The McKenzie Aged Care Group Cornerstone values were revealed late last month thanks to the valued input from all of our staff.

These Cornerstones form the core values and beliefs that underpin everything that we do across the entire company.

The motto ‘our family looking after your family’ is central to all operations at McKenzie Aged Care Group so it was only natural that staff

across all locations were involved in the development of the seven Cornerstones. Working groups and committees were formed at each facility to provide a forum for everyone to have their say.

“We thought it important that everyone within McKenzie Aged Care Group was able to play a part in developing our Cornerstones, ensuring that we reflect the views and values of everyone involved,” said Group Director Sally McKenzie.

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The Rebranding of McKenzie

McKenzie Aged Care Group has been rebranded to better represent our expanded offerings in facilities and services. In our redesign, we aimed to develop a unique brand identity and visual language that reflects the personality and values of McKenzie now and in the future.

i.on my Care ITAC Award

The McKenzie Aged Care Group has been awarded for its implementation of the i.on my Care clinical information system at the Information Technology in Aged Care (ITAC) awards held in April this year.

Graduation Ceremony

On 24th May 2012 a graduation ceremony was held at South Tweed Sports Club to celebrate the educational achievements of McKenzie Aged Care Group staff.

At a glance

Winter 2012

Unveiling of the McKenzie Cornerstones

OpenDoor

Activities TourThe 100+ clubIn March, Raffles resident Mrs Robbie Robinson celebrated her 100th birthday, the first to do so at Raffles. Mrs Robinson had the honour of cutting the enormous cake and all residents enjoyed listening to music from Robert Palmer’s 1976 Double Fun album.

Sutton Park resident Mr Bert Fleming celebrated his 102nd birthday on April 21st with family, friends, residents and staff. Bert had a wonderful day with fellow residents and entertainers at happy hour.

Mrs Jean Haas of Heritage Lodge also celebrated her 102nd birthday this Autumn with an amazing tower of cup cakes.

On 24th May 2012 a graduation ceremony was held at South Tweed Sports Club to celebrate the educational achievements of McKenzie Aged Care Group staff.

Staff members across a number of disciplines in the organisation including nursing, hotel services, maintenance, leisure and lifestyle, administration, management and client relations received qualifications in:

• CertificateIIIAssistantinNursing

• CertificateIVinSmallBusiness

• CertificateIVinFrontlineManagement

• CertificateIVinLeisureandHealth

Congratulations to all our staff who completed nationally recognised qualifications. Your commitment to our organisational cornerstone of constantly improving is valued and appreciated. We are grateful to have staff willing to invest time and effort in professional growth and development, ultimately leading to higher quality care and better outcomes for our residents.

Graduation Ceremony

Sandbrook

Staff and residents at Sandbrook celebrated the facility’s sixth birthday with a rainbow theme. Everyone dressed in their most colourful outfits and enjoyed a delicious BBQ lunch put on by the kitchen staff. The warm sunny day was made even more enjoyable with a visit from Keith providing some lively entertainment on the piano.

Sutton Park

Anzac day at Sutton Park was commemorated with a service attended by about 50 residents and family members. Ex-service men and residents Alan Yard and Charles Fawcet laid a wreath in memory. After the service, attendees were invited to have a beer or wine with lunch.

Heritage Lodge

Heritage Lodge held a Bridal fair with a difference with beautiful gowns on display from as far back as the 1920’s. Residents and staff shared their wedding memorabilia over a traditional wedding breakfast. The highlight of the day was the mock ceremony with the beautiful Dan King as blushing bride and Michele Carpenter as the handsome groom pictured here with resident Kath Ayers.

Raffles

The ladies of Raffles celebrated Mothers Day in style with a special high tea of their own on the Friday before. They were served a variety of delicious cakes with tea and coffee, all residents had a great time.

