The official launch, held on Sunday night to coincide with the Greek Revolution commemorative events was a great opportunity for prominent guests to come together and explore the Athens War Museum’s rare exhibits and traditional costumes from the collection ‘Heroes Made of Metal’ by the internationally renowned sculptor Nikos Floros.
The event was overseen by the Chairman of St Basil’s Homes NSW/ACT James Jordan.
1821 Greek Art Exhibition officially launched at Sydney Town Hall 31
Archbishop Makarios of Australia and a number of distinguished guests including Press Counsellor Costas Yiannakodimos representing the Consul General of Greece in Sydney Christos Karras, and lightweight boxing champion George Kambosos and his father Jim Kambosos.
Press Counsellor Mr Yiannakodimos conveyed a message from the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis who praised Greeks in Australia for “being the living piece of the Greek nation despite the challenges that have occurred during the years.”
1821 Greek Art Exhibition officially launched at Sydney Town Hall 32
The Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore, Secretary-General for Greeks abroad Ioannis Chrysoulakis, NSW Minister for Multiculturalism and Seniors Mark Coure sent messages of congratulations via video.
An extra special message was from the sculptor Nikos Floros also addressed the attendees via video messages from the Tripolis Museum.
Nikos Floros also addressed the attendees via video messages from the Tripolis Museum.
Mr Peter Poulos gave a passionate speech about history, his heritage and the contribution of Greek migrants to the state’s multicultural fabric and exhibition curator Captain Nicolaos Roussos.
1821 Greek Art Exhibition
As part of the celebrations of 200 years of Greek Independence, St. Basil’s NSW/ACT will be hosting an ‘1821 Greek Art Exhibition’ at Sydney Town Hall, featuring authentic and rare exhibits from the Greek War Museum and traditional Greek costumes from the collection ‘Heroes Made of Metal’ by the internationally renowned sculptor Nikos Floros.
Established in 1975, the Athens War Museum houses a large range of exhibits relating to Greece’s military history.
The ‘1821 Greek Art Exhibition’ will also feature traditional Greek costumes that form part of Nikos Floros’ ‘Heroes Made of Metal’ collection.
The costumes have been created with mosaics that meticulously transform “humble” materials into rustling satin fabrics, glittering with brilliant diamond-cut tiles.
Exhibition dates: March 13 to April 3, 2022
Open 7 days, 9:30am – 4:30pm
Venue: Sydney Town Hall, 483 George St, Sydney NSW 2000.
Admission is free.
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Original Source: https://greekcitytimes.com/2022/03/29/1821-greek-art-exhibition-officially-launched-at-sydney-town-hall/
This International Women’s Day we are celebrating our workmates and residents who identify as women for their strength, confidence and empathy!
Today, Michelle Wicky, our General Manager of Learning and Development shares a thought on how we can own the bias’ and we can break the bias’ that resonate around us.
“International Women’s Day for me is about standing with all people who identify as women to celebrate the struggles we’ve overcome, and to band together to get where we deserve to be. In an industry that is primarily filled by women we need to own that we perpetuate much of the bias that we are forced to fight. When we think about family commitments; possible fertility; emotional baggage instead of skill, aptitude, capability, passion, we are feeding the problem we should be trying to starve.”
At our Annandale Home today these workmates (pictured) are determined to stand together on International Women’s Day and every day to #breakthebias.
We are pleased to advise you that Dulan Weerasinghage is the newly appointed General Manager of our Miranda Home.
Dulan is passionate about caring for older people whilst maintaining standards of quality care, and joins a wonderful team of people at Miranda.
Most recently Dulan lead a residential aged care home on the in Mid-North Coast region with over 120 residents. He has specialised in Nursing Management from Western Sydney University, and has previous experience in acute care at Westmead Hospital.
Dulan is enthusiastic about meeting each of our residents and their representatives over the coming days and weeks. Please join us in welcoming him to St Basil’s when you see of speak with him.
If you have any queries feel free to contact Dulan or my team at Miranda via email at dweerasinghage@stbasils.org.au or via telephone on 02 8543 2000.
In July 2019, Kogarah Community Services (KCS) was successfully awarded the MUSTER grant through the Australian Government Department of Social Services and the Honourable David Coleman MP to coordinate intergenerational programs within the local community.
In response, the Executive Officer of KCS, Shelley Ross, brought in Maria Anthony to implement a program which would ‘bridge the gap’ between the young and elderly, whilst also bringing joy into their lives.
‘They lived in that moment’:
Maria, who is a proud Pontian, speaks exclusively with The Greek Herald about these intergenerational programs and says they are not just about the youth ‘singing and dancing’ for the elderly but rather, it’s about forming connections, learning about migration history and ‘bringing a smile to people’s faces.’
