ACH Group has won a major national award for its industry leading work in transforming aged care in Australia.
The award recognises ACH Group’s leadership as the aged care provider in Australia to partner with the Green House Project to deliver a new model of care at its newest home, Healthia, in Elizabeth South.
The Future of Ageing Awards were held at Darling Harbour, Sydney on Thursday 29 August 2024 with ACH Group winning the highly competitive Service Transformation award.
ACH Group Chief Executive Linda Feldt said the groundbreaking work set a template for the future design and service delivery of aged care homes in Australia.
“Healthia is a trailblazer in the Australian aged care industry as the first in the country to adopt the Greenhouse model of care,” she said.
“This model combines, for the first time, small home design with a person-directed model of care that creates an environment that goes beyond ‘homelike’ to ‘real home’.
“At Healthia, the choices of the residents determine the rhythm of their day and the rhythm of the house, and staff perform their tasks around the needs of residents.
“This home represents aged care the way it should be, and the way older Australians want it to be.”
A key component of the award was recognition of the unique partnerships ACH Group has established at Healthia with the University of South Australia and the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network.
Co-located at Healthia is a student-led GP and allied health clinic that offers support to residents while also providing students with a formal pathway to a career in aged care.
A rehabilitation partnership with NALHN is supporting people from Adelaide’s northern suburbs to receive community care in a home setting while relieving pressure from South Australia’s hospital system.
Researchers from the Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre are also conducting a major research project evaluating the success of the model of care at Healthia.
Ms Feldt said Healthia represented a new way forward for residential aged care in Australia where real home environments are combined with a personalised workforce who develop deep connections with residents.
“We are hoping to inspire holistic industry change and adoption of this new approach for the benefit of older Australians,” Ms Feldt said.
“The Future of Ageing awards lends credibility to this approach being in the best interest of older Australians now and into the future.
“The success of the model of care at Healthia provides a clear pathway for its widespread adoption across Australia in the coming years.
Also, on thursday 29 August 2024, ACH Group’s Social Links Team was a finalist in the annual HESTA Excellence Awards for Aged Care.
The Social Links Team was one of three finalists from more than 400 nominations across Australia for the work they have done to expand the availability of its beloved Sing for Joy Choirs.
The team has expanded its Sing for Joy choirs in the community from four to six and has established a choir in each of ACH Group’s nine residential care homes.
The expansion culminated in an electric Pure Imagination performance with more than 100 choir members performing to a sold-out audience of more than 450 at Magic Millions in Morphettville, South Australia.
Ms Feldt said the recognition of the Social Links team was well deserved.
“Our Sing for Joy choirs is adored across everyone who has been involved with them,” she said.
“The Social Links team has been relentless and driven to make sure that as many of our customers and residents as possible can be a part of Sing for Joy.
“I’m so proud of the work they do and feel their national recognition is so well deserved.”
Published on Friday 30 August 2024.
Pictured (from left): Jacinta Robertson – Head of Residential Strategy, Linda Feldt – CEO, Danielle Gordon – Home Manager, Healthia.