Everyday Angels – Fostering and rewarding achievement in Victorian Aged Care Services [05.05.2009]
A pilot project with the two-fold aim of improving the care provided to older people in aged care services, and improving the recruitment and retention of skilled workers in aged care services is the recipient of a $35,000 grant from the Trust.
To achieve these aims, researchers at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health & Society at La Trobe University will develop and pilot a resource kit which fosters and rewards achievements in aged care services. In an engaging and creative process, aged care service providers and members of the general community will be invited to share stories of achievements on blank postcards. The positive responses to previous postcard projects indicate that the postcards will be a simple, creative, time efficient and appealing way to recognise and foster the achievements of aged care services. Common themes from the cards will be identified and shared with the Victorian public through project fliers. The project processes and tools will be packaged into the resource kit which will be available free of charge to all aged care services in Victoria.
By focussing on ‘what works’, rather than on problems, the process aims to stimulate and energise conversations and improvements. This focus on gathering information and making improvements is consistent with the processes for quality improvement which are central to aged care services.