News

National award for Princes Court

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 20:05:00

Mildura’s Princes Court Homes has received a prestigious national award for compassion and innovation in the care and support of older people.

Leading Aged Services Australia (LASA) is the voice of aged care and announced its 2020 Excellence in Age Services (EIAS) award winners at the weekend with Princes Court receiving the national Organisation award.
Princes Court is a community-owned not-for-profit provider caring for 100 aged care residents and supporting 76 retirees in independent lifestyle units.  After being named the Victorian winner earlier in the year, Princes Court was among 24 finalists at the National awards.
Chief Executive Officer Jenny Garonne said she was surprised and delighted by the success.
“For a regional aged care service provider this is an incredible honour, and I know everyone who is part of the Princes Court story will be just so proud,” Ms Garonne said.
“First and foremost, our residents and families, because they are the ones who are the reason for everything that we do, but also for our staff and our very visionary board,” she said.
“It has been a very difficult year and this is such a rapidly-changing sector that to receive a national award now is an extra special acknowledgement of the dedication of our staff and board to providing excellent care every day.”
Princes Court was honoured for its “innovative and daring leadership”. The award citation gave examples including the organisation’s success in in overcoming difficulties in attracting allied health professionals and its plans for infrastructure development.
The award also recognised Princes Court for its emphasis on community engagement and exploring new alliances with local organisations, schools and community groups.
Among the innovative partnerships were the Mallee Living Histories project, which brokered relationships between community members and residents and resulted in the publication of a book of the life stories of 15 residents.  (A second volume with the stories of 14 more residents has been completed despite COVID 19 challenges and will be launched on 12 November 2020.)
Another new partnership with the Mildura English Language Centre involved 11 to 14-year-old refugee children visit Princes Court to practice their English.
“Our board deserves full credit for us being recognised as an industry leader in this way. We are extremely fortunate to have a group that has backed our ideas and our determination to keep trying new things,” Ms Garonne said.
“Equally, we have a staff and leadership team who are genuinely connected to and caring of our residents.  They are prepared to go above and beyond, and it shows. This award would certainly not have been possible without that genuine love and care that is demonstrated at all levels in our teams every day.”
But Ms Garonne said the award also recognised the deep connection Princes Court Homes has to the Sunraysia community.
“The innovation opportunities that we receive almost always come from a community level.  Because of the connections within our region, people very keen to give back, so that comes through in projects such as the Mallee Living Histories project and the Mildura English Language Centre program,” she said.
“We are very lucky to have the opportunity to try new things, and this award is a great recognition of the many people who contribute to making these exciting ideas work.”

Pictured: Princes Court Homes management team: (L:-R) Kerrie Giddings, Sue Zariko, Karen Scott, Sianne Nicholds, Dean Smith, Colleen Lewis, Jenny Garonne, Rebecca Coombs, Di Jansen and Sheryl Tyack (missing are Jakob Bird, Paul Renouf, Debbie Smith and Amy Darrington).