Brightwater Buzz Edition 2 (Staff Newsletter)

HESTA Excellence

Our award-winning Falls Improvement Program is featured on page 4.

Disability Properties

Janet Wagland, General Manager Disability, chats about some exciting projects on page 12.

Staff Profiles

Meet General Manager Residential, Yulunda Matau, on page 14 and Registered Nurse, Yagnesh Yyas, on page 26.

Thanks a million!

It is a pleasure to be surrounded by colleagues who constantly put our clients at heart of everything we do.

Managing Covid-19

Covid-19 was a big theme for 2022! The Cove was our first residential home to have a Covid-19 outbreak (on Sunday 13 February). Staff across our residential aged care and disability homes proceeded to manage numerous outbreaks in 2022. Every one of our teams have done an amazing job in looking after our clients and one another, including staff pictured above from The Oaks.

Brightwater Spirit Awards

Our Brightwater Spirit Awards were scheduled for February but were postponed due to Covid-19 in the community. We instead celebrated our Spirit Award winners with small site-based events, including this one at South Lake.

Getting to know you

Brightwater’s new CEO Cath Stoddart started in April and enjoyed getting to know staff across the organisation, including during this visit to Brightwater Linen.

Brightwater Central comes to life

In August, staff from across the organisation came together at the new Head Office in Inglewood. The event included a moving Welcome to Country by Dennis Simmons, CEO of Maar Koodjal. Since the move, staff from all sites have benefited from the new training facilities.

Instinct – Exercise for Life

Our amazing Brightwater at Home team launched a Falls Education Program for our clients called Instinct – Exercise for Life in September with amazing results!

What’s the

What a year 2022 has been! Reflecting on some photos and videos from the past year, it is amazing to see everything we have achieved as an organisation.

I would like to acknowledge and say thank you for all the hard work everyone has put in this year.

From the staff who work in our residential homes, supporting residents and clients in aged care and disability, to those who care for people in their own homes in our Capacity Building and Brightwater at Home teams. Thank you also to our wonderful commercial services team, including Kingsway Court and our Linen and Catering staff; our corporate support services staff; our Brightwater Research Centre team; and also our volunteers –each and every one of you make a difference to the lives of our clients every day.

In this edition we tell you a little more about Brightwater’s exciting new Care Education Centre; share the vision for the centralised rostering system project for residential aged care services; introduce you to the first ever Brightwater Inglewood team and share an update on the OPTIMISE Study.

I was humbled to read all the other great stories celebrating our wonderful staff – your caring, authentic, progressive and courageous approach never ceases to amaze me.

Shining bright at Pride 2022

In November we were delighted to see clients from our Supported Independent Living house, Brightwater Warnbro, in the Perth Pride 2022 parade. The pair were supported by their carers and Brightwater staff.

Catherine Stoddart CEO Brightwater Care Group

Falls Improvement Program wins HESTA Team Excellence award

Brightwater’s Falls Improvement Program Team was recognised at the 2022 HESTA Excellence Awards on 24 November.

The team was recognised alongside seven organisations or teams who have excelled in the disability, allied health, aged care and community services sectors.

Our CEO Cath Stoddart said winning a HESTA award meant so much to everyone at Brightwater.

“This award is an acknowledgement of the wonderful work our staff do every day to ensure we can support our residents to continue to be independent and live well,” she said.

“We are incredibly proud of the entire Falls Improvement Team. It is led by Chelsea Rudd – who is one of our amazing Physiotherapists – and over the past 12 months, the team has made a number of changes.

“They have also put in place a very successful program to ensure every part of the business has a focus on falls prevention – which we know is one of the biggest issues in older Australians.”

An innovative Falls Improvement Program which identifies and implements evidencebased strategies in falls prevention to reduce fall rates, better support aged care residents, and improve overall knowledge gaps has won a national award.

The Falls Improvement Program provides ongoing support and education to increase prevention awareness and includes professional development and educational sessions for staff to minimise risks and hazards.

The team also introduced weekly exercise sessions for residents to help prevent falls and hosted Zoom Chair Yoga sessions every weekday during Falls Month in April 2022.

Within six months of launch, the program contributed to an impressive a 28 per percent decline in fall rates at several of the Brightwater Care Group homes.

“To put falls prevention in the spotlight through this award we hope will trigger a cultural shift in the wider health sector as we have shown that falls in older Australians are preventable,” Cath said.

“The prize money will enable us to take this program even further including to provide further training for our Therapy Assistants to continue to develop their skills and expand their knowledge in exercises that they can complete within the home, such as chair dancing.

“By equipping our Therapy Assistants, it means they will have a handy portfolio of exercises that they can complete with their residents on site to ensure there is continual adjustment in the program.”

The prize money will also be used to purchase more equipment for our residents. This includes new exercise equipment such as boxing gloves and mitts, so they are able to complete seated boxing, and more appropriate chairs for chair yoga.

About the program

In the ageing population, falls have previously been considered a normal part of getting older. However, this perception has slowly started to shift over the past 10 years.

The Brightwater Falls Improvement Program aimed to not only benefit our clients and reduce their risk of falls but also to better empower our staff in falls prevention.

Over the course of this program, we have seen our residents engage in new activities such as chair yoga, chair dancing and Tai Chi, which has created many smiles and brought joy. Our Therapy Assistants have also developed new skills and confidence in falls prevention.

