“Andrew has spearheaded an incredible transformation of our aged care business, alongside the team, delivering customer-centred outcomes and driving efficiencies during a notably challenging period for both our business and the sector,” Mr Stone said.

“Today, we have strong customer satisfaction, based on our resident and family surveys, and a business that continues to grow to meet rising demand for quality residential aged care.

“I want to thank Andrew for his significant contribution and dedication to Bupa. He leaves the business in a strong position for the future