We don’t always get it right and will say sorry when we don’t and work with residents to improve and solve problems. In the vast majority of cases we get it right and provide exceptional care.
Ananda loves to thank staff who do a great job every day and those who are recognised by our residents, and so it was a pleasure to ask Findon resident Gerry Holden to personally thank Enrolled Nurse, Vanessa Egan, after he nominated her for an employee recognition award.
Gerry is pictured below presenting Vanessa with a voucher of appreciation from Ananda.
Vanessa has recently qualified as an Enrolled Nurse and has been a carer and administration assistant./receptionist at Findon. Well done Vanessa and thanks to Gerry, we are glad you are happy at Ananda Findon and are part of the Ananda family!
Belle has been at Ananda for almost 2 years and has been a member of our Diversity Action Group which started this year and originally met monthly (now 2 monthly). As a Diversity Champion Belle will present on the agenda at each 2 monthly Diversity Action Group items from residents or staff especially around Lesbian, Gay, Transgender or Intersex (LGBTI ) issues at Ananda. Belle will feedback any current conversations and initiatives in the news, community, aged care sector re LGBTI inclusivity, carry out research and attend conferences and community engagement where possible. She will provide informal education around inclusivity issues for residents and staff as arise and work with the other Diversity Champions as they are appointed and where roles overlap.
For residents who may identify with LGBTI issues or for staff Belle may provide a point of contact for confidential discussion on diversity topics, especially LGBTI.
The Aged Care Standards ensure all organisations must provide a culturally safe environment for residents and staff and this also relates to intimacy and sexuality and sexual orientation.
Belle’s interests include spending time with family and watching crime and horror films
Belle is excited to take on this new role for Ananda because she believes that everyone is equal and should be able to express themselves freely without the fear of judgement.
We are delighted to have Belle expand her current role and she can be contacted at Hope Valley when on shift, or by submitting a confidential feedback form in the locked boxes at Hope Valley or Findon addressed to Diversity Champion.
If you have questions or feedback about Ananda’s diversity or inclusivity please speak to Karen Daniels, Director of Nursing or Michael Page, Workforce Development Manager.
In the August/September’s issue Michael Page, Karen Daniels and Pooja Newman describe the new model of care and how our partnership with DTA came about as we transitioned to the new (July 2019) Aged Care Standards.AJDC-Aug-Sept-2019_Ananda-Part-1Download
In the October/November issue Michael, Karen and Pooja show the improvements for residents and to staff confidence as we opened he doors to the Memory Support UnitsAJDC-Oct-Nov-2019_Ananda-Part-2Download
Also, in this issue Michael Page and DTA Director Andrew Stafford describe a new Virtual Reality workshop which 25 Ananda staff piloted and which Michael helped DTA develop.AJDC-Oct-Nov-2019_Meaningful-Spaces-VRDownload
Ananda continues to invest in training its staff in best practice dementia care and this is already having benefits. We are honoured to have been featured in Australia’s best practice dementia journal and look forward to further improvements to care as staff build their knowledge and confidence.
Our CNs at both homes report to the Director of Nursing (Karen Daniels) and are involved in continuous improvement activity and transition to new standards of care.
At Hope Valley our CNs are Ana, Karen and Ailene (pictured).
Ana Gador has worked at Ananda Hope Valley since 2004. She started as a personal carer, then Enrolled Nurse, Registered Nurses and now is a Clinical Nurse with a specialist interest in wound care and palliative care. Ana likes to dine out and loves coffee!
Ailene Salvador has worked at Ananda Hope Valley since 2012. Ailene progressed to CN from Registered Nurse. Her specialist interests are nutrition and palliative care, and is also interested in acute care (specifically theatre). Ailene likes to spend time with family and travelling.
Both Ana and Ailene are members of our Responsive Behaviours Consultancy with DTA and Queensland University of Technology.
Karen Steer has worked at Hope Valley 2014 and also started as an Registered Nurse before her promotion to CN. She has an interest in wound care and admission of residents and liaising with family members. Karen likes to spend time with family, reading, and ghost hunting.