Cath added: “This is the most rewarding aspect of the program. Watching our residents and staff grow together and develop new skills in order to achieve the common goal of reducing preventable falls amongst our residents.”

Expanding Falls Education to Brightwater at Home

Part of our award-winning HESTA application acknowledged not only our work in Residential Aged Care, but the expansion of our program with our Brightwater at Home clients.

The Brightwater at Home Falls community group ran for 10 weeks with wonderful success.

This prevention exercise program called ‘Instinct’ uses functional movement, strength and balance training, and multidisciplinary education to reach at risk clients at home. A huge thank you to our Brightwater at Home team!

Supporting a culture of learning for Brightwater

We sat down with Manager Clinical Governance and Care Education Julie Fereday to learn more about Brightwater’s new Care Education Centre.

Julie brings extensive clinical training and governance to Brightwater. She has worked within the nursing and VET sectors and sat on numerous committees, including the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Committee and National Enrolled Nurse Advisory Council.

Can we please tell us about the Brightwater Care Education Centre?

The initial focus for the Care Education Centre will be to build and support a culture of learning for Brightwater.

The team will utilise best practice to drive education and use clinical indicators to guide our mandatory competencies and determine our training priorities.

Most importantly, we want every employee to have the opportunity to engage with a learning/career journey with Brightwater if they wish.

The valuable research from our Research Centre will also guide a lot of our actions.

What does your role entail?

A component of my role as Manager Clinical Governance and Care Education is about understanding what the training needs are for each area and developing and allocating the appropriate training and resources.

It’s also how we can link with external agencies such as VET and universities to create workforce development opportunities and look at the emerging workforce through integration of student placement and graduate models.

Understanding the training needs of each area of the business is really important. For example, recognising disability and residential staff training needs are not always the same and that we need to reflect this in our training delivery and development of resources.

We would like to establish those strong connections with TAFEs and universities with the intention of being able to provide all of our employees with the right pathway for them.

At the same time, we need to make sure that all the aged care and NDIS standards and training priorities against those standards are responded to, and that we build the capacity of our teams to meet quality outcomes for our clients. In particular, in areas such as restrictive practice our focus in 2023 will be on building the skills and knowledge of all workers.

We are also linking this with the Clinical Governance Framework. A key component of clinical governance is around that whole element of preparing the workforce and having a skilled workforce that is able to deliver safe care.

A review of policies and procedures guiding our practice will also be a priority for the clinical governance team.

What are your priorities for the next 12 months? Evidence has shown that employees are more likely to remain with an organisation if they feel welcomed; receive a good induction; have good buddying or mentor support and are provided with professional development opportunities and career pathways.

This is one of the key objectives for the Care Education Centre in the first 12 months.

We want all of our employees to embrace diversity and feel valued, supported, respected and recognised as an integral part of the Brightwater team. Most importantly, we want them to stay with us.

We moved a lot towards online learning as a result of COVID-19 over the past two years and now our focus for 2023 is to bring all of the professional development training back to face-to-face for all the care teams across Brightwater.

Above: Manager Clinical Governance and Care Education Julie Fereday.

Left: The Care Clinical Team complete some training: Pavneet, Clinical Nurse; Marysia, Clinical Educator; Natalie, Registered Nurse, and Mark, Registered Nurse.

We want to provide the opportunity for face-to-face professional development days – which will be scheduled – and we hope will make all staff feel valued.

This is really a recognition of the importance of every role at Brightwater and the importance of investing in our workforce.

In 2023 we are committed to:

• C ontinuing with face-to-face inductions and building on the buddying/mentor models in place

• Delivering face-to-face professional development days for many staff across the organisation

• Releasing our professional development training calendar by December 2022 so people know well in advance when they are scheduled to attend sessions

• Building work placement capacity across sites to improve the experience for students so they are attracted to Brightwater and careers in aged care/disability support

• Building the Nursing Graduate program and commencing an Allied Health Graduate program in 2023

• S upporting 30 carers in 2023 to commence Enrolled Nursing studies

• E xploring traineeship opportunities across all areas of Brightwater

• C ontinuing to provide onsite support to meet individual site needs.

We have a great team of Clinical Educators and Learning and Development Coaches who are fully committed to provide high quality training. If you want to become a member of our team, please let me know by emailing me at julie.fereday@brightwatergroup.com. We would love to continue to grow and develop talent from within our Brightwater team.

The team is look forward to working closely with you all in 2023.

Bringing all staff together for a Town Hall

Brightwater held its first “Town Hall”, an online all staff meeting, on Friday 14 October. This was a new initiative where the Executive Team shared information about the key themes in Brightwater’s Strategic Plan.

We also asked staff for their feedback on several questions. These included what they love most about working with Brightwater and what they find the most challenging.

Participants were then invited to ask questions. Many were answered during the session and all questions were answered in writing soon after the meeting.

What is a Town Hall?

A Town Hall is a virtual meeting for employees that an organisation streams online. It’s an opportunity for employees to ask questions, comment on company plans and exchange news and progress updates.

We hope to see you at the next online all staff Town Hall which we have in the diary for Thursday 16 February 2023. Save the date!

Use this QR code to access the MSTeams link for our next Town Hall meeting.

Centralised Rostering Project in motion

Project Manager Curtis Reddell said while the project was in its infancy, he was pleased Brightwater was on the journey to understanding current rostering pain points, and how a centralised model could best benefit our staff and clients.

