers play at many volunteers play at a Volunteer Appreciation a Volunteer Appreciation Lunch. It was a wonderful Lunch. It was a wonderful event and a good event and a good opportunity to say ‘thank opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to our many loyal and you’ to our many loyal and long standing volunteers. long standing volunteers.
The 2015 Aged & Community Services SA & NT Life Care was recognised in three categories. Finalist in Volunteer Award & Employee Award Winner of Award for the Residential Care Design Category
Our annual intergenerational day with the Adelaide Football Club was another huge success with young and old, as Crows players mixed and mingled with everyone, as well as playing a few handball competitions and answering questions from some of their die hard fans!
Our annual Staff Awards Our nightannual was a Staff greatAwards event, night greatand event, wherewas we athank where we thank acknowledge ourand staff and acknowledge staff and present specialour awards to present special awards to those who are nominated those who are nominated for exceptional service. for exceptional service.
Financial results are important to any organisation to ensure long-term sustainability. A strong financial platform is therefore essential to underpin Life Care’s strategic vision. This is particularly true in the changing aged care landscape
and and especially as we undertake our major redevelopment at Joslin. The 2014/15 financial results are highlighted below:
Revenues
Expenses
Other 2%
Other 7%
Client contributions 25%
Depreciation 5%
Interest and dividends 6%
Property costs 7%
Retentions 3%
Domestic costs 7%
Government contributions 64%
Staffing costs 74%
Total $43,646,175
Total $41,894,181
Our financial platform Assets
Liabilities
Other 1%
Bank loans 12%
Investments 19%
Provisions 3%
Cash 2%
Trade and other payables 2%
Plant and equipment 2%
Client occupancy rights 83%
Property 76% Total $174,076,516
Total $101,455,783
We are proud of our core values and the way they focus and shape everything we do.
Integrity... always operating in an open and honest manner while observing the highest levels of personal and professional conduct.
Respect... being aware of, and celebrating the different strengths and backgrounds of each person in our community, whether they’re a client, staff member or volunteer.
Innovation... ensuring we are open to new ideas, and actively seek out innovation so we can continually improve our service delivery.
Excellence... our commitment to providing the very best, in everything we do and being accountable for our decisions.
Teamwork... consistently working together – with staff, clients, families, volunteers and the wider community – to provide the very best environment for ageing well with dignity.
Life Care Active Life Care at Home Respite Independent Living Residential Living
Corporate Services 263 Melbourne Street North Adelaide SA 5006 Call 08 8239 9800 Email enquire@lifecare.org.au www.lifecare.org.au