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Dear consumers, families and friends,

In an effort to prevent, control and minimise influenza infection, Aged Care providers have been advised by NSW Health that all visitors and staff are required to provide documented evidence that they have received the 2021 influenza vaccine to enter a residential aged care facility. This is effective as of Tuesday 1st June.

St. Basil’s Homes NSW/ACT will be requesting evidence of the flu vaccine at the time or prior to visitors entering our facilities.

Visitors are permitted to enter a facility if their influenza vaccine is delayed due to receiving COVID-19 vaccinations provided additional precautions are applied. In addition, the attached Influenza Vaccine Medical Contraindication Formwill need to be completed by a medical officer and presented on entry to the facility (or beforehand if practicable). In exceptional or special circumstances, it may be possible to enter the facility where the visitor is providing essential care, or for compassionate reasons.

For support in obtaining your immunisation history statement as evidence of vaccinations, visit Service Australia’s fact sheet on their website. I thank you for your cooperation in keeping our workplace and consumers safe and healthy through the winter season ahead.

You can find more information about the influenza vaccine, including in other languages, at Australian Department of Health’s website – https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/flu-influenza

Yours sincerely,

Spiro Stavis
Chief Executive Officer

The role of a physiotherapist in an aged care home is critical to residents maintaining a good quality of life. By improving movement in their joints and building muscle tone they will be helping to keep their physical independence.

Ryan Szeto, the lead Physiotherapist at our Miranda home, explains how the physiotherapists at St. Basil’s work together with residents to support social interaction – an important part of good physical and mental health.

“Physiotherapists have the privilege of understanding a person’s needs and desires and can offer their expertise to maintain their health so that a person can continue to do the things they enjoy,” says Ryan Szeto.

“This may be as simple as maintaining their ability to walk, transfer into a car to visit family, engaging in gardening with the lifestyle team or providing opportunities to enjoy social events such as our walking groups or day trips.”

The St. Basil’s physiotherapy team work very closely with the care staff to ensure that they attend to individual residents’ needs and wants.

“We prepare residents for a range of differing activities at certain times of the day so they can be ready to participate and enjoy themselves. We often incorporate social elements in our physical activities such as team work based exercise games, and also pair these activities with social events like our coffee club,” explains Ryan.

“Keeping residents educated and generating interesting discussions about their physical health such as bone health and heart health is also an important part of our lifestyle program.”

To learn more about St. Basil’s Homes Lifestyle Programs call 02 9784 3200 or visit https://www.stbasils.org.au/services/residential-care/features

About Ryan Szeto and the St. Basil’s Homes physiotherapy team:

Ryan Szeto is one of the many qualified physiotherapists at St. Basil’s Homes NSW/ACT.

His passion is to care for and improve people’s health literacy so they can have a better quality of life, especially those who have reached retirement age.

He loves the personal aspect of working at St. Basil’s Homes and being able to bring joy and instil confidence to those he cares for through his expertise.

On a daily basis, the St. Basil’s Homes’ physiotherapy team motivate and educate residents to have a better quality of life, and work alongside residents to ensure they are happy and healthy.

On a weekly basis you will find the physiotherapists hosting group exercise classes, events related to physical activities, teaching individual exercises, and providing pain management and education.

Dear residents and families,

During the Holiest week on the Orthodox religious calendar, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish the St. Basil’s Homes NSW/ACT community who are celebrating Orthodox Easter, Καλή Ανάσταση!

This Easter I feel blessed to have the chapels at our Homes open again, and with almost no COVID-19 restrictions in place at present, this allows for gatherings and outings with family and friends which I personally cherish and encourage.

During Holy Week at St. Basil’s, the consumers and staff of our Randwick, Kensington, Kogarah, Miranda, Annandale and Lakemba Homes, and our Day Centres are involved in traditional Orthodox Easter activities such as the preparation of Easter Epitaph on Friday morning, and attending an Epitaph procession to remember and mourn the death of Jesus on Friday afternoon.

Together we also dye hundreds of eggs red, bake traditional Greek Easter biscuits (κουλούρια), and decorate candles ready for the traditional lighting of the Holy Light at Church.

The values of our Orthodox faith continue to flow through our Homes in particular during times such as this that emphasise our commitment to the strength of the human spirit.

I wish our Orthodox Christian community a safe, peaceful and blessed Easter.

Yours faithfully,

Spiro Stavis
CEO

On Sunday 25^th April, following Palm Sunday liturgy, members of the community gathered for a Luncheon at Cyren Bar Grill Seafood Darling Harbour, proudly hosted by St. Basil’s Homes NSW/ACT.