Karen is leading our Medication Consultancy with DTA and University Western Australia.
Amongst many clinical improvements made during a busy first half of 2019 perhaps the biggest has been around the care of residents with dementia at both homes as a result of our partnership (Tailored Training Package) with Dementia Training Australia (DTA), the key body in Australia for training health professionals. While this partnership runs until March 2020 there have been key improvements in care already, and the initiative is featured in three published articles in the Australian Journal of Dementia Care (AJDC) in August and October 2019.
The Hope Valley Clinical Nurses explain:
“We noticed a number of change within the facility since making the Dementia Training Australia (DTA) training available to staff.
With opening the doors to Derwent wing (Memory Support Unit) from 0930-1630 we noticed a significant decrease in responsive behaviours for the residents in Derwent.
Alleviating the feeling of being isolated or restrained and being able to engage with other residents in different areas, they are also able to participate in activities offered outside of Derwent.
This promotes mobility and exercise as they are able to explore a wider area. The staff in Derwent appear more relaxed and feel more supported with the doors being opened. Staff have gained a better understanding of dementia and supporting residents when they have unmet needs that lead to responsive behaviours.
As a result of this knowledge staff are developing as champions who are now able to pass these skills on to newer staff, students and families.
Chemical restraint usage (medication for behaviours) has also significantly declined. Dr. Crea (our main GP at Hope Valley) and the pharmacist are regularly reviewing the medications, and staff are adhering to ‘FOLLOW THE FIVE’ a guide to other strategies for addressing unmet needs before considering medications, as they are more aware and have more knowledge and understanding in dealing with responsive behaviours.”
As a result of this knowledge staff are developing as champions who are now able to pass these skills on to newer staff, students and families.
Ana, Karen and Ailene (CNs Hope Valley)
Ananda’s Medication Safety Consultancy in partnership with DTA and the University of Western Australia continues monthly with staff from Hope Valley and Findon taking part.
We thank our long serving clinical experts at Hope Valley who continue to look for ways to improve clinical care at Ananda.
We will feature our Findon CNs next month.
Many of the team members at Hope Valley have been working here for many years, and some like Daphne, since the opening of the Ananda . Our team of cleaners at Hope Valley and Findon have done an amazing job and maintained a very clean environment, and to quote residents and their family’s:
Ananda “smells like home,” “ I can live forever here” and “it is what makes a difference between Ananda Aged care and other Aged care home”.
Here little things mean a lot. For example if a resident likes to sleep until late our cleaners will not disturb them and reschedule their work flow and care for their resident’s preferences and choice. All our cleaners get to know each residents and what they like.
Cleaners have big hearts in understanding our residents’ needs and will do anything to help , care and meet their needs . Often our cleaners are asked to do extra work either to change their bed linen or help them to bring their laundry to wash, or even get them extra softer toilet roll!
Ananda smells like home
Hope Valley resident
Our cleaners do every day three to four detailing of rooms, which means they go through each and every thing in room has to be clean including cleaning window sill , under the bed , behind the side cupboards, descaling shower screens , scrubbing the floors with a machine, washing the curtains , and polishing wooden floors. The aim is to make residents feel the room is as fresh and has the feel of a five star hotel.
Each cleaner is also responsible for cleaning the communal area, all executive offices and toilets and furniture.
Cleaning is a seven day operation back to back throughout the year and years to come!
Our hospitality staff (cleaners, laundry, catering) have really embraced the transition to a new way of caring at Ananda. They have always been caring and proactive though now are involved far more in resident focused care and engagement with residents. It is important we recognise the hospitality staff have been eager to learn more and some are helping us by being valuable members of our Diversity Action Group.
Residents know how important the cleaners and laundry staff as well as the kitchen are to their quality of life though sometimes we do not see all the great work they do, especially those who spend most of their time in the laundry or kitchen. Yes, the tasks our hospitality staff do are important, but it is the smile and the kindness that goes along with it that residents really remember and appreciate. All of these staff are Ananda STARS.
