Amana Life no 53

AMANA LIFE KEEPING YOU INFORMED OF AMANA LIVING NEWS, VIEWS AND EVENTS

NO 53 SUMMER 2015

Contents Music stimulates memories...3 New website puts the customer first.....................4 Amana Living gathers for ‘Beach Party’ ....................4 In his own home at 106......6 Quality care assurance .......6 Kids at Kinross ..................7 New appointments and staff Around 450 Amana Living residents and clients got together for their annual party in October.

Pictured here are Kinross Care Centre resident Zoila Vindel and Carer Jane Sheldrick. See more photos on page 5. Photo George Foster Photography

movements ......................8 3Rtists recognised at awards night......... ......................8

Aged care returns to health The federal government has returned aged care to health by combining the portfolios under Minister Sussan Ley. CEO Ray Glickman welcomes this decision and lists the key issues he would like to see tackled next.

Amana Living is committed to closing the gap between aged and health care, especially within dementia and restorative care. This was behind the creation of the Amana Living health care portfolio in early 2015, which brings together our team of highly skilled clinicians and experts in these areas.

It was therefore encouraging for us when the Hon Sussan Ley was appointed

Minister for Aged Care and Health, and aged care was returned to the Health Department after two years under the Department for Social Security.

I hope that Minister Ley – supported

by Assistant Minister Ken Wyatt, who is known in WA as a champion of the interests of older people – will make the most of the opportunities now open to her. continued over...

Staff profile ......................9 Thanks Suzi!......................9 The gift of being present... 10 Alcoa supports Amana Living.............................10 Update on eco activity .....10 More outings in comfort for all abilities....................... 11 Thanks to our sponsors .... 11 A publication of AMANA LIVING 541 Hay Street, Subiaco WA 6008 P 1300 26 26 26 F (08) 9388 3142 ABN 45 582 438 433 To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please email: jhammond@amanaliving.com.au

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Make prevention of hospitalisation a top priority for older people

Good residential care providers will have grown their clinical teams to keep pace with the increasing dependency needs of residents. The aged care sector is therefore perfectly placed to support the health system by preventing hospitalisation and restoring optimal health following a hospital stay.

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Eradicate the fragmentation between the health and aged care systems

Presently each tier of government looks after its own financial interest, but not that of government as a whole and therefore of taxpayers as a whole. Only by eradicating this fragmentation and taking a longer view can we hope to address the escalating health needs of our ageing population.

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for the Government. The key message to the new Ministry has to be – fund aged care according to the real cost of care. Spending more on keeping older people out of hospital will result in a much reduced spend on keeping them in it.

Together we can make aged care more sustainable as we continue to move to a consumer-driven market, ensuring the lives of our older people are as healthy, active and enriched as possible.

Amana Living clinical staff have the expertise to keep older people out of hospital. Pictured are Registered Nurse Maricar Reyes and Staff Development Nurse Rhian Tamim. Photo Leon Shaffer

Invest according to the real cost of care

The Government invests about five times more on temporary hospitalisation and 50% more on transition care beds than on supporting older people in permanent residential care. It’s time to link Government contributions directly to the real cost of care.

How Amana Living is bridging the gap between aged care and health There are currently 32,000 people living with dementia in WA, and this is set to increase by 14 per cent over the next five years and double by 2050. At the same time, the oldest of the large baby boomer population is now approaching their 70s. The result is an increasing pressure on clinical services.

Amana Living has anticipated this trend by growing its clinical team and investing heavily in vital, innovative programs that better support older people and help to prevent deterioration of their physical and mental health.

This includes the introduction of: • transition care, a program designed to help older people achieve their highest level of independence after a stay in hospital; • integrated dementia service centres, with more wide-ranging support for those living with dementia and their carers; and • a lifestyle and enrichment program, which looks more closely at the activities that will help older people to live fulfilled and meaningful lives.

In addition, research published by Grant Thornton in 2014 tells us that retirement village residents experience delayed entry into residential care, fewer and shorter hospital stays, fewer GP visits, enhanced social wellbeing and better mental health.

