I'm very excited to have commenced with Uniting AgeWell at the start of October. I am extremely proud to have joined an organisation with such a rich history of providing aged care and support.
My first two weeks coincided with Foundation Week celebrations, which not only celebrated Seniors Week in Victoria and Tasmania, but the 12th anniversary of the founding of our wonderful organisation.
During this fortnight of celebrations we acknowledge the milestones of our clients, but also the outstanding work of staff with our annual Employee of the Year staff awards. I would like to congratulate all staff who have received awards, and in particular the Uniting AgeWell Employee of the Year Jenny Loong, Administration Officer at our Box Hill Community.
Jenny received the award for consistently demonstrating UA’s values in her every day practice by assisting staff to work under less pressure and more efficiently. She demonstrates excellent customer service, a genuine compassion for people and a willingness to extend herself to meet each person’s needs.
I have enjoyed meeting staff, residents and family members at our Kingsville and Manor Lakes facilities, and am looking forward to visiting all other facilities over the coming 3-4 week period.
There are many great opportunities and innovations within Uniting AgeWell. This includes the HUR gym at Strathdon, which uses specialised air-resistance machines and smart card technology to provide tailored exercise programs to clients, and the shop front that has been recently opened at Moonah, to name but two.
Based on the experience at Strathdon, UA is now undertaking detailed analysis of this model with the intent to roll out the HUR gym at its other therapy centres around Melbourne. It is innovations like this that will become a vitally important way for seniors to restore and maintain their wellbeing as they age.
The shop front, known as the Uniting AgeWell Community Hub, is also a new way forward for the organisation. It gives UA an important local profile and enables it to build a strong relationship with the community. You can read more about the Community Hub in this edition of DoveTale.
These are excellent developments and are representative of the creative thinking that will need to be applied in the future as UA faces the significant challenges from the aged care sector.
I would also like to highlight that the UA Board and Executive team have commenced planning for the 2017-2020 Strategic Plan. This process will be a significant body of work, which commenced with an all-day planning session with the Board and Executive team on October 15. Once completed, the Strategic Plan will provide UA with a clear framework and strategic direction for the coming three years.
Finally, I would like to sincerely thank Peter Folliot, who has provided wonderful leadership over the past three months in the role of Interim Executive Director, during which time he has worked with the Senior Executive Team to progress a number of key initiatives. On behalf of UA I wish him well in his new role with the Uniting Church, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, as Interim General Manager Corporate and Finance Services of the new Uniting entity.
Andrew Kinnersly
CEO