Gardening was mentioned by many new residents as something they had enjoyed prior to moving into residential care
2 September 2016
We are very proud to announce that Vasey RSL Care has received the 2016 AACQA (Australian Aged Care Quality Agency) Better Practice Award for the program ‘A Life With Meaning’ at ANZAC Hostel.
Research shows that a sense of meaning or purpose in life has strong positive effects for people of all ages. To retain health and happiness in older age, it is important that aged care residents should continue to have meaningful experiences in their lives.
Staff at ANZAC Hostel consulted with residents to explore and identify what would provide meaning or purpose, and out of this, we discovered twelve separate types of purpose:
- Achievement and contribution
- Expression and wisdom
- Health and independence
- Involvement and freedom
- Teamwork and winning
- Challenge and learning
- Giving and helping
“In 1942 I sailed from New York to Glasgow aboard the Queen Mary and never saw the water once.”
- Belonging and inclusion
- Stimulation and appreciation
- Faith and uniqueness
- Fun and individuality
- Connection and friendship
The lifestyle program was reassessed in light of the new information, and activities were designed to ensure that they each promoted one or more kinds of purpose.
Staff underwent professional development so that they could identify different kinds of purpose for each resident and then be able to help residents recognise and achieve these feelings.
“We’ve been very excited by the results of this program,” said Residential Manager at ANZAC Hostel, Svetlana Polianskaia. “Residents report that they have been more active and involved, whilst staff are getting more job satisfaction through a better understanding of the residents’ needs and what makes them tick.”
Belonging/Inclusion: “My community has always been what inspires me. This is a little community, but it keeps me going.”
“The Better Practice Awards provide independent confirmation of the quality of care that we are providing to our community,” said CEO, Janna Voloshin. “I’m very proud of this achievement and I’d like to congratulate the Lifestyle staff at ANZAC Hostel for the way that they have listened to our community and learnt from them.”
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