ACH Group has won a major national award for its industry leading work in developing an innovative new health and wellbeing program.
The inaugural ACH Group Cycle Challenge won this year’s HESTA award in the Team Excellence category.
ACH Group partnered with Tourism SA’s Tour Down Under to support residents to compete in a Cycle Challenge. Nine residential aged care homes participated, engaging a total of 210 residents in a meaningful and enjoyable health-focused activity.
Residents collectively cycled 546 kilometres, with the winning home logging 1,304 minutes on the bikes.
The event, supported by 50 staff members, included gym sessions, watch parties, and live race viewings, fostering community connections and promoting health and wellbeing.
ACH Group CEO Linda Feldt said winning a HESTA award is a significant result that demonstrates leadership and innovation on the national stage.
“These achievements reflect our dedication and unwavering commitment to continually looking for new ways to improve, reinforcing our position as a leading aged care provider and highlighting the incredible work across our teams.
“It’s moments like these that remind us how proud we can be to work at ACH Group, and how much it means to customers and residents to be part of this community.”
Following the challenge, interest and engagement in the gym programs at residential care homes increased, with greater equipment use and discussions of adding more bikes.
The challenge embodied ACH Group’s philosophy of real experiences, reablement, and roles and helped foster positive relationships and a sense of participation and community in aged care homes.
ACH Group Head of Social Katey Elding, who accepted the award, said a monumental effort in getting the event off the ground and coordinating the challenge had gone into making the event such a success.
Katey said excitement was already building for the second running of the ACH Group Cycle Challenge.
“Residents are telling us that they are more excitement than doing the Cycle Challenge than they are for Christmas,” she said.
“The Cycle Challenge goes to show that by doing things a little bit differently it can create different outcomes.”
The ACH Group Cycle Challenge will be returning in 2026, and rumor has it some residents are already getting some practice in to be in tip top form before the event begins.