News
SCC Boasts 2009 RVA Village Manager of the Year
August 26 2009
This year four of SCC’s Village Managers were nominated, by residents, for the state Retirement Village Association (RVA) Manager of the Year Award.
For SCC to represent four of the twelve regional nominations in the industry is a testament to our delivery of customer service and indeed a proud acknowledgement by our residents of the standard of care they receive.
Even more thrilling was the announcement that our own Glenis Trumbich, who has been nominated for the past two years, was voted WA’s Manager of The Year and will be representing WA at the National RVA Awards.
We congratulate Glenis on her achievement and thank her for her continued outstanding stewardship in her role as Village Manager as well as support to the Seniors’ Housing team.
SCC wishes Glenis the best of luck for the 2009 RVA National Manager of the Year Awards which will be announced in November.
SCC takes staff development seriously!
July 23 2009
Southern Cross Care was the first organisation in Western Australia to be named a Growth Provider by the Minister for Housing in 2008.
This will enable SCC to dramatically expand its housing services to older people who are not able to buy into a traditional retirement village.
It has also enabled SCC to offer exciting new opportunities to 4 of its own staff who have been awarded scholarships to undertake the Certificate IV course in Social Housing at Challenger TAFE.
From the 16 applicants, Glynis Dunning, Team Leader - Business Support, Joyce D'Bayan Business Support Officer, Villa Pelletier, Dianne Squires, Community Care Support Worker and Meryl Hilyard, Property Services Administrator were selected and started the course on 21 July, thereby equipping themselves for possible new career opportunities with SCC.
SCC has a policy of promoting from within wherever possible and the selection process again demonstrated that we employ a versatile and diverse group of people with the potential to take on new and more demanding roles.
Australia’s Brainiest Village?
July 23 2009
Select residents at Southern Cross Care’s Foley Village in Hilton have been participating in an eight week pilot program run by Alzheimers Australia known as the ‘Brain Fitness Program’.
The Brain Fitness Program focuses on the auditory system of the brain. It speeds up and sharpens the ability to take in speech, so that the brain can hear and remember more details. This ability is essential to overall brain fitness, because so much of what we want to react to and remember comes in through speech – whether it’s a request from a friend or a funny joke at the dinner table. When people are able to grasp what they hear more quickly – and remember it accurately later – they often feel sharper, more engaged, and more connected to the people that matter to them.
Brian and Janet Watt, Jeanette Rawlings, Olive Cox and Gwen Poland have all participated and are due to complete the program and receive their certificates at the end of August.
With Foley Village being the only village selected in Australia to participate in the pilot, there is little doubt it will be boasting the sharpest over 55s in the West, prompting those in the know to avoid any upcoming quiz nights.
ValleyView Opening
July 22 2009
July 6 heralded a significant day for the Collie community as residents transferred to the new state of the art aged care facility ‘ValleyView Residence’. Staff, family and other community members worked together to complete the mammoth task of relocating residents, and all their possessions, from the former site known as Riverview Residence, which was opened in 1970.
Owned by The Riverview Residence Collie (Inc) and managed by Southern Cross Care, the new facility accommodates 64 beds and was made possible by staunch lobbying by both organisations. This subsequently resulted in funding from the State and Federal governments as well as contributions from the Coal Miners’ Welfare Board, Lotterywest, Bendigo Bank and Riverview itself.
Construction began on ValleyView Residence at the end of 2007 and was completed in June this year.
26 residents from Hillview, the Permanent Care Unit at Collie District Hospital, also relocated to ValleyView from 13 July.
ValleyView consists of four wings, one of which is dementia specific, and provides spacious ensuited, air conditioned rooms. There are also separate dining areas, an activity room and hairdressing salon for resident use. The facility has an onsite commercial kitchen and laundry as well as fully landscaped gardens which include fruit trees and herb gardens.
An open day for ValleyView was held on July 2 attended by over 300 people from Collie demonstrating the fantastic community support towards this project.
The official opening will be held in October. This will provide an opportunity to celebrate ValleyView’s completion and also acknowledge the contribution and hard work of so many people and organisations that have made ValleyView a reality.
SCC enters the Pilbara
July 22 2009
1 July 2009 was SCC’s first day as a service provider in the Pilbara. On that date it took over the Home and Community Care Program services previously operated by the Town of Port Hedland.
SCC won the competitive tender process and was pleased to welcome the local hard working HACC team into the organisation.
Almost simultaneously, SCC was also awarded nine packages by the Commonwealth to provide enhanced services to keep the aged at home in Port Hedland, delivering a much needed boost to the local community.
