Celebrating our 2024 Excellent Care for the Older Person Award winners
WA Country Health Service’s Excellent Care for the Older Person Awards recognise the exceptional care country staff provide to older people across country WA.
The awards feature three categories – Community, Hospital and Residential Care.
WA Country Health Service Acting Director Aged Care Tiffanie Rushton said there was a high calibre of nominations received – testament to the patient-centred care WA Country Health Service aged care staff are well known for.
“With 21 nominations across allied health, pharmacy, nursing and midwifery, clinical and aged care our judging panel had a challenging task,” Ms Rushton said.
Congratulations to:
Wendy is an advocate for older people and their support networks. Through extensive knowledge, she supports families and carers when navigating the changing needs of their loved ones and their care plans.
Wendy approaches every client (or potential client) holistically, striving to understand the whole person.
Every day she goes above and beyond to ensure older people in the community can access the support they need.
Wendy also strives to empower the elderly by encouraging them to learn new skills which are relevant in today’s society and is an active community member through volunteering.
"I feel privileged to be awarded this honour in a field where there are so many hard-working worthy recipients. I represent a dedicated team at Wickepin of which I am very proud to belong. Thank you for the recognition," said Wendy.
Hollee possesses an innate ability to build strong, trusting relationships with her patients which in turn encourages them to fully engage with their rehabilitation.
By considering the individual needs of each patient, adapting her approach and sourcing additional services when needed, Hollee ensures that each patient receives optimal care.
Hollee’s aim is to give our older community members the best care possible – both in hospital and after discharge, whether it be to their own home or to another care facility.
“Hollee is an absolute credit to our team and we love having her experience, compassion and superb work ethic to draw from. Our patients always remember Hollee and all she does for them. It doesn’t go unnoticed - well done," said Hollee's manager.
Glenn sees his role as more than a job – he sees it as a calling to make a meaningful difference to the lives of those under our care.
He takes the time to listen, understand, and connect with residents at Karlarra House on a personal level and looks beyond their physical health needs to ensure their emotional and social well-being is also addressed.
Through empathy and compassion, Glenn creates a warm and welcoming environment, organising regular activities (karaoke is a fan favourite) that engage the residents and foster a sense of community and belonging.
“I am genuinely touched that someone took the time to submit my nomination. It is fair to say that there are a number of staff at Karlarra House whose name could be substituted with mine - for me this is a team award!” said Glenn.
Peta’s main focus is ensuring that the residents of Blake House are 'at home'.
Through commitment to the age-friendly principles, Peta ensures residents are active participants in decisions about their life and healthcare plans and are treated as individuals.
She advocates for residents when communicating with other health professionals, families and the community and has helped develop community links – for example, through visiting school students and pet therapy sessions.
Peta is also responsible for coordinating delivery of the Commonwealth Home Support Programme in the region.
“I enjoy making sure our residents and the wider community are advocated for, fully informed and supported in their decision making. This ensures they can live their best life in a ‘home-like’ environment," Peta said.
We would also like to acknowledge second-place winners:
Community
- WA Country Health Service Team Leader Kimberley Aged Care Services Kimberley Maxine Nixon
Hospital
- WA Country Health Service Clinical Nurse Manager Palliative Care Kalgoorlie Goldfields Gayle Paterson
Thank you to our judging panel which included members of the WA Country Health Service Board, Carers WA, Advocare WA and WA Country Health Service consumer representatives.
Finally, congratulations to all our nominees and thank you to their colleagues who took the time to submit nominations – it is evident our older community members are in good hands.