Aged care has a huge role to play in delivering better health outcomes for older people and greater efficiencies

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Ray Glickman, CEO Read Ray’s blog www.ageingfromleftfield.com

Club Kinross client Mary Mitchell lights up when Enrichment Manager Emily Scarff starts up a Beatles playlist on her iPod.

Music stimulates memories Planning is underway for Amana Living to pilot a music program that ‘awakens’ people living with dementia. Tim Nayton (General Manager Health Care) explains how it works.

Alive Inside is a documentary released recently in Australia that is almost guaranteed to lift spirits. It tells the story of the Music and Memory program developed in the US, and demonstrates the ‘awakening’ that can occur in people living with dementia when they are immersed in meaningful music.

played via headphones to shut out extraneous noise. The standard program recommends using second-hand iPods and inviting young volunteers to create the play lists. We plan to add an extra layer at Amana Living by employing a music therapist to oversee a Music Therapy Program rollout and ensure all relevant staff are fully trained.

We know that music taps into a part of the brain that remains very much alive in people living with dementia.

The US experience shows consistently that this in turn stimulates old memories, renews connection with others and heightens wellbeing. What’s important is that the music is chosen carefully, which means understanding individual life histories, preferences and emotional associations. According to the Music and Memory website, “These musical favourites tap deep memories not lost to dementia and can bring participants back to life, enabling them to feel like themselves again, to converse, socialize and stay present.”

In particular, the therapist will be the one to pinpoint the music most likely to ‘awaken’ individuals with lost memories. Our therapist will be generously funded by the John and Beryl May Henderson Foundation.

The Music and Memory approach is ridiculously simple and appears to be extremely effective. Music play lists are created for individual residents, loaded onto iPods and

The Music Therapy Program will be piloted at one of our integrated dementia service centres, supported by our dementia and IT specialists. We then plan to roll out the program across all our care centres. We anticipate that within three years, the program will be sustainable with trained staff, and up to 1,000 residents and clients will be benefiting.

To find out more about the Music and Memory program, and the Alive Inside documentary, go to www.musicandmemory.org

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New website puts the customer first Our new website, quietly launched in August, has made a significant difference to the online customer’s experience of Amana Living. Greg Massam (General Manager Customer Service Innovation) explains why we created it.

The new Amana Living website isn’t just good-looking; it’s easy to access and navigate, informative and solutionsoriented. We’re now continuing to build new functionality while refining the site as feedback comes in.

for a service or village. The complex calculations involved in residential care are made easy with our pricing calculator, and we have created plans of our retirement villages showing vacancies and prices.

The business we’re in is complex, with a range of services, pathways and funding options to unravel. The Amana Living website is a great place to start, especially for families researching care and services for their parents. We’ve made it easy to browse housing, care centres, clubs and home care services. An interactive map enables users to search

At any stage during their tour of the website, the user can pick up the phone and call our friendly customer service centre staff via the 1300 26 26 26 number, or send us an email enquiry. We’ve worked hard to ensure our staff are ready to field any question and to help as much as they can.

We invite you to explore www.amanaliving.com.au

Amana Living gathers for ‘Beach Party’ Around 450 Amana Living residents and clients got together for their annual party in HBF Stadium Arena in October. Dressed to the theme, ‘Beach Party’, and with the support of around 150 staff and volunteers, guests joined in with African drumming and Hawaiian dancing, and enjoyed a sit-down lunch.

“The annual Amana Living party is designed to enrich lives by bringing us together for a really special day,” said CEO Ray Glickman. “I’m proud to say that for many of our residents, this is the highlight of the year, which means we must be getting it right! It’s up there for me too as something I always look forward to – especially seeing our older generation getting up for a dance with our staff and volunteers.”

This event was generously supported by the Anglican Community Fund, Seniors Own, JLT, Unicharm and Scarboro Toyota.

Photos by George Foster

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In his own home at 106 Arthur Rowcliffe is still living independently at 106, with support from his son and Amana Living home care services.

One of Western Australia’s oldest living people, Arthur Rowcliffe celebrated his 106th birthday on 26 August 2015.

Arthur is proof that, with the right help, it can be possible to stay in your own home throughout the second half of life.

