2022 innovAGEING National Awards — winners announced

Winners of the 2022 innovAGEING National Awards have been announced with Aidan O’Flaherty from Tulich and Asset Journey receiving the Age Services Innovator of the Year award.

Asset Journey offers operators the ability to track all assets, and all maintenance and repairs to those assets provide pivotal guidance on repair/replace decisions.

Head of innovAGEING Merlin Kong said the winners from each of the six award categories demonstrate just how far Australia’s aged services industry has come in terms of its ability to  respond to changing needs and consumer demands through the development of innovative products and practices.

The winners were announced at an online awards ceremony on 24 November 2022 which featured a welcome address by Aged and Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA) CEO Tom Symondson.

Symondson congratulated the winners and praised the innovative spirit of the entrants which set an example for the sector.

“These are great examples of involving older people in how they are supported, or helping them to manage health issues, and ways of assisting staff as they provide support and care for their clients.”

Other winners include:

Enhancing Consumer Experience

• Lifeview Residential Care
   

Design and implementation of the Planting with a Purpose Program, which sees residents teaming up with chefs and gardeners to cultivate and grow fresh produce for lifeview’s kitchens.

Realising Wellness and Reablement

• Atticus Health
   

Creation of Mark & Sylvie’s Home Care, and initiative to successfully integrate health care into care-at-home services.

Improving Consumer Choice

• Inclusee
   

Development of the Interests2Enjoy initiative to connect senior participants with volunteers in disparate geolocations, for social support in group settings, using digital technology.

Increasing Care and Service Productivity

• McKenzie Aged Care Group with Ausmed
   

Development of an “Aged Care Industry Passport” — a digital certificate that aged care workers can carry with them from one employer to the next to evidence they have completed mandatory training relevant to and recognised by the sector.

Increasing Access to Care and Services

• Whiddon Innovation and Strategy Team
   

Testing and scaling the Exercise 4 Life Program, a pain management and reablement initiative focused on partnering with residents to entirely customise it to their needs.

Kong said that across the six categories there have been outstanding examples of innovation with the ultimate aim to provide a better ageing experience for older Australians who require aged care services.

“I’d like to congratulate all the winners — as well as the finalists — not just for being recognised in our awards program, but also for their commitment to supporting better aged care in Australia,” Kong said.

“In keeping with National Awards tradition to recognise an innovAGEING network contributor for the year, this year’s acknowledgement went to Byron Cannon, CEO at LDK Seniors’ Living, and Melissa Argent, CEO at Rockpool Residential Aged Care for their support of nationwide innovAGEING initiatives.”

Kong thanked the judges and Foundation Partners the Commonwealth Bank and KPMG Australia for their ongoing support.

Image credit: iStockphoto.com/olegback