Director, Ananda Aged Care
We are reviewing our processes around recruitment, interviewing, welcoming and supporting staff at Ananda and as part of this we will be carrying out group interviews and also welcoming groups of new starters together. With the aid of Ananda Academy and Social Learning on the Staff Blog we will encourage support within the group as they develop in their roles at Ananda.
We aim to invite all new starters who have already been with Ananda for a while to come to part of the Welcome Days, where they will meet staff and managers from each department, learn about the Aged Care Standards and the new Ananda Resident Focused Care model and also how we are breaking down silos to work as one team for each and every one of our residents.
New staff also met Hospitality Manager, Kamal Verma and Hospitality staff (laundry) Nicolle, Karen Daniels (DON), Karen Steer, Ananda Gador and Ailene Salvador (Clinical Nurses), Terry Mc Phee and Vince Nisco (Maintenance) and went through induction paperwork with Jenny Crowther and Sally Keen from Administration.
Having transitioned to the new Aged Care Standards, Ananda is now looking to the future of aged care and will be looking at ways to make it the number one employer of choice for aged care staff. To provide Resident Focused care every day for every resident we need a workforce that is committed to best possible outcomes and who are determined to learn and grow to be part of the best team they can.
Each new starter group will have a STAR Cohort number, so please say hello and make welcome the members of STAR Cohort 1, 2019!
Pictured below with Workforce Development Manager Michael Page (back left) and HR Manager Deepti Sudhir (far right) are our latest Ananda STARS.
Written by Michael Page (Resident Focused Care Advocate), Karen Daniels (Director of Nursing) and Dr Pooja Newman (Clinical Director) the four page article describes how Ananda has partnered with Dementia Training Australia to provide best practice dementia training for all its staff.
In the next edition of the AJDC Ananda will again be featured with an article describing how we have provided freedom of movement inside and out for all residents, in line with best practice and the new Aged Care Standards.
A third article will also appear written by Dr Andrew Stafford, Director of DTA in Western Australia and Michael Page, and describing a new Virtual Reality workshop developed by DTA. In June 25 Ananda staff became the first in the country to access this innovative education where staff can ‘walk in the brain’ of a simulated resident with dementia.
From March 2019 to March 2020 Ananda is providing a significant investment in best practice dementia training which is driving numerous continuous improvement initiatives at Ananda, to make it a dementia friendly community and benefiting residents with and without dementia and their families.
You can download the issue here, the Ananda article is on page 28-31:
Our Hope Valley laundry washes 5 loads of clothes in a day.
Each load weighs 20kg, which means 140kg every week and 560kg every month and a huge 6720kg per year .
For most of the day at Hope Valley there are 1.5 full time laundry staff for 130 residents. At Findon one laundry assistant serves 67 residents.
Laundry staff fold around 280 pieces of clothes every day and deliver clean folded cloths every day to residents’ rooms .
The laundry also labels all residents’ clothes with their names – each and every garment .
The laundry washes all kitchen aprons and tea towels and all cleaning towels every day .
In the laundry there are occasions most lost items are things like dentures , reading glases , jewelry , pens, hair pins , cufflinks, buttons , coins , etc un-named clothes.
Pictured above: Rani, Carmen and Nicolle at Hope Valley; Sam at Findon; John and Rani; The two Nicolles at Hope Valley.
Laundry staff have embraced Ananda’s move to Resident Focused Care and the new Aged Care Standards and have enthusiastically completed voluntary training including dementia care best practice training, which is great to see as all our staff in contact with residents need to understand what resident focused care is and how to communicate with residents with unmet needs as a result of dementia.
Thanks to all our hard working resident focused laundry staff at both sites. What a great work laundry does .
Julie has been an Ananda STAR for nearly ten years and was voted Employee of the Year for 2018.
Julie is leaving to spend more time with family. Everyone at Ananda wishes Julie (pictured in the centre above) all the best for the future.
