Two BCS aged care facilities who recently commemorated their tenth and fortieth anniversaries - BCS Morven Gardens in the Blue Mountains and BCS Morling Lodge in Canberra - now have another reason to celebrate; both winning Aged Care Channel Idea of the Year Awards, announced in December 2008.
The Aged Care Channel (ACC) Idea of the Year Award annually champions organisations across Australia that develops innovative and creative projects aimed at enhancing client care.
BCS Morling Lodge, based in Red Hill in the ACT, was thrilled to hear they had won the ACC Idea of the Year Award for Teamwork, Leadership and Staff Relations.
The award-winning idea was as simple as promoting good hand washing techniques to prevent the onset of winter virus and bugs, which can be very harmful among the frail and elderly.
A hand washing competition was introduced by BCS educators across Southern Region facilities, where staff formed teams and covered their hands with ‘Glitterbug’ solution, a substance only visible to the eye under UV light.
A guest judge from the Department of Health and Ageing presided over the competition, held at Morling Lodge, which produced three winners from the BCS Southern Region – teams from BCS Carey Gardens Centre (Red Hill), BCS Care Centre – Goulburn and BCS George Forbes House (Queanbeyan).
The teams with the best hand washing technique were able to demonstrate clean hands, nails and wrists under UV light, and more importantly, gain the ‘upper hand’ with infection control.
The local aged care team at BCS Morven Gardens Centre in Leura, celebrated winning the Idea of the Year Award for Resident Lifestyle.
The award-winning idea came when the team at Morven Gardens had noticed that some of the residents affected by dementia found it difficult to orient themselves and identify their own rooms. Care staff discussed attaching current photo identification to the door beneath each resident’s name, but then decided it would be an even better idea to attach pictures of the residents in their youth.
This had a wonderfully fortuitous effect; not only were the residents able to admire a youthful-bodied version of themselves, but carers began to notice the pictures as well. The pictures brought back memories of the past revealing the residents, not simply as frail elderly people in need of care, but as vibrant, youthful men and women in their prime.
Featured live on the ACC channel during the award announcements, Mrs Carol Rynsbergen, Executive Care Manager at BCS Morven Gardens Centre was ecstatic.
“The idea worked! The photos depict young army soldiers, nurses, entertainers, mums ... the residents recognise their own photo and thus are able to find their rooms.”
More significantly, Carol was delighted with the unexpected outcome.
“Staff and visitors to the unit are constantly reminded that the residents who are now aged and frail were once young, vibrant people who achieved much and were admired in the community.”
The ACC will visit Morling Lodge and Morven Gardens early this year for the official presentation of a large LCD screen TV and DVD recorder, the prizes won for winning the award.