The Armitage

Residents at The Armitage were treated to a very special Mothers Day Afternoon Tea. Champagne was on offer alongside lovely savories and later tea and coffee with delicious cakes, and strawberries and orange dipped in chocolate. A beautiful rose was given to all the ladies to remind them how special they are as they shared some good old fashioned stories with a sing a long of favourite songs.

Pictured from left: Ian Smart, Ray Seymour, Jenny Turner, Sue McCalman , Raelene Reading, Sandra Griffin.

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OpenDoor

Keith’s columnThe house of inner memory

MEMORY is that mysterious ability to recall people and events from our past. We often find that remembering is accompanied by a wide range of emotions and we do a lot of remembering in Aged Care.

We sometimes use books with the title ‘I Remember That…’

We sing songs that evoke memories of family times around the piano, Saturday night dances, times of war and peace, and sometimes a resident will say, “My mother sang that song.”

A Celtic author writes, “The beauty and invitation of old age offers a time of silence and solitude for a visit to the house of your inner memory. Everything is stored within your soul in the temple of memory. Old age is a time of entering fully into that temple where all your vanished days are secretly gathered awaiting you.”

I have recently been conducting memorial services in each of our homes where we have remembered former residents. Their families are invited and they gather with staff and existing residents as we pause to remember…

Keith Cameron-Smith Resident and Staff Support Officer

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Resident and Staff Support Officer Keith Cameron-Smith says with the rolling out of the Cornerstones, staff are really enjoying seeing their ideas in print and are benefitting from the unified understanding it creates.

“The Cornerstone values give a new depth and meaning to the life and work we share together, increasing the connectedness of the McKenzie Aged Care Group,” said Keith.

The seven Cornerstones of McKenzie Aged Care Group are:

• Weputpeoplefirstinaclimateof growth, opportunity and empowerment and respect all those we support.

• Wetakeownershipandprideineverything we do and are honest and forthright in our words and actions.

• Welistenandactdecisivelyandwe seek information by listening carefully and openly to others and committing to action.

• Weunderstandthatgoodpeoplemake the difference and are the key to our success. We recognise and encourage the value of individuals and teams.

• Weseektofindnewwaysofconstantly improving and doing things better, using a positive spirit to succeed.

• Weactwithintegrity.Weupholdhigh standards of honesty and treat people with fairness and respect.

• Wetrust,motivate,inspireand challenge each other in a collaborative team environment.

McKenzie Aged Care Group has been rebranded to better represent our expanded offerings in facilities and services. In our redesign, we aimed to develop a unique brand identity and visual language that reflects the personality and values of McKenzie now and in the future.

The rebranding across the company demonstrates that each facility is part of and is supported by a strong, well-resourced organisation, whilst

still maintaining the strength and individuality of each facility.

Logo

With the design of the new logo, we felt that it was important to stay with the existing identity colour of green, but introduce a stronger typography depicting confidence and an established brand.

The use of the graphic star shape and the bright blue colour seeks to present the brand as optimistic and positive.

Sniffles, sneezes and coughs herald winter. If you’re navigating a minefield of cold and flu germs, use this Top Ten Tips list to naturally build your defences.

Tip 1: Vitamin C. It’s essential for a strong immune system. Don’t neglect fruit and veggies over winter. Ensure you have two to three serves of fresh fruit daily and 2 ½ cups of mixed vegetables (eat your veg at lunchtime and enjoy vegetable-based soups and light meals each evening).

Tip 2: Vitamin A. Focus on orange and dark green vegetables such as carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin and / or spinach each day. The occasional use of animal livers (chicken, beef, pork, turkey) can give an extra potent hit every now and then. Don’t supplement VitaminA,unlessunderdoctor’sorders.

Tip 3: Iron. Factor a serve of meat, fish, chicken or egg into your daily diet to provide the iron necessary to keep your immune system firing. You can also improve your ability to get iron plant-based food sources by consuming a small amount of juice, fruit or tomato when you eat bread, cereals and vegetables.