Youth play games with the elderly.
School excursion to a costume exhibition organised by the Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney.
Maria Anthony (left) says intergenerational programs teach students about history as well.
Take for example, a six-week program run by KCS at local schools where seniors go into classrooms and get interviewed by students about their life in Australia. These students are then asked to give a presentation on the person they interviewed.
“It’s fitting into the school curriculum as well and at the same time, connecting and making friends. When we finished [the program], the young boys and girls, who were between the ages of 15 and 16, were devastated we weren’t going to come back,” Maria says.
Elsewhere, elderly residents from aged care homes such as St Basils Kogarah and The Laurels also get to mingle, dance and sing with young students at cultural festivals such as the Festival of Ages.
Dancing for people in aged care homes.
“When I asked the Director Manager of The Laurels, ‘how do you think [the festival] impacted your residents?’ She said, ‘they might not remember what they just did, but they actually lived in the moment’,” Maria explains.
“So they might have dementia, they might not remember what they did five minutes ago, but they’re actually living the moment and that’s something that really, really stood out to me and just shows the importance of these programs.”
Although organising these intergenerational activities with nursing homes has become more difficult due to COVID-19 lockdowns, Maria hasn’t given up.
In fact, for Christmas this year, Maria organised for residents at The Laurels and St Basils Kogarah to make Christmas cards for young students at Carlton Public School and Kogarah Public School. In return, students from those schools, as well as Georges River Council Ocean St Preschool, made Christmas cards and decorations which were distributed to four local aged care homes.
Christmas cards from Kogarah Public School students.
Cards from elderly in The Laurels.
Carlton Public School Christmas Cards.
Georges River Council Ocean St Preschool Christmas cards.
Of course, physical aged care home visits were off the agenda this festive season, but Maria hopes they will also be able to resume soon as she’s seen the benefits of them first-hand.
“What we have witnessed with the intergenerational program is nursing homes have over two or three activities every day but you speak to any of the staff in the nursing home, and I’ve witnessed it myself, it doesn’t matter how many activities they have. It’s the same workers, it’s just amongst them,” Maria explains.
“But when we were going every week, there were men that took a few weeks to get out of the room and the staff would literally be in tears and hug me and say, ‘Maria, this man never leaves his room’
“So the fact that when we walk in with the kids, we sing, we make noise, everyone is curious to see what’s going on and then what they do is they follow us, they sit down and somehow they connect with a child. And then when we come the following week, that same resident will go straight away to that same child.”
Young people bring joy to the elderly through these programs.
Maria says the benefits of this are immense and range from increased interest in the aged care sector amongst the younger generation, to a shift in perceptions between the elderly and youth.
“I think it’s really important that our teenagers and our youth have respect for our seniors. You have a lot of seniors these days that think teenagers are spoiled… but then you have a lot of teenagers that think old people are just grumpy and don’t care about us,” she says.
“But we’ve witnessed that this intergenerational program has really, really changed the mindset of youth and of seniors. So the program is more than just kids going and singing. It’s really about bridging the gap between the generations.”
An important cause which we hope to see taken up by the Greek and broader community across Australia.
To find out more about the KCS intergenerational program or to register for an event, please contact Maria on 9553 6506 or visit www.kogarahcommunity.org.au.
St Basil’s NSW/ACT has appointed Diana Gutkovich as Director of Quality, Risk and Compliance, a role which is more vital than ever in the aged care industry.
“I am thrilled to announce Diana Gutkovich’s appointment in this crucial role with St Basil’s NSW/ACT, and welcome her to the team,” says Spiro Stavis, Acting CEO.
“Diana brings over 14 years of experience that includes Directorate positions for the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing in the Office of Aged Care Quality and Compliance, as well as with other leading aged care providers.”
“In her most recent roles Diana was the key driver of continuous improvement strategies to build standards and compliance across clinical and non-clinical environments,” adds Mr Stavis.
As part of the Executive Management team, the Director of Quality, Risk and Compliance will play a key role in achieving the mission outlined in St Basil’s five-year strategic plan: to deliver quality services that support the individual needs of ageing Australians.
“Diana’s hands-on approach and practical guidance will bring a wealth of support to the St Basils’ workforce, and in turn help the team to continue achieving high standards across the organisation.”
To learn more about St Basil’s NSW/ACT Executive Management team, please click here
The St. Basil’s Homes NSW/ACT Board of Directors was re-elected at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on 30th November 2021.