“We know that our current rostering model for RAC (residential aged care) is not set up to reach our full potential with maximising staff utilisation across all of RAC,” he said.

“For example, under a centralised rostering system we will be able to monitor all the site’s rosters at any given time.

“If one site has a roster in crisis, we can pivot and allocate several rostering staff to go and fix it. At the moment, we don’t have that bird’s eye view or capability to be flexible in our approach.”

Centralised rostering/scheduling services are used in other areas of the business, including Disability and Brightwater at Home, with good outcomes.

“We want to apply a similar model to RAC, which we know works, and this is a really positive thing for the business,” Curtis added.

“A high-level Project Plan is currently under review by our Executive Team and we are aiming to start consultation next year.”

A centralised rostering project is in motion to support Brightwater’s residential aged care services.

Vision for Centralised Rostering Project – Residential Aged Care

Intended outcomes, as either a direct result of the Centralised Roster Project or secondary, include:

1. Increased access to staff – Easily identify which staff across the business have unfulfilled availabilities at their home sites and offer them ‘top up’ shifts on other sites. When staff are able to fill their availabilities, they tend to stay at Brightwater for longer, leading to reduced turn over.

“ This is a very important factor in this job market,” Curtis added. “If we get this right, we will not need to rely on agency staff as much and will have less roster vacancies.”

2. Sites feel more supported – Sites receive more rostering services including tighter budget management. We are also looking into longer hours of rostering support, which will mean less time taken up by client-facing staff.

3. Viability – Improve the financial viability of RAC sites by reducing spend in agency staff and casuals through more efficient rostering practices and sharing of resources.

4. V isibility of vacancies – Gain a helicopter view of vacancies and other rostering issues across the sites so we can identify trends and patterns. This could then inform more targeted and proactive actions, such as targeted recruitment.

5. Proactive rostering – Building the capacity to divert roster staff to sites that require the support, as well as building rosters ahead of time and filling vacancies in the future. Less reactive rostering.

6. C ompliance with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Standards – Provide more assurance that Standard 7 (Human Resources) will be achieved by sites. This will mean better continuity of care for our clients, by having full rosters with less agency staff.

The project supports a key strategic theme for Brightwater which is ‘long-term sustainability’, but also contributes to other strategic objectives of ‘safe and quality care’ and ‘recruitment and retention’.

“Ultimately a well-functioning Centralised Rostering Service will give us a better chance of having the people power to provide quality services, and rostering in a fiscally responsible way by better utilising our existing workforce,” Curtis said.

Updates will be provided to staff as the project evolves.

Disability property project update

Some exciting update projects have been planned, or are underway, at several of Brightwater’s disability properties.

We asked Janet Wagland, General Manager Disability, to provide an update.

Social Housing Economic Recovery Package (SHERP) Grant

Brightwater has been awarded a Department of Communities’ SHERP Grant worth $865,000 to implement home refurbishments at our Supported Independent Living homes in Balcatta, Bentley, Maylands and Warnbro. The works will start in early 2023 and are expected to take about six to 12 months to complete.

The program is funded by the State Government and covers specific works to the homes including bathroom and kitchen upgrades and improved access.

Janet said the works would enable upgrades to well-worn areas and support design changes to some spaces.

“From an accessibility perspective, we will be looking at things like electric opening doors and swipe card access into the houses that don’t have it,” she said.

“For instance, Balcatta and Maylands still both use key locks, which means that the clients often can’t get in and out of their own houses without asking staff for assistance.

“We are upgrading some of the cabinetry and floor surfaces in some of the bathrooms at the four sites included in the SHERP grant. At Balcatta and Warnbro we are also trying to improve accessibility and usability for the clients in the kitchens.

“At Bentley, we are going to create some accessibility into a couple of the ensuite bathrooms. The property was originally built for over 55s and none of the ensuites are accessible bathrooms.”

Janet said that from a staff perspective, the SHERP works would make it easier for our clients to get through their day-to-day activities.

“In addition, from the staff and clients’ perspective, we want to give clients a bit more independence, while improving their living environment, which will be a really good thing for them,” she added.

Works will be scheduled in negotiation with staff and clients will be consulted to minimise disruptions.

Announced in June 2020, SHERP is the largest housing maintenance and refurbishment program in WA’s history. It will see the refurbishment of up to 1500 public and community houses, supported accommodation facilities and residential group homes – and we are thrilled to have been successful in our application.

Huntington’s disease campus at Piara Waters

With a long history of supporting people – and their families – with Huntington’s disease, Brightwater has begun planning for a world-class accommodation campus in Piara Waters to help Western Australians impacted by the familial neurodegenerative disorder.

The residential accommodation campus will be built to the highest standards and will include 21 bedrooms and ensuites over seven houses, with specialist assistive equipment and leading-edge technology in every zone.

The location was carefully chosen for its residential aspect and the property will feature a sensory garden with zones for living, relaxing, engaging and socialising.

The homes will accommodate clients from both of Brightwater’s current homes for people with Huntington’s disease and will enable us to care for people in different stages of disease progression on one site.

Each space has been designed to exceed the high standard of the Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) guidelines (housing designed for people with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs).

Janet said Brightwater secured the land in April 2022, enabling the design process to commence ready for tender.

“The construction tender is currently being finalised and should be signed off by Christmas 2022,” she added. “We are then aiming for works to commence in February 2023.”