Arthur moved to Australia from England when he was just two years old, sailing with his mother from Southampton to Fremantle to join his father who had migrated a year earlier. He grew up in the timber mill towns of Wuraming and Pindalup before the family moved to the south-west of WA to farm.

He married Christina Ann McKay in 1942 and they had five sons, Arthur, Malcolm, Peter, Colin and David. For nearly 40 years, Arthur was a dairy farmer in Forest Grove, later on working as a gardener at the University of WA and leading hand at Karrakatta Cemetery.

Arthur’s son David provides his dad with support, along with Amana Living home care services. David said his father still attends church: “He put his faith in God and didn’t worry about what life holds. As a result, he’s a very calm and gentle person.” It’s this Christian faith and his active lifestyle that Arthur credits for his longevity.

CEO Ray Glickman congratulated Arthur on his 106th birthday and remarked that he embodied his generation: “He’s independent, stoic, hardworking, and a gentleman in every sense of the word. It’s an honour for Amana Living to help Arthur continue living in his own home.”

106-year-old Arthur Rowcliffe at home. Photo courtesy Community Newspaper Group

Quality care assurance All Amana Living residential care centres were once again declared fully compliant with national standards in 2015. Zenith Zeeman (GM Residential Care) explains what this means for our residents.

Every three years, the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency visits all our care centres to carry out a thorough audit.

This happened during 2015, and we were pleased that every centre was declared fully compliant with Aged Care Accreditation standards.

Each re-accreditation audit involves a comprehensive review over two days to measure standards against 44 expected outcomes. All of our sites successfully met all outcomes, and we received some very encouraging comments from the assessors on the positive feedback

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from staff, residents and families.

They also commented on the homely atmosphere of our centres, the friendliness and professionalism of our wonderful staff, and the meaningful and positive interactions between staff and residents.

This rigorous process provides residents and their families with a reassurance that quality standards are maintained at Amana Living.

Kids at Kinross Club Kinross clients got together with children from a local preschool for a morning of intergenerational fun in September.

The club for people living with dementia joined forces with West Kinross Kids Care Preschool to pilot a new program where older people take part in activities, such as singing, drawing and storytelling with three- and four-year-olds.

older people, particularly as many of them don’t have grandparents in Australia,” said Kayleen. “It’s also a chance for them to get a different perspective on life, and for the older people to feel energised by having youngsters around.”

Club Coordinator Yvonne Pedersen said this is the first time the club had engaged with young children and a fantastic opportunity for the generations to come together.

Kayleen Mees, West Kinross Kids Care Preschool Centre Manager, said she got in touch with Amana Living Club Kinross after being inspired by the story of a US nursing home that had been combined with a childcare centre.

“Club Kinross is just down the road from us, and I thought it would be a good opportunity for the children to meet Club Kinross clients and their young visitors seemed equally enriched by their time together. They thoroughly enjoyed making hand prints, playing with balloons and listening to music on iPods. Most heart-warming was the spontaneous connection between the generations.

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New appointments and staff movements Michael Dwyer is our new Team Leader in the Customer Service Centre (CSC), which opened early in 2015.

Michael has many years of experience as a customer service team leader for Telstra, and then with the St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies) where he established a call centre for people experiencing personal crisis.

Since joining Amana Living, Michael has carried out each of the CSC coordinator functions for a period of time, and is now looking forward to his leadership role.

Jessica Kierath receives her award from Ray Glickman and Graham King, representing 3Rtist Awards sponsor Hesta.

Photo Leon Shaffer

Other recent appointments include: Veronica Scannell – Operations Manager Robyn Knuckey – Relief Service Manager Dianne Winship – Service Manager Janice Early – Regional Manager, Home Care Jessica Pullen – Care Coordinator, Home Care Helen Fullarton – Manager, Transition Care

Neville Binet accepts his award, with GM Residential Care Zenith Zeeman (far right) collecting the award on behalf of Amanda Koekemoer, who wasn’t able to attend. Photo Leon Shaffer

3Rtists recognized at awards night Three Amana Living staff received special 3Rtist Awards in November for living the 3Rs culture: the right people doing the right things in the right way. Jenny Williams (GM Human Resources) celebrates the 2015 3Rtists.