Tip 4: Protein. Meats, fish, chicken and eggs provide protein essential for immune function and wound healing. You can also obtain protein from baked beans, lentils, dairy foods, tofu and nuts.

Tip 5: Zinc. Oysters, meat, wheat bran and milk provide good sources of the

immune-boosting zinc. Deficiency results in impaired immunity, delayed wound healing and a reduced ability to taste (often accompanied by a “metallic taste”).

Tip 6: Omega three fatty acids. Essential fatty acids such as those from fish can enhance immune function and reduce inflammation. Include at least two to three serves of oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines) into your weekly diet.

Tip 7: Hydration. Dehydration reduces the body’s defence system. Opt for warm hydrating fluid such as weak tea, herbal teas, hot water with lemon, hot chocolates and soups to maintain your natural defence over the cooler months.

Tip 8: Exercise. Moderate daily exercise reduces stress, improves mood and helps maximize your immune system.

Tip 9: Sleep. Exposing the body to too much light at night can lower its defences. Unwind before bed with dimmed light (eg. Just the lamp on) and schedule enough sleep each day.

Tip 10: Reduce stress. Listen to music, play an instrument, laugh. Humorous people are less prone to sickness. Spend time with your grandkids, chat, watch a funny movie –all are great for your health.

Cherie Hugo Accredited Practising Dietitian, DirectorofMyNutritionClinic cherie@mynutritionclinic.com

The four sides of the logo represent the four key aspects of the McKenzie Aged Care Group. That is, residents, residents’ families, staff and the McKenzie Family. The use of different colours strengthens the idea that McKenzie is built on these four groups coming together to form a single unity.

Tagline

“It all starts with people” is designed to capture the simple principle that sits at the heart of everything we do – we care about people. People come first, from our residents and their families through to our wonderful staff. We want everyone to feel welcome and a part of the family when they enter one of our facilities.

Website

Launched in late May, the new website aims to be fresh, modern and user friendly to provide up-to-date and relevant information to current and potential staff, residents and family members.

The website has a strong focus on photography, the driving principle behind which was the adage ‘a picture tells a thousand words’. We wanted to capture the essence of what it is like to live and work within our facilities, from the visual surrounds through to the relationships, activities and services available. Each facility is unique and we wanted to showcase their individuality whilst at the same time, ensure a consistent theme of caring relationships set within a beautiful, homely environment.

The redevelopment of the McKenzie brand, website and communications collateral has been a team effort. We would like to thank all staff, residents and their families for their support and contribution in providing information and participating in the photo shoots. Once again, our success comes back to our people.

The Rebranding of McKenzie

The McKenzie Aged Care Group has been awarded for its implementation of the i.on my Care clinical information system at the Information Technology in Aged Care (ITAC) awards held in April this year.

The new system makes the day-to-day running of McKenzie Aged Care facilities simpler and more efficient, allowing the growing company better oversight and communication throughout.

The theme for this year’s awards ceremony was ‘Smart Technology for Modern Aged Care’. McKenzie Aged Care Group won in the category for best implementation over 650 beds. With 730 residents across seven facilities, the commitment of McKenzie’s 800 staff to the new processes have allowed for a smooth roll out of the changes.

Amanda Seymour, Group Quality Systems Manager at McKenzie, says all the staff have embraced the changes.

““It is simple to use, and every single facility and management team, whether or not they’re new people only just coming on board now, they’re so positive about it and excited with what we still have to do in the coming months.” Ms. Seymour said.

“The i.on my Care software has eliminated the need for over twenty separate paper based or excel spreadsheet systems throughout the business units and centralised all these functions in one software package,” said Ms. Seymour.

McKenzie Aged Care has an ongoing commitment to improving and maintaining the best quality care for their residents, all staff look forward to settling into their new system.

i.on my Care ITAC Award

The Dietitian’s cornerTen Winter Health Tips

Pictured left to right: David Berry-Smith, Sally McKenzie, Rob Hutchison, Amanda Seymour, Sandra Griffin.

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