With more than fifty people in attendance at the AGM including His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, the Board of Directors, Members, Executive and staff of St. Basil’s NSW/ACT, the organisation’s members confidently re-elected Mr James Jordan, Dr Theo Penklis, Mr Greg Gav, Mr Spiros Arvanitakis and Mr Kos Dimitriou to the Board of Directors.
James Jordan, re-elected Chairman of the Board of St. Basil’s NSW/ACT says “A key discussion point at the AGM was the recently released St. Basil’s five-year strategic plan that involves ambitious plans to bring joy and quality care to more ageing Australians as well as to look to continuous improvements across all of its services.”
“These plans which are underway were welcomed and supported by our Members.”
“Our organisation will continue its mission to deliver quality services that support the individual needs of ageing Australians, including Greek Australians,” adds Mr Jordan.
The Board is responsible for providing strategic leadership to St. Basil’s NSW/ACT within a framework of prudent and effective controls and establishing the organisation’s vision, mission, and values underpinned by the Aged Care Quality Standards in the interests of its consumers, stakeholders and the communities in which it operates.
Ms Maria Kokkinakos who has served the organisation as Director since 2012 retired from her Board position at the AGM.
“On behalf of St. Basil’s, we thank Ms Maria Kokkinakis for her selfless dedication and contribution to enhancing our organisation as a volunteer on our Board.”
“Ms Kokkinakis made a tremendous contribution to the organisation through her vast expertise and experiences in the health sector, and will be sorely missed,” adds Mr Jordan.
St Basil’s Aged Care NSW/ACT, an activity of the Greek Archdiocese of Australia, cares for ageing Australians across Sydney and the ACT using quality accredited best-practices in health and safety, a qualified and compassionate workforce, and an environment with culturally traditional values.
To learn more about the wide variety of services available to ageing Australians across Sydney and the ACT by St. Basil’s NSW/ACT visit www.stbasils.org.au
Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) the leading association for the aged care industry awarded La Stacey Baramy of St Basil’s Aged Care NSW/ACT as the 2021 NSW/ACT Employee of the Year in an online event on Tuesday 26th October.
The 2021 ACSA Aged Care Awards Employee of the Year category recognises the dedication and contribution of an individual employee in the delivery of services to older people, and who has excelled
in the care of older people, demonstrated initiative in their workplace, and helped to strengthen and inspire their colleagues.
Spiro Stavis, Acting CEO of St Basil’s Aged Care NSW/ACT explains “I am extremely proud to have La Stacey achieve the title of 2021 NSW/ACT Employee of the Year by ACSA.”
Over the last seven (7) years La Stacey has played a leading role for St Basil’s as General Manager of its Miranda Home that encompasses a facility supporting 101 nursing home residents and 40 occupants of
independent living units.
Having achieved over 22 years’ experience across the aged care and hospital industries, La Stacey has created a joyful home at Miranda. She supports and leads her team well in every aspect of the Home’s
which inspires her team to also go above and beyond.
“La Stacey’s years of robust experiences have flowed through to the team who deliver excellence in care and lifestyle programs for our cherished residents.”
“The culture that La Stacey has nurtured at our Miranda home is that of a positive community spirit, and an environment that is genuine, supportive, compassionate, lots of fun, and provides quality caring. It’s
a testament to the team and aged care home that La Stacey has developed,” adds Mr Stavis.
The announcement of La Stacey’s win was surprise to her, and left her feeling shocked yet delighted by the recognition received from her aged care peers.
“It is such a shock and honour to receive this award because I simply love what I do here at St Basil’s,” said La Stacey Baramy, award recipient and St Basil’s newly appointment Director of Care and
Community Services.
“In an industry that brings dignity and joy every day to the ageing members of our community but ha been through challenging times during the pandemic, it’s lovely that we can celebrate positive news like
this.”
“I couldn’t achieve this without the ongoing support of the people around me – I have a wonderful team of caring, inspirational and dedicated people.”
La Stacey will represent NSW & ACT as a national finalist at ACSA’s National Aged Care Awards to be held online on 7th December.
St Basil’s exists to care for ageing Australians, particularly Greek Australians, in need, helping them to live a life of spirituality, meaning and joy.
To find your next aged care role at St. Basil’s NSW/ACT see all of our job vacancies now.
Pat Daliardos has been working to support older people with St. Basil’s NSW/ACT for over ten years, and is the Community Services Coordinator.
“When I first joined St Basil’s, I started as a support worker. I absolutely loved being part of a team in assisting with everyday living needs of older adults, and feeling as though I made a difference to their lives,” says Pat.
Pat now works as a Community Services Coordinator and plays a leading role in the team around her to support the work of in-home care workers and day centre services.
“I absolutely love my role and love to support in the care needs across the greater Sydney community.”
Pat works to find tailored solutions to support each person’s care needs, to make the lives of older people more comfortable and to help them to live independently in their home and community for as long as possible.
“I would totally recommend working in aged care, especially if you are a person that loves people and making a difference in their daily lives.”
“It is a fulfilling job and is very suited to someone that wants a sense of job satisfaction.”
“Just knowing that you are part of contributing to enhancing someone’s life is a wonderful feeling. It is a challenging role and one that makes me feel as though I am contributing to my community,” adds Pat.
“I really do adore all of my consumers and try to always assist them with making their lives as stress free as possible. They deserve all the respect in the world!”
To find your next aged care role at St. Basil’s NSW/ACT see all of our job vacancies now.
St. Basil’s proudly celebrates La Stacey Baramy who is named the 2021 Employee of the Year by leading aged care association, ACSA as part of their 2021 Aged Care Awards Program. Read more.
The Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) is a new legislative reporting responsibility to support the reduction and prevention of abuse and neglect in residential aged care services. SIRS will replace the Compulsory Reporting requirements that were in operation until April 2021.
The scheme requires aged care providers to identify, record, manage, resolve and report all serious incidents that occur, or are alleged or suspected to have occurred.
The first stage of the scheme will commence on 1 April 2021.
From this date, providers are required to report all incidents assessed as Priority 1 reportable incidents to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC).
Priority 1 incidents include:
– Unreasonable use of force – for example, hitting, pushing, shoving, or rough handling.
– Unlawful sexual contact or inappropriate sexual conduct – such as sexual threats or stalking, or sexual activities without consent.
– Psychological or emotional abuse – such as yelling, name calling, ignoring a consumer, threatening gestures, or refusing a consumer access to care or services as a means of punishment.
– Unexpected death – in the event of a fall, untreated pressure injury, or the actions of a consumer result in the death of another consumer.
–Stealing or financial coercion by a staff member – for example, if a staff member coerces a consumer to change their will to their advantage or steals valuables from the consumer.
– Neglect – for example includes withholding personal care, untreated wounds, or insufficient assistance during meals.
– Inappropriate physical or chemical restraint – for example, where physical or chemical restraint is used without prior consent or without notifying the consumer’s representative as soon as practicable; where physical restraint is used in a non-emergency situation; or when a provider issues a drug to a consumer to influence their behaviour as a form of chemical restraint.
– Unexplained absence from care – this occurs when the consumer is absent from the service, it is unexplained and has been reported to the police.
The second stage of the scheme will commence from 1 October 2021. From this date, all Priority 2 incidents must be reported to the Commission within 30 days. ‘Priority 2’ reportable incidents are all incidents that do not meet the criteria for ‘Priority 1’.
The key components of the incident management system are:
1. Documented policies and procedures – to enable staff to identify, respond to, resolve and learn from incidents. These must be made available to staff, consumers and their representatives;
2. An incident recording tool – a paper based or electronic system to capture information about incidents that enables staff to monitor, report and analyse incident data to ensure continuous improvement of care and services;
3. A staff training program – program that evidences all staff understand their regulatory obligations, how the incident management system operates and their role within that system;
4. A governance/oversight arrangement – to ensure the Provider’s ongoing governance and accountability provides oversight of the system’s operation and ensure its effectiveness in driving continuous quality improvement.
All staff are responsible for identification, escalation, follow up and reporting of all alleged, suspected and actual incidents, including those being reported by consumers or their representatives.
Providers will be required to demonstrate that an open disclosure process is used when things go wrong in providing care for consumers.
After months of not being able to see each other in person, we’re grateful to have welcomed back the family and friends of our residents into our homes to reconnect last week.
Hundreds of friends and family members were reunited, many of whom were brought to tears from the love and joy they felt seeing their loved ones again after such a long time.
“Having visitors return to our homes after about 106 days is so special so we’ve presented many of them with a gift to welcome them back,” explains Spiro Stavis, CEO of St Basil’s NSW/CT.
“With COVID restrictions preventing visitors to our homes, having the St Basil’s community back in means so much to our residents, and we too have missed them dearly.”
“Last week many of the visitors this week have personally expressed their gratitude for how well we’ve managed our homes in the COVID environment, and that they’ve had a great deal of confidence in the care of their love ones provided by St Basil’s staff along the way,” adds Mr Stavis.
The six (6) St Basil’s Homes across Sydney celebrated the return of visitors to aged care with balloons, gifts and BBQ lunches.
With COVID-19 still prevalent out in the community, it remains critical that we maintain vigilance in our infection control prevention best-practices for the safety of our residents.
