Yackandandah Health’s efforts to engage the local community around its vision for intergenerational care have reconnected the community to its services and been recognised with a national commendation. The award was presented at the Aged Care Quality Agency’s Better Practice conference last night.
Yackandandah Health was the only aged care provider in the region to receive an award last night.
Yackandandah Health CEO, Annette Nuck said the Committee of Management wanted to offer an environment where the elders living in residential aged care were genuinely part of the community and the broader community was actively involved with the organisation.
“Since 2016 when we first developed the vision, it’s been a multi-faceted approach. First, we revisited our vision and values and engaged with community projects such as our solar installation through Totally Renewable Yackandandah (TRY). We developed and implemented a communication strategy that raised awareness of our plans which included giving the community a voice through the establishment of a Community Reference Group and we have searched for, and responded to, gaps in services in the town and the needs of other community groups,” Ms Nuck said.
“While the award entry detailed past collaborations, with TRY, the Men’s Shed and the Yackandandah Theatre Company for its production Living Memory, since the entry deadline we have been approached by a group of parents to offer child care. Plans are in place for this to be operating before the end of the year. It’s a perfect fit for our intergenerational vision,” she said.
“It’s all part of our responsibility to support the health of our community, whatever their age.”
Ms Nuck said Yackandandah Health was pleased to be recognised for a grass-roots initiative that was about building community health and wellbeing through connection.
“It’s been very rewarding over the last couple of years to watch the residential aged care service becoming part of our town again; with residents actively participating in the community and our site starting to become the community hub that we have envisaged in our master plan.”
The vision for the Yackandandah model is that the community hub becomes a vibrant part of the community. Plans include a café, exercise pool, gym and meeting spaces for community events, groups and other services such as a childcare centre.