Oats Street Rehabilitation Centre

Recently, Brightwater purchased three adjoining houses next to the Oats Street Rehabilitation Centre.

Janet said the oldest property was demolished and the land was currently being used as an overflow parking area.

“The other house on the corner of Oats and Swansea streets has had a refresh and some improvements in accessibility for people who are ambulant,” she added.

“Oats Street has been using the house for a variety of clients who are either compatible with each other where we have two people or able to live alone with limited support from care staff.”

The middle house had been occupied by the original owner who rented it back for some time but has moved out.

“We are looking at doing some light touch work at that property to create access into the backyard, which has a pleasant garden area,” Janet said.

“That will give the clients who are living in the independent living units some garden space to access and some opportunities for socialising.”

There are also plans to create a clinic room space for the Capacity Building program inside the house.

“This is really important for us because it offers an opportunity to trial providing individualised therapy and behavior support – and support coordination services in a clinic environment –as opposed to doing all of this in somebody’s own home,” Janet said.

“This will be a learning opportunity for us and will inform any future planning for the property.”

Yulunda Matau recently joined Brightwater as General Manager Residential.

Smiles and mentorship all in a day’s work

Name: Yulunda Matau

Role: General Manager Residential Length of service: 10 years

Length of service in the industry?

10 years. I have been a Registered Nurse for the past 35 years with a background in emergency and palliative care. Palliative care is still a passion of mine.

What led you to work in this field?

My daughter, who was 16 at the time, asked if I would ever be home to have dinner with her. This made me reassess my career in the acute sector as she had a valid point. At the time I thought working in aged care would be easy. How wrong I was! What I have found is that aged care is one of the most rewarding areas of health care to be a part of, even if it can be challenging.

Could you briefly describe your role and responsibilities?

I have oversight on all things residential, including governance and compliance at sites. This includes funding, clinical care, staff mentoring and development, policy and procedures.

What are you enjoying most about the role so far?

I have come into Brightwater at such an exciting time with the opening of the new home in Inglewood. There is a great team atmosphere within Brightwater and I have been made to feel welcome by all. There is a diverse mix of skills within the organisation and this will lead to a very positive future.

We found out how she came to work in aged care; what she loves most about her job; and which fruit she would never eat.

What’s the most inspiring part of your job and what would people never guess you do in your role?

Two things inspire me to be the best I can be each day. Firstly, is the time that I get to spend at our homes with the residents. If I can bring a smile to a resident or enhance their day in anyway, it’s a day that’s not wasted.

Staff development and mentorship is also very important to me. We need to have the right people in the right roles and if I can contribute to their skill level in any way, this makes me very proud. There is nothing better than watching a team member get out of their comfort zone and grow their knowledge and skills and achieve the roles that they work hard for.

People would never guess that I still will offer to assist with the daily care of our residents if I am at site. I usually get refused.

I also work closely with the State Administrative Tribunal and other government bodies to ensure the safety of not only our residents, but the whole aged care sector. I have been on a parliamentary advisory committee which writes and influences government policy and systems for the past six years.

Would you like to add anything about your experience working in the sector?

Aged care is constantly changing.

In the 10 years I have been in the industry, there have been two aged care reforms; changes in the funding model; changes to the standards which are about to change again. It’s a positive step that the regulators are now focused on positive outcomes for the residents in our care.

What energises you at work?

Being able to make a difference to both staff and residents.

What are your hopes for our industry?

That the industry continues to move in a positive direction and that the sector is able to attract more staff, as it’s such a rewarding industry to work in.

Where is your hometown? Gnowangerup, Western Australia.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever given is…

Anything is possible if you work hard with the right attitude.

If I was a superhero, my superpower would be…

Teleportation. Then I won’t have to drive and it is better for the environment.

What’s the best holiday destination you’ve ever visited?

Vietnam. I have been seven times and each time I learn something new. The food and people are amazing and having your clothes tailored when you are tall is worth the flight.

What’s your least favourite food?

Mango! I won’t even let my family have them in the inside fridge…

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Pilates and spending time with my family.

Is there anything else of interest you would like to share?

I am married with three adult children and a dog (that belongs to the children that no longer live at home).

Phased roll out of Quality Management S ystem underway

The first stage of a phased Quality Management System (QMS) rollout was implemented in November.

Manager Quality Compliance and Information Manager, Kim Adamson, said the new QMS would make it easier for Brightwater to manage its compliance requirements, as per the Aged Care Quality Standards, NDIS Practice Standards, Department of Health Transition Care Guidelines and other relevant legislation requirements.

“In the past, compliance has been managed by spreadsheets and emails, relying on individual staff at Brightwater Central to maintain them,” she said.

“The move to a new system will ensure a streamlined approach and allows us to adapt quickly to risk and the changing needs of sites and services.”

As a compliance-driven industry, it is important that providers do this well, Kim added.

“The QMS will enable us to respond to our changing compliance requirements and in turn, provide safe quality services to our clients.”

Eight of the nine modules were rolled out in November to each site’s leadership team, with key staff receiving training as Super Users.

“This includes Clinical Nurse Managers, Coordinators, Service Managers, Program Managers, Operation Managers, General Managers and the Executive Group,” she said.

Selected Brightwater Central staff have also been trained to support corporate responses to compliance issues.

