Residential aged care on the Sunshine Coast has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. And while it is important that poor levels of care and service irregularities are addressed quickly and sanctioned appropriately, it is equally important not to view all aged care services through a negative prism.
Most residents living in aged care receive outstanding support, companionship, and love from staff. They are treated with dignity and their care needs are managed to the highest standards with professionalism and respect.
At NoosaCare’s two incredible facilities – Carramar in Tewantin and Kabara in Cooroy – we have 350 staff who work tirelessly to assist our residents live their best life. Our staff to resident ratios are above the industry average and we are best practice in our clinical approaches. For example, only registered enrolled nursing staff can give out medications and we have had a dedicated infection control officer for years – long before such a position was strongly recommended by the Royal Commission.
NoosaCare is the only community owned, not-for-profit aged care provider in the Noosa Shire. Most of our residents come from the local area and we are proud the connections we have built with the community over more than 35 years. Last financial year we recorded 13,756 volunteer hours – representing a monetary value of some $433,326. The fact that we can draw on such strong volunteer support is a testament to our commitment to strong community engagement.
Such engagement also helps to provide an additional oversight mechanism for our care and services. Our 10-strong volunteer board all live in the local area and bring extensive experience and knowledge from a range of backgrounds in business, finance, law, human resources, international relations and medicine. Two board members have high-level clinical expertise, reflecting the Board’s high priority on effective clinical governance.
The release of the Royal Commission final report at the end of this month will undoubtedly generate further public debate about the quality of aged care services. At NoosaCare, we welcome conversations around staffing numbers and funding levels in the sector. As a leading provider of dementia services, we would particularly encourage greater recognition of the higher funding needs of those in our care living with dementia.
What we would welcome most, however, is a recognition that the majority of people working or volunteering in the sector are motivated by compassion and a genuine desire to help others. They are good people trying to do good things at a time of great uncertainty and change and it is important not to tar all those working in the sector with the same brush.
Ann Harrap, President of NoosaCare Inc.
Megan D’Elton, CEO of NoosaCare Inc
