Board Chairman message

A message from John F Ogilvie KSG, the Board Chairman

It is a great honour to serve with the people of Catholic Homes and a pleasure to present its 2021-2022 Annual Report.

Catholic Homes has delivered its mission to provide quality, compassionate and holistic personalised care to older people, with a particular focus on those in need.

It is our shared values of Christ like joy, love and hospitality that guide our professional and authentic Catholic responses, enabled by a workforce called to care within the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.

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Amidst the many changes we experienced this year, our dedicated staff and volunteers have done an outstanding job in keeping people safe while maintaining the vital services and supports to residents and clients, so that they may live life to the full.

The Board of Catholic Homes has a vital role in the stewardship of the organisation. Our passionate Board members help guide and make sure that the organisation is managed prudently and responsibly so that it can meet its strategic, operational, financial and regulatory obligations in line with best practice governance.

Members of the Board, together with the Executive Leadership Team, collaboratively build the organisation’s capacity to deliver its mission and promote its vision, values and Catholic identity.

A large part of Catholic Homes’ efforts during the reporting year have been to advance our deep and sustained commitment to the community’s need for Christ centred aged care services within metropolitan Perth and in country Western Australia.

Significant initiatives for us were the creation of much needed aged care accommodation and growth in our Home and Community Care offering.

I am pleased to report that the construction of Sister Mary Glowrey Residential Aged Care, our new 96-bed residence in Belmont has progressed well. Heartfelt thanks go to our committed internal project team, who have been working closely with the appointed architectural, project and construction teams.

Our naming the residence in honour of Dr Sr Mary Glowrey JMJ (1887-1957) is a privilege, and acknowledges the ministry of this inspirational Australian Medical Nun.

Sr Mary’s life and work resulted in care provision to hundreds of thousands of people and will lead staff who manage and work within this facility named after her, to have a deeper and richer understanding for their work.  Fidelity to her story will also connect prospective residents and their families to her ministry and the authentic Catholic traditions that define us.

In November 2021, with representatives from the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth and local community, we broke ground on the project with our partners Perkins Builders and T&Z Architects.

This excellent initiative when completed, together with the ongoing growth of our home care division, brings more aged care services to the community and better positions us to deliver our Care with Purpose model of care.

Importantly, we are generating employment during and after the project’s construction, with more jobs available as the service becomes operational.

We look forward with great enthusiasm to opening this new 96-bed residence, with its modern accommodation, wellness centre and, dementia specific amenities in 2023.

A noteworthy achievement this year came when our home and community care service expanded to more than 700 clients in greater Perth and regional WA. The team is congratulated for their great compassion within the Christian call to serve those needing help to enjoy living in their own home longer.

As the year progressed, we saw the first cases of COVID-19 appear in the aged care sector in WA, and the emergence of the omicron variant.

Catholic Homes’ response again reflected our Catholic tradition to care for the most vulnerable and through enacting well-planned procedures we were able to protect our staff, residents and clients and keep the virus at bay. Staff are commended for their resilience and dedication to uphold the value and dignity of each other and our residents and clients we serve.

They responded to the words of Pope Francis “Please care for old people because they are the presence of history, the presence of the family. And it is thanks to them we are here. Please, do not leave them alone.

In response to the Aged Care Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, significant reforms to aged care in Australia continue.

The Board of Catholic Homes is committed to fulfilling its responsibilities to guide the organisation during current and future challenges faced by the sector.

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This reporting year we recognised the service of retiring Board member, David Barnao.

David’s contribution has been substantial and personal, having initially served Catholic Homes as a consultant, then joining the Board in mid-2015.

It has been a pleasure to share a part of the Catholic Homes journey with David and we wish him well for the future.

In April 2022, we welcomed Ward Italiano to the Board. Ward’s broad senior accounting, finance, risk and compliance experience from within the Catholic Church and the corporate sector adds greatly to our strategic and governance capabilities.

I sincerely acknowledge of the work and dedication of our exceptional staff and volunteers, led by our Executive Team and managers, who together strive to create a culture and ethos that reflects our Catholic identity and serve our residents and clients with holistic personalised care.

I also deeply thank my Board colleagues for their continued service and commitment to the ongoing success of Catholic Homes to continue the mission and healing ministry of Jesus Christ.

I close with [Sirach 3:12-13]:

“My son, be steadfast in honouring your father;
do not grieve him as long as he lives.
Even if his mind fails, be considerate of him;
do not revile him because you are in your prime.”

and the words of Pope Francis:

“Honour is a good word to frame this aspect of returning love that concerns old age. When we have received this love from our parents, now we return this love to our parents, to our grandparents.”

“Love for the human person that is common to us, including honouring a life lived, is not a matter for the old. Rather it is an ambition that will bring radiance to the youth who inherit its best qualities. May the wisdom of God’s Spirit grant us to open the horizon of this true cultural revolution with the necessary energy.”

John F Ogilvie KSG
Chairman

 

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