“In February 2023 we will roll out the Incident Management module to all staff – including staff across disability, residential aged care, Brightwater at Home and Capacity Building. All client-facing staff will receive full training on the system,” Kim said.

Kim said benefits of the QMS incident module included the ability to complete reports via a webform input, which can be used online or in an app and will introduce efficiencies by question logic and simpler inputs.

“Instead of going through Clinical Manager or CareLink, users will enter information through an app report,” Kim explained.

“This will flow into the system and will notify the next in line to review,” she added.

“Those inputting data will also only need to answer the questions that are relevant to their role.”

Chief Operations Officer Kelly Worlock welcomed the system, which had been carefully designed and built to meet Brightwater’s unique needs.

“I want to thank Kim and the team along with all those who supported making this important piece of work happen. Everyone has worked collaboratively and been committed to ensuring the design and implementation of the QMS is successful,” she said.

“Having a QMS will ensure Brightwater meets good governance standards by providing transparency, accountability, and compliance with legislative and policy requirements. Our QMS supports the provision of safe and quality care to all our clients across our business which is critical to Brightwater and our Mission.”

Meet the some of the new Brightwater Inglewood staff

We were delighted to meet some of the first Brightwater Inglewood staff while they were completing their inductions in early November. Around 40 staff have joined the team at our newest aged care home. Service Manager Liz Ennis said all staff were settling in well and were very proud to help welcome the first residents to our beautiful new building.

Study identifies opportunities to optimise quality of clinical data across services

A Brightwater-sponsored research initiative which aims to optimise the quality of clinical data and documentation across Brightwater’s aged care and disability services has progressed to the second phase.

The OPTIMISE study began in July 2021 and is engaging staff from Brightwater in research to ensure solutions are driven by the workforce and are directly relevant to clients.

It also aims to ensure all levels of staff have a say in change initiatives and that the information captured at Brightwater supports the provision of high-quality care for our clients.

Brightwater Research Centre Information Systems Analyst and Project Co-Lead Gap Tshering said high quality clinical information (or data) was central to understanding individual client needs, and to supporting safe and effective healthcare.

“Accurate and detailed clinical information reduces medical errors and enables high-quality person-centred care which considers an individual’s unique medical, psychosocial background, goals and needs,” he said.

Staged approach

The Study takes a staged approach to achieve three objectives:

Key stakeholders involved at every stage

A baseline analysis of the current quality of Brightwater’s clinical data was completed earlier this year to identify opportunities to optimise the quality of clinical data across services.

“We reviewed clinical information for 2,135 clients who were active across Brightwater’s aged care and disability services (including Brightwater At Home and Capacity Building) between July and December 2021,” Gap said.

“Data quality was measured against six indicators identified by key Brightwater staff as critical characteristics of high-quality data: completeness; currentness; accuracy; clarity; compliance; and usability.

Stage 1

(Baseline, January to December 2022): Measure existing clinical data quality and identify causes of data quality issues.

“Initial findings from the baseline recently conducted are that clinical data quality is already very good but there are opportunities we can optimise on.”

User consultations then took place across the organisation during September and October 2022 to understand user perspectives of clinical documentation and data across sites.

Sixty-eight staff from management, operations, clinical and care positions were interviewed across 11 aged care, disability and corporate sites.

Sixteen corporate staff were also interviewed. In addition, 51 staff from Brightwater At Home and Capacity Building were consulted via online surveys.

Gap said that data gathered from staff was currently being analysed.

“The findings are expected to identify the major causes of data quality issues and inform potential solutions from users’ perspectives,” he added.

Stage 2

(Optimisation, 2023): Support changes to data/information systems specific for aged care and disability services.

Consultative approach to recommending solutions

The benefits for staff in the longer term will be the ability to access data needed to efficiently perform their responsibilities.

“OPTIMISE will certainly help staff get the information that they need to move forward with their work and provide high-quality, person-centred care for clients,” Gap said.

The OPTIMISE research team will take a consultative approach to recommending solutions.

Stage 3

(Evaluation, 2023 and 2024): Evaluate change in clinical data quality, care delivery, clinical outcomes and costs following optimisation.

“We are really looking forward to organising an interactive consultation session where we can look at the findings of the baseline analysis together with site staff –and also consider the findings of the user consultations –and together, come up with solutions to address the issues that have been identified,” Gap said.

“It is very important for solutions and changes to be driven by our workforce – they are the ones who are on the ground every day and understand what works well and what can work better.”

Residential Aged Care Managers get together

On Friday 28 October they gathered for an afternoon of learning and networking. Each of our Executive Group presented their strategic priorities and followed up with a panel Q&A session.

Drinks and canapes were then served in our new Link Space at Brightwater Central before everyone enjoyed a long table dinner. It was lovely to see everyone together and to have an opportunity to thank our teams for all they do.

It is not every day that all of the Service Managers and Clinical Nurse Managers from our residential aged care homes get together.

Scholarships help to enhance the lives of Brightwater clients

Congratulations are extended to three Brightwater staff who received the 2022 Don Hutchinson and Peter Lane scholarships.

The scholarships, which have a combined value of up to $25,000, allow recipients to fund research or further learning in an area that will enhance the lives of Brightwater clients. Recipients are announced at Brightwater’s Annual General Meeting each November.

Established in 2001, the Don Hutchison Scholarship recognises Mr Don Hutchison’s commitment and long service to the Brightwater Board.

