Amana Living Named as Finalist in Aged Care Industry Awards

Two Kalgoorlie locals, an aged care industry stalwart, and an innovative enrichment manager are among Amana Living’s finalists in the 2018 ACSA Aged Care Awards. The organisation has been named a finalist in five out of the six award categories, including the coveted Aged Care Provider of the Year.

The Aged & Community Services Australia (ACSA) Aged Care Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions made by organisations, teams and individuals in the aged care industry.  Winners of the state ACSA awards will be announced at a ceremony at Crown Perth on 13 July and will go on to represent WA at the national awards in September 2018.

Stephanie Buckland, CEO of Amana Living, said: “We’re proud of everyone who has been recognised for their individual contributions to providing the best quality care and support for our clients and residents, plus helping to make Amana Living a fantastic place to work.

“It’s because of the tremendous effort of these individuals, as well as the whole organisation, that we have been selected as a finalist for the Aged Care Provider of the Year award. Initiatives like the Dedicated Staffing Model and the 2018 Amana Living Arts Festival have also contributed to the industry recognising our commitment to improving the lives of older West Australians.”

Amana Living’s finalists in the 2018 ACSA Aged Care Awards include:

Employee of the Year

This award recognises the dedication and contribution of an individual employee in the delivery of services to older people. 

Emily Lees – Emily is Amana Living’s Manager Enrichment and Volunteer Services responsible for the development and delivery of Amana Living’s Enrichment and Volunteer programs. Emily was nominated for her role in expanding the enrichment program to include projects like: 2018 Amana Living Arts Festival which delivered 150 arts and culture events to more than 1000 older people; Tune into Life, a music program for people with dementia; and GenConnect, a partnership between Amana Living and local schools to improve older people’s digital literacy and social connectedness.  The award also recognises Emily’s work to enhance Amana Living’s volunteering program.

Nicole Gardiner –  Nicole is the Operations Manager at Amana Living responsible for overseeing the residential care centre, home care and independent living in Kalgoorlie.  Nikki was nominated for her commitment to her staff in Kalgoorlie, with initiatives like Aboriginal language classes and a boot camp to improve health, wellness and morale. The nomination also recognised Nikki’s unwavering dedication to her residents from ensuring everyone is safe during severe flooding through to making sure residents have access to quality dental care with an in-house dental clinic.

Lifetime of Achievement

This award recognises an individual who has worked in the delivery of services to older people for a minimum of 10 years and is actively working in the aged care sector.

Terry Walsh – Terry is Amana Living’s Food Services Coordinator and has dedicated more than 21 years to delivering an outstanding quality of food to residents and clients of Amana Living.  Over two decades, Terry has been instrumental in establishing and maintaining high standards of food quality and food safety at Amana Living, designing our food safety program, policies, systems and procedures from scratch. He has had a significant impact on resident care and satisfaction, contributing to feeding the body and soul of thousands of older West Australians.  

Volunteer of the Year

This award recognises an individual who exemplified the tireless generosity of volunteers in caring for and supporting older people and their carers.

Kevin Knott -  Kevin has been volunteering at Amana Living Edward Collick Home in Kalgoorlie for five years and finds joy in spending time with residents and staff alike.     His role is varied, encompassing everything from helping to lead the weekly Anglican church service through to cooking a regular barbeque. He also helps residents to visit the hospital for appointments, takes them shopping, and spends quality time with people who just want some company. He has become a source of support and companionship to everyone at Edward Collick.

Innovation in Service or Design  

This award recognises a program, project or initiative that shows originality to improve the lives of older Australians.

Dedicated Staffing Model –  In 2017 Amana Living piloted a new staffing model to enhance the quality of care in its residential care centres. The “Dedicated Staffing Model” involving direct care staff supporting the same group of residents during each shift.  It allows greater continuity of care, encourages deeper relationships between staff and residents, and delivers better health and wellbeing outcomes. The model has now been implemented at all Amana Living residential care sites.

2018 Amana Living Arts Festival – WA’s first ever dedicated arts festival for seniors, the inaugural 2018 Amana Living Arts Festival ran from 12 February to 25 March at Amana Living locations and iconic arts venues across Perth. The Festival delivered over 150 arts and cultural events to more than 1,000 of Amana Living’s residents and clients from residential care, transition care, home care and retirement living.  The program provided a cornucopia of artistic experiences and adventures including dance, music, sculpture, creative writing, poetry, and drama.  It involved individual artists as well as the State’s key arts organisations including WA Museum, Art Gallery of WA, Black Swan State Theatre Company and WA Symphony Orchestra.

Aged Care Provider of the Year

This award recognises a residential, community care or retirement village provider who demonstrates outstanding leadership, management, workforce culture, innovation, communication and excellence to the sector.

Amana Living - Amana Living is determined to exceed customer and government expectations when it comes to providing care and support to older people in later life. Our intense focus on people development and culture, expanding training for our staff as well as the whole sector, informed decision making through enhanced business analytics and meeting the full spectrum of customer needs across their ageing journey will help us achieve our vision to be the provider of choice.

Find out more about Amana Living.