The right person Being the right person means choosing to work for Amana Living and following set procedures, but always looking for a better way. This year’s winner was Jessica Kierath, Client Services Administrator, Home Care. Jess was nominated for her friendly, thoughtful approach in supporting the home care team.

The right things Amanda Koekemoer won the award for doing the right things. This means turning every encounter into an opportunity to enrich lives. As Carer, Administration Assistant and Occupational Therapist across two of our centres, Amanda is busy! Even so, she takes

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every opportunity to connect with others, and enjoys mentoring less experienced staff.

The right way Doing things the right way means pitching in to help with a smile. Occupational Health and Safety Consultant Neville Binet took out this award for his positive and professional attitude, and for pitching in at short notice to provide urgent support to the team in Kalgoorlie.

Congratulations to the 2015 3Rtists, and to the longserving staff who also received awards for their dedication to caring for our residents and clients.

Staff Profile Lee Burwood, Operations Manager, Residential Care (retired) Operations Manager Lee Burwood retired in October after almost three decades with Amana Living. Here she gives some insight into the work that kept her with us for so long.

Lee, why did you choose a career in aged care?

I’ve always been a carer really. I had my children early, and ran a kids’ after-school and holiday program for a while. My aged care career began in 1988 with casual night shifts at Lefroy Care Centre, where I learned a lot about caring for people living with dementia. I loved it from the start, and just progressed from there.

How did Amana Living hold onto you for so long?

Amana Living is a really special place. They supported my career development with management courses and job opportunities. In 2001, I was appointed manager of Lefroy Care Centre. What was really lovely about working there was the connection with residents and their families. You become quite involved with their journey. Right at the start, a vital part of my role was to help residents transition into care, which can be a difficult time, especially for people living with dementia.

It’s a time of loss for their families too. They can become quite upset and what might seem like a small thing to us feels much bigger to them. I often stayed in touch with families long after their parents had passed away, which was really lovely.

What would you say to people who have ageing parents in need of care?

Shop around. Look at different care centres, and talk to staff as you go. Care isn’t about buildings – it’s about the people, and you can get a good feel for the culture of a place by observing the interactions between staff and residents. Do the staff smile? Do they seem to genuinely care about individual residents’ preferences and needs? This is what matters.

Would you like to send a message for your team on your retirement?

Enjoy what you’re doing and the people around you now, in this moment, because time flies!

Do you have any advice for someone considering a career in aged care?

The aged care industry is growing fast! There are lots of opportunities, and no matter what job you do, you’ll be adding real value to people’s lives. It can be extremely rewarding to enrich someone’s day and boost their sense of wellbeing. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend an aged care career to someone who wants to make a difference.

Thanks, Suzi!

While we were sad to lose her, we were delighted for our long-standing Chief Operating Officer, Suzi Cowcher, when she secured the position as Chief Executive Officer at Ability Centre.

Suzi made a wonderful contribution as a member of our Executive and Leadership Team.

She has played a leading role in making Amana Living what it is today. Congratulations and thank you, Suzi.

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The gift of being present It is late afternoon, the end of one of our first very hot days is drawing to an end; residents are sitting in the activity room, while others are walking the passageway – on their own or in pairs. It is that time of day when energies are low, and we wait for evening to come.

What comes today is a group of young people, seven Year 10 students from All Saints’ College, with their supervisor, to share time with the residents. There is an air of nervous anticipation in the room – residents and students both wondering, what next?

We invite the residents to walk with students in the garden, which some do, paired off like we used to on school excursions. It’s a lovely time of the day to gaze at the plants, and the pond, to wander around the path to see where it leads.

What happens next is a delight: after talking with a couple of residents and a student in the gazebo, I notice that the others have found seats in the patio area. There’s a delightful buzz of conversation and a sea of smiling faces.

Two generations, strangers until that day, are enjoying each other’s company, sharing stories and telling jokes.

For the students, their supervisor and myself, this will become a wonderful memory, but for the residents it is unlikely to, because they are living with dementia.

These young students are the first group of McCusker Advocates who are offering their time regularly to the residents at Lefroy Care Centre. Each one of them sincerely wants to be able to speak on behalf of those living with dementia. They have chosen to visit, listen to and to talk with our residents so they may build relationships, and in doing so gain a better understanding of what it is like to live with dementia.

For all concerned this visit was a gift, treasured in that moment at the end of a very hot day. What greater gift can we give than ourselves, genuinely present to the people we are with? For then it becomes ‘the present of being present in the present’.

May the gift of God’s love, Jesus Christ, given for all people, be yours. Have a delightful and memorable Christmas!

Revd Deborah Joyce, Senior Chaplain

Alcoa supports Amana Living Wearne Care Centre in Mandurah has gratefully received more than $10,000 in funding from the Alcoa PEACH trust for a new king single hospital bed, two extra large mattresses and a bariatric wheelchair.

In addition to the funding, five Alcoa volunteers spent a day at Wearne weeding the garden and planting colourful flowers donated by Bunnings.

Amana Living CEO Ray Glickman said: “We are extremely grateful for the support Alcoa’s PEACH program has provided to enable us to purchase much-needed equipment. We also very much appreciate the time donated by Alcoa volunteers to create a bloom of colour in the gardens. It is this sort of generosity that helps to enrich the second half of life for older people.

Update on eco activity Water is arguably the most valuable resource on our planet. Our ECO Team has water-saving on its agenda, and plans to roll out two new projects across our sites following positive results.

Changes in cleaning products used at St George’s Care Centre in Bayswater are having a significant impact on water use. By moving across to microfibre cleaning products, we are saving around 100 litres of water a day while optimising the quality of our products and service.

Even more impressive are the two washing machines installed at Peter Arney Care Centre in Salter Point, which are saving nearly 1,000 litres a day. They do this by holding the final rinse water from a wash and using it for the first rinse of the next load. This saves 80 litres a time. With machines handling six loads per day, the total per machine is 960 litres saved.

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More outings in comfort for all abilities Amana Living has purchased its first two state-of-the-art Optare Solo coaches, thanks to Lotterywest funding. Peter Mildenhall (General Manager Corporate Assets) explains why the coaches were chosen.

Amana Living is all about helping older people live an enriched life, whatever challenges they face. Our two new coaches are designed to be easily accessible and more comfortable for people who are wheelchair bound or unsteady on their feet. This means residents and clients of all abilities in our Perth metro sites can now enjoy more outings together in comfort.

The interiors of the Solo coaches have been customised to fulfil the specific requirements of Amana Living. There’s a mix of seats and wheelchair space, with fold-down seats to accommodate varying numbers of wheelchairs. The buses ‘kneel’ to the kerb for easy access, and passengers can remain seated in comfort in their wheelchairs for the journey.

Left to right: CEO Ray Glickman and Deputy Chairman Ian Ludlow with the Hon Tony Simpson MLA as he cuts the ribbon to officially hand over the new Amana Living coaches.

As an organisation that values inclusiveness, we were really pleased to be able to increase opportunities for our residents and clients to enjoy outings together. We are extremely grateful to Lotterywest for enabling us to purchase these vehicles.

The Hon Tony Simpson MLA, Minister for Local Government; Community Services; Seniors and Volunteering; and Youth, presented the new coaches to our CEO Ray Glickman in September at Amana Living’s Karrinyup site. The Minister showed great interest in the coaches, and spoke about the importance of healthy ageing in our community. He then cut the ribbon before going for a spin with residents and staff.

Residents at Moline Village tried out the new coaches and said they were impressed with the easy access, comfortable ride and the view as they went for a spin along the coast.

Thanks to our sponsors Amana Living relies on the generous support of sponsors. This enables us to hold enrichment events and run programs that go beyond quality care, including our annual Residents’ and Clients’ Party and our McCusker Nurse Service for the carers of those living with dementia. We are extremely grateful to:

McCusker Charitable Foundation Funded by The John and Beryl May Henderson Foundation, managed by Perpetual

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