It aims to provide a means of financial support to those staff members who wish to conduct a project or research study or further their learning in an area, which will “contribute to

the quality of life opportunities for those to whom Brightwater provides a service”.

The 2022 Don Hutchison Scholarship recipients are Senior Physiotherapist Chelsea Rudd and Physiotherapist Cassie Cao.

The pair will look at “the impact Tai Chi as an exercise has on clinical indicators, mobility, and quality of life in residents living in residential aged care”.

Meanwhile, the Peter Lane Scholarship was established in 2008 through a generous donation from the Lane family in memory of their son, Peter.

Throughout Peter’s time with Brightwater, Geoff and Christine Lane advocated for increased expertise in the area of neurological disability, which has resulted in their ongoing commitment and support of the Peter Lane Scholarship.

Occupational Therapist Michael McKenzie was awarded this scholarship for 2022.

Michael will consider the “effects of Animal Assisted Therapy on emotional, physical and psychological well-being of people with an acquired brain injury”.

Michael and Cassie are pictured with our CEO Catherine Stoddart (far left) and Director Brightwater Research Centre Angelita Martini.

Improving mental health for at-home clients

From the beginning of next year, mental health screening will be integrated into the onboarding process for new Brightwater at Home clients and become part of the regular care plan review for existing clients.

General Manager of Brightwater at Home Jenni Gamble has been leading a project to address the issue of mental health being less visible in seniors, after she was awarded Brightwater’s 2021 Don Hutchison Scholarship to investigate how to recognise, manage and prevent depression.

“It’s very easy for older people to think that sadness, lack of sleep, loss of appetite and mood changes are a ‘normal’ part of getting older,” she said. “But they are not a normal part of ageing and could be indicators of depression.”

She and her team have seen first-hand that depression and anxiety could be significant issues for their at-home clients.

“I often hear about loneliness which many of our clients experience, and with loneliness come a greater risk of depression,” she said. “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to explore this further through the scholarship.”

As a result, Brightwater at Home now has the tools and systems in place to help identify when clients may need support, and to help them do something about it.

Brightwater at Home’s new Mental Health Clinician, Jasmine Trethewey, said it was about flagging potential concerns and creating an opportunity to engage and support clients on their terms.

“Through this, we can advocate further action, including visiting the GP,” she added. “Or we might be offering something like social support to improve connection within the community and ideas around decreasing loneliness.”

In addition, our Community Support Workers are being educated about what they can do if a client begins to talk about their mental health, or if they notice changes that could signal something may be not right.

“Community Support Workers spend a lot of time with our clients and are in a good position to have conversations around mental health, even just gently asking: ‘is everything okay?’ And then being able to speak with the client’s support coordinator and highlight the shared concern,” Jasmine said.

The goal is to provide a safe environment for clients to open up about how they are feeling and provide support on the client’s terms.

At that stage, Brightwater at Home will now have the resources and referral pathways to provide assistance.

“Identifying a mental health change is one part of the story,” Jasmine adds. “Actually engaging with meaningful care is an equal part of the story.”

Getting help at home

The new screening program represents an important step in addressing the mental health of older Australians, which was highlighted as a priority by the Royal Commission into Aged Care.

“There are now a number of different health disciplines visiting clients in their homes,” Jasmine said.

“Adding mental health professionals into that is a really important part. I want the clients to know that we’re here for all of their care, and this includes their mental health.”

Brightwater at Home’s Mental Health Screening Program will begin rolling out in early 2023. It could be the start of a brighter future for many at-home clients, according to Jenni Gamble.

“For me, measuring the success of the program would include someone waking up in the morning thinking about what the day is going to bring,” she says.

“It could be anything from being out in the garden, making a phone call, going to church, being a volunteer. It’s about somebody who can see that even though they’re at a different stage, they are still enjoying their life.”

Working with a purpose drives passionate RN

Name: Yagnesh Vyas Role: Registered Nurse

Meet Yagnesh, a Registered Nurse at Brightwater Madeley who is passionate about working with aged care residents.

Length of service:

I worked for Brightwater The Village for almost nine years in different roles including as a care worker, Registered Nurse, Clinical Nurse and then left to work for another organisation. In 2019 I returned to Brightwater Madeley, where I have been working for almost three years as Registered Nurse.

Where is your hometown?

Gujarat, India

Could you briefly describe your role and responsibilities?

I work as a Registered Nurse at our residential aged care home in Madeley. My duties include providing care to elderly clients such as providing support in maintaining their wellbeing and clinical care needs.

Duties also include supervising and providing support to other staff who are on duty and acting as a leader

and role model to ensure Brightwater client’s needs are met as per their expectation.

Have you always worked in this role or have you held other roles with Brightwater?

I commenced working with Brightwater as a care worker and also worked in few different roles such as hospitality staff, a Registered Nurse and a Clinical Nurse.

What do you love most about your current role?

Since my first Registered Nurse job as an aged care nurse, which was more than a decade ago, I have really enjoyed working with elderly clients.

What is your fondest moment or memory while working at Brightwater?

I clearly remember my personality prior to commence working with Brightwater. I feel Brightwater has made a very positive impact on my life and career. I have gone through a journey of self-development – learning and developing myself – in which Brightwater has provided opportunity to grow skills and opportunities.

What’s the most inspiring part of your job?