“More than 400 family and friends of St. Basil’s attended the Luncheon to celebrate Palm Sunday, the beginning of the Holy Week that will culminate with Orthodox Easter on Sunday 2^nd May,” said Spiro Stavis, CEO of St. Basil’s Homes NSW/ACT.

Joining the Directors of St. Basil’s Homes NSW/ACT were their distinguished guests His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, The Consul General Mr Christos Karras and the Trade Commissioner Mrs Katia Gkikiza.

“We were fortunate to have His Eminence Archbishop Makarios provide the blessing of our meal to begin proceedings at our Luncheon, with Palm Sunday being a special day for the Greek Orthodox faithful who traditionally enjoy eating seafood on this day.”

“Holy Week is the most important time of the Orthodox calendar and the catalyst that reminds us to cherish what we have and the people around us.”

“At St. Basil’s it’s important to us that we keep our cultural connection alive for our residents and community. We do that by having our values reflected across our homes through our Model of Care and daily lifestyle program.”

“We are always looking at ways to grow our values and the wonderful people that make St. Basil’s a special home which is what we’ll be doing through our newly developed Strategic Plan to be released next month,” adds Stavis.

We wish all of our Orthodox community a wonderful Holy Week, and thank all of our family and friends who attended to enjoy a traditional Palm Sunday meal together in support of our event.

Click here to learn more about St Basil’s Homes NSW/ACT Values and Mission.

Harry Varvaressos is the newest member of the St. Basil’s team recently being appointed the Facility General Manager of our Kensington Home.

Spiro Stavis CEO of St Basil’s NSW/ACT explains that Harry is an experienced leader in the aged care sector with his industry career spanning over thirteen years.

“We’re excited to have Harry as a key part of our NSW/ACT team. Over many years Harry has served in leading roles such as the Director of Nursing, Operations Manager and CEO with various providers in NSW, and has most recently specialised in Home and Disability Care,” says Stavis.

With a Master of Project Management and Bachelor of Nursing, Harry’s key skill sets are predominantly in the fields of Nursing, Operations and Human Resources.

“Harry’s priorities will be in resident care, effective team communication and our wellbeing program, however, his skillset is multi-faceted and transferable across the organisation which will be invaluable in the delivery of our new Strategic Plan to be revealed very soon” adds Stavis.

Harry Varvaressos, St. Basil’s NSW/ACT, Facility General Manager Kensington says “I’m very excited to be here so that I can uniquely support each of our residents, as well as my staff who play a pivotal role in the quality of our services. Teamwork is paramount.”

“Being of Greek heritage I look forward to supporting the local ageing Australian community, particularly Greek Australians.”

“Our Home in Kensington has a proud history which I hope to maintain,” adds Varvaressos.

Last year, Harry was part of a multidisciplinary IPC team to achieve compliance with NSW and federal government guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Welcome to the St. Basil’s team Harry!

Learn about other St. Basil’s team members now

The NSW Seniors Festival Expo hosted by the NSW Government over the past two days, 21st and 22nd April, was a huge success for St. Basil’s NSW/ACT.

With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, a significant amount of seniors attended the expo at the International Convention Centre Darling Harbour.

“Hundreds of seniors were eager to learn about the services available to them,” said Spiro Stavis, CEO of St. Basil’s Homes NSW/ACT.

“Not surprisingly, many indicated wanted to know about our in-home support services.”

The NSW Seniors Festival is an annual free event with interactive games and giveaways.

“People visited the expo because they wanted to learn more about options that cater to their current lifestyle as well as become more aware of what is on offer for them in the future.”

“Amongst other things, a popular feature at our stand was the free Theragun massages provided by one of our physiotherapists, Ryan Szeto,” added Stavis.

“Connecting with the community is important to us and a focus of our new Strategic Plan which is soon to be released, this was a small way of saying thank you and to provide people with an insight on our ethos and what life would be like in our Homes.”

The St. Basil’s Homes NSW/ACT stand featured as one of forty seniors focused organisations at the Seniors Expo.

To learn more about our in-home care options or the range of services offered by St. Basil’s, call us on 02 9784 3200 or complete an online enquiry form today.

As of today, 1st April 2021 a new federal government initiative known as the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) will commence, aiming to reduce abuse and neglect in Australian Government-subsidised residential aged care.

Under this new scheme St. Basil’s is required to report incidents which are deemed reportable to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. We welcome this initiative.

In the instance of a reportable incident involving your family member or person under your responsibility, a St. Basil’s manager will notify you and include a Notice of Collection which outlines our reporting responsibilities to government and relevant authorities.

If you would like further information about this new government scheme it can be found at the Australian Government’s Department of Health website www.health.gov.au

Whether your loved one is living at home or in their new home at St Basil’s there are a few simple ways to encourage them to maintain physical mobility for independence.

Ryan Szeto, the lead Physiotherapist at our Miranda home has a three simple activities to help.

“Staying independent and mobile is always a joint goal that physiotherapists have with residents, and it is important for people to work with their physiotherapist to determine what is the safest way to maintain their mobility in their environment,” explains Ryan Szeto, Accredited Physiotherapist.

Top 3 activities that ageing Australians should do daily to maintain their mobility and independence*.

Get involved in exercises classes, engaging with others in social activities are a great place to start because keeping independent involves keeping yourself physically and mentally fit.
Take note of when you get out of our chair. Each time you get up, try to sit down again 3 times before walking away from your chair. Standing up and sitting down again will help maintain your lower leg strength. Taking regular walks if you are able to, will also help maintain the movement in your hips, knees and ankles.
Keep moving even if you are unable to walk around. Exercises like circulating your arms in a swimming motion, and even using wrist weights while sitting or lying in bed will help you to maintain your joint movement, circulation and muscle tone.
Watch the video now Exercise Programs for Seniors

To learn more about St Basil’s Homes exercise program call 02 9784 3200 or visit Gentle Exercise Classes

*Speak to your GP or local physiotherapist for the most appropriate exercises for you ensuring your safely.

About Ryan Szeto and the St Basil’s Homes physiotherapy team

Ryan Szeto is one of the many qualified physiotherapists at St Basil’s Homes NSW/ACT.

His passion is to care for and improve people’s health literacy so they can have a better quality of life, especially those who have reached retirement age.

He loves the personal aspect of working at St Basil’s Homes and being able to bring joy and instil confidence to those he cares for through his expertise.

On a daily basis, the St Basil’s Homes’ physiotherapy team motivate and educate residents to have a better quality of life, and work alongside residents to ensure they are happy and healthy.

On a weekly basis you will find the physiotherapists hosting group exercise classes, events related to physical activities, teaching individual exercises, and providing pain management and education.

Today at St Basil’s Homes we began the first of our COVID-19 vaccinations.

“Our Miranda Home is the first of our six Residential Aged Care facilities that will have consumers and staff receive the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Spiro Stavis, CEO of St Basil’s Homes NSW/ACT.

“We have had an overwhelmingly positive response from our consumers and their families about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.”

“It’s so important that we do all that we can to continue to keep our consumers and workplace safe. A high standard of service and safety is our priority.”

Spiro explains that with the support and advice of the Australian Government St Basil’s has started the process of facilitating the COVID-19 vaccine through its homes as part of good practice in keeping this global pandemic at bay.

Mrs Margaret (pictured) happily received her first COVID-19 vaccination today,” adds Stavis.

From the outset of COVID-19 St Basil’s Homes NSW/ACT has implemented stringent health and safety practices that meet or exceed the COVID-19 guidelines of the NSW Public Health Unit. Our Homes comply fully with the requirements of the Federal Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.

To learn more about St Basil’s Homes NSW/ACT ask to Book a Tour now.

If you’re looking after a person with dementia, you’re an older person wanting to socialise for a few hours, or you have an older parent that you don’t want to leave at home alone all day while you’re at work, then the St Basil’s Day Centre is here to help.

“Our Day Centres are warm and inviting places that offer nutritious meals and a stimulating program of activities including cooking, gardening, art and music therapy for older people” says Spiro Stavis, CEO of St Basil’s Homes NSW/ACT.

“We have kind and caring trained staff to look after the needs of you or your loved one including appropriate and sensitive care for people with a diagnosis of dementia.”

“You or your loved will have a great time with friends and our staff for hours.”

St. Basil’s currently operates three Day Centres at the following locations:

1. 130 Croydon Street Lakemba NSW (Monday – Saturday 10.00am-2.00pm)
2. 29H Wandella Road North, Miranda NSW (Monday-Friday 7.00am-7.00pm & Saturday 10.00am-2.00pm)
3. 57-63 St Paul’s Street, Randwick NSW (Monday – Friday 7.00am-7.00pm)

“We have a COVID safe plan in place and is following strict infection control guidelines and measures to help keep our consumers safe,” adds Stavis.

Depending on your location, transport may be available to take you to the centre, where there is a contribution attendance fee.

For more information about our day centres, please visit our website at https://bit.ly/2OhzViV or call us at (02) 9784 3212.

Our service is supported by funding from the Australian Government under the Commonwealth community aged care programs.