23
May
2018
|
04:00
Australia/Melbourne

Lending a helping hand

When one of Bupa’s teams was planning a team day, they wanted to do something to give back to the community; what better than a working bee?

The gardens at Bupa Clayton Aged Care Home in Victoria were in need of a makeover.

The grounds had been looking old and tired for some time and the home was due to get its gardens refurbished this year.

Normally, Bupa would hire a contractor to help with any landscaping or garden refurbishments to complete these types of tasks.

But when Bupa employees enquired about a team building exercise, what better opportunity than to spend their time helping out at one of Bupa’s care homes?

“We wanted to help bring something a little extra to the Clayton residents with some fun activities and a walk or two; along with brightness and colour at the front entry to Bupa Clayton with a revitalised garden,” said Liam Metzeling, Compliance Monitoring Officer.

The Risk and Compliance team who are split across three states, had more than 20 people attend the working bee.

“It was a really inspiring day. The team at Clayton do the most amazing job and we were honoured to be able to help them,” said Lorna Stewart, Bupa’s Chief Risk Officer.

The team split into two groups; an inside crew that would spend time with the residents, and an outdoor crew to help with landscaping the entry area of the home.

The majority of helpers were happy to assist working outside in the gardens; digging holes for new trees, laying mulch, planting and singing songs to help pass the time.

The inside group did several activities with the residents including a little exercise, arts and crafts - even a little ping-pong and game of Bocce.

 

Lorna Stewart, Bupa A&NZ Chief Risk Officer
It was also great to see the progress we made on the garden real time. A great reminder of our purpose
Lorna Stewart, Bupa A&NZ Chief Risk Officer

“Our interactions with the residents were great and it was fantastic to meet some our incredible aged care staff that are so dedicated to making the lives of the residents as comfortable and enjoyable as possible,” said Mr Metzeling.

“It was great to see everyone working together to give back and interact with the residents. They achieved everything they set out to do and it was ultimately the perfect result all round,” said Duncan Luc, Bupa Regional Asset Manager.