I have commenced my career with residential care and have continued working within the same sector because I really enjoy working with elderly clients.

The best piece of advice I’ve ever given is…

One of my managers told me ‘onwards and upwards’. I had started in a Registered Nurse role, which was very new for me. So, this advice helped me professionally and even personally to grow as a Registered Nurse and as a person. It meant that I must work with a purpose – without thinking of the outcome –which has helped me to grow professionally and personally.

What’s your least favourite food?

In India, since I was a child, my parents – and I think most parents – provide a food called “Khichdi”. It is made of rice and green lentils. Until today, I find it is my least favourite food.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I have two girls. One is six years old and the other has just turned one. I enjoy spending time with family, especially with my kids.

Simple steps to help keep our IT systems safe

Brightwater has processes in place to keep our cyber security software and systems fully up to date.

Martin Roberts, Manager Technology Services, said in addition to these processes, Brightwater was also reviewing the type, and nature, of data it keeps.

“There are however things all staff can do to help,” Martin said.

“One of the most import things to consider is your password. At work and at home, you should have a strong password.”

A good, secure password should include several characteristics:

• B e at least 12 characters long.

“ The longer your password is, the better,” Martin says. “Use a sentence as this is easier to remember.”

• Uses uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special symbols. Passwords that consist of mixed characters are harder to crack.

• Doesn’t contain memorable keyboard paths (numbers and letters that are next to each other).

• Is not based on your personal information.

“At home, do not have the same password for everything,” Martin adds. “Once a hacker figures out your password, they will have access to everything in your system.”

Another thing to be mindful of is phishing.

Phishing attacks aim to steal or damage sensitive data by deceiving people into revealing personal information such as passwords and credit card numbers.

Tips for avoiding phishing include:

• Don’t trust display names. Check the sender’s email address – the display name may be fake

• Check for typos – spelling mistakes and poor grammar are typical in phishing e-mails

• Look before clicking

• Review the signature

• Read the salutation

• B eware of threats

“Remember, if you are not sure, please contact the IT service desk via email at ithelpdesk@brightwatergroup.com or phone 9202 2805,” Martin advises.

Reimagined meal experience a welcome change

More than a year after ‘Reimagining the Meal Experience’ was introduced, the overall feeling is that it has been a welcome change.

Brightwater’s innovative approach was developed in consultation with chefs, dietitians and speech therapists as well as clients and rolled out across all residential aged care sites last year.

It has two key objectives, according to Hospitality Services Manager, Phil Waldron.

“Our main goal was to improve nutrition across the whole of the group, but we also wanted to bring the joy of mealtime to our clients,” he said.

“It is hospitality in the true sense of the word.”

A recent lunch time visit to Onslow Gardens, our aged care home in Subiaco to see the reimagined meal experience in action revealed a hive of excitement.

Residents were keen to peruse the menu and decide whether they will have the beef or the salmon, or perhaps the vegetarian pie. Some asked ask chef Niki Gannon for a sandwich instead.

This is what Niki enjoys most about her job.

“It is about having that lovely relationship to enable our clients to make their own decisions, their own choices,” she added. “We’re looking holistically at how our clients are mentally and physically. That’s very, very important.”

Providing more choice

As part of the project, a new food service model is being trialled at Onslow Gardens.

The team has moved from a system where clients pre-order meals –sometimes weeks in advance – to a daily a la carte menu, with three or four choices represented in pictures and words.

Every day, a range of pre-prepared meals are delivered from Brightwater’s central production kitchen in Malaga. Meanwhile, at site, the kitchen produces individual meals for clients with particular needs and diets.

Niki says this approach is working remarkably well.

“We’re giving people what they want to eat so they are getting better nutrition,” she adds. “And we have less wastage.”

The team is also trialling buffet breakfasts, which have been met with great enthusiasm.

“We do bacon, sausage, eggs, tomatoes, Danish pastries and fresh fruit platters,” Niki says.

“It encourages people to come out of their rooms and engage, and to help themselves if they can.”

Meanwhile, Brightwater Madeley has become the pilot site for the newest part of the program, which provides opportunities for families to pay a nominal amount and share a meal with their loved one.

“We’ve developed ‘Come Dine with Us’ where they can select from the menu and join their relative or a friend,” Phil explained.

“I’m hoping that by getting families involved, we will get more feedback and more involvement, which will then facilitate further growth.”

Positive changes for staff and clients

‘Reimagining the Meal Experience’ is not just about the food. It is an approach that also prioritises the importance of the dining environment – with an emphasis on music to set the mood – as well as the relationships between staff and clients.

As new staff join Brightwater, their induction will include meal experience training, which will cover the importance of staff getting to know the clients and their needs.

“Niki and other trainers will highlight the relevant touch points of what makes hospitality,” Phil adds.

“And that’s a really positive change for the good because it’s really the engagement with the people that’s been the most important and the most fulfilling part of this project.”

Brightwater and MercyCare take progressive approach to counter worker shortage

Have you heard about the progressive approach Brightwater is taking to address workplace shortages?

In recent months Brightwater, in conjunction with MercyCare, has developed a program to place people from refugee or asylum seeker backgrounds into jobs within Brightwater’s 2100-strong workforce.

Our CEO, Catherine Stoddart, welcomed the innovative collaboration which has already celebrated some impressive milestones.

“Traditional ways of securing staff don’t work as well as they used to in the current labour market, so we wanted to try something new,” she said.

“We are thrilled that to see how well this partnership has aligned with our culture of inclusion and commitment to being progressive, courageous and caring.”

The partnership with MercyCare – a Western Australian notfor-profit organisation that provides specialist employment services to refugees and asylum seekers – offered the right opportunity.

Talent Acquisition Specialist Holly Reid said it was time to do something different to attract employees.

“All the candidates we’ve had through MercyCare are authentic, courageous, progressive, and caring, and those qualities fit well with Brightwater values,” Holly said.

Together, Holly and MercyCare’s Employment Liaison Officer Jacqui Whelan have developed a program that identifies suitable candidates and then supports them through Brightwater’s application and onboarding process.

The first successful candidate, Than Than from Burma, came to Australia as a refugee seven years ago. In August she began working at Brightwater Linen in Malaga.

Jacqui says refugees and asylum seekers face significant barriers in their attempt to secure employment.

These include lack of familiarity with the job application process and Australian workplace practices, difficulty accessing necessary documentation, language and/or cultural differences and not having a support network.

The program put in place by Brightwater and MercyCare addresses some of these barriers by providing wrap-around support during onboarding to ensure candidates can navigate the process. They also get follow-up support after they are placed in a role.

“It’s wonderful to see Brightwater taking the opportunity to think creatively and open up opportunities for people who have structural barriers to workforce entry,” Jacqui said.

Following the initial success with one new recruit, Holly and Jacqui were asked to put the program to the test with a bulk drive: Brightwater Linen requested 15 more employees in three weeks.

A flurry of activity followed, including group interviews and a tour of Brightwater’s commercial laundry facility in Malaga. In the end all positions were filled, which was a sign to Holly and Jacqui that the process would work moving forward.

“We’re very grateful that we’ve been able to provide new opportunities for people, and at the same time gain fantastic new employees for Brightwater,” Holly added.

In following up with her MercyCare clients, Jacqui says she has received positive feedback about how they feel in their new Brightwater jobs.

“It’s wonderful to see the enthusiasm and the great joy the people are getting out of it and the sense of pride as well. It’s really lovely,” she said.

According to Holly, this is just the first step in opening up Brightwater’s recruitment process by providing support to help people from a range of cultures and backgrounds enter the workforce.

“The best part of my job is working with people who have been overlooked in the past because of a particular barrier and being able to overcome it with them to welcome them into Brightwater.”

Congratulations

to our Brightwater Spirit Quarterly Award

Authentic Award Winner

Keeshan Rawlner

Scheduler | Brightwater At Home North

Keeshan was nominated for displaying authentic values and concern for Community Support Workers, proactively ensuring staff arrive safely at client homes.

His nomination also expressed gratitude for how lovely and authentic he is with clients.

Thank you for demonstrating the authentic spirit and building meaningful relationships with staff and clients, Keeshan.

Caring Award Winner

Wendy Foote

Community Integration Coordinator | Oats Street

Wendy is always going above and beyond to ensure a safe and smooth discharge for clients moving into the community from rehabilitation at Oats Street.

Wendy invests a lot of time ensuring clients are perfectly set-up and comfortable and continues to touch base with them long after the discharge process ends.

Wendy greatly encompasses the Brightwater value of caring and this is evidenced through the long-lasting relationships she holds with her clients. She continues to hear from clients who were discharged many years ago and who want to share their good news and success stories with her.

Thank you for demonstrating what it means to be caring, Wendy!

Progressive Award Winner

Laura Abbott

Community Support Worker | Brightwater At Home South

Congratulations Laura on being selected as our Progressive Award recipient this quarter!

Laura was nominated for her confidence and competence in mentoring new Community Support Workers in their buddy shifts. Laura has been commended for the approach she takes to finding new ways to explain what needs to be completed. She works a full week doing this role while also pursuing her Certificate III.

Thank you for supporting others and yourself to be progressive Laura.

Courageous Award Winner

Angie Christie

Enrolled Nurse | Redcliffe

Angie’s nomination shared how she uses her initiative to deal with challenging situations; takes steps to ensure clients are well cared for at night; steps up to support and assist with agency; and always put the client first.

A great example of positive and courageous leadership and a can-do spirit. Thank you Angie.

winners

Mission Award Winners

Susan Allen

Senior Positive Behaviour Support Practitioner | Capacity Building

Sue advocated for a client to get a new recliner chair to improve his comfort and the client’s wellbeing has improved thanks to her investigation and advocacy.

Thank you for this wonderful example of our Mission in action.

Chelsea Lam

Occupational Therapist | Capacity Building

Chelsea went above and beyond to support a client to purchase, and get used to, their own car. She spent hours with the client to ensure they were comfortable.

Thank you Chelsea for helping to give your client the gift of freedom and social inclusion!

Shout out also to Speech Pathologist, Sally Hughes, an important member of the client’s team.

Nominate a colleague for the next round of Brightwater Spirit Awards

Every quarter, employees who have been recognised via Brightwater Plus will be considered for a Quarterly Award for each of the values that make up the Brightwater Spirit.

The Quarterly Award winners will form the pool of eligible employees to win the annual Brightwater Spirit Award, presented in February.

Log in to Brightwater Plus to nominate a staff member who displays the Brightwater Spirit.

Do you have a great news story we should know about?

Please send it to brightwatercommunications@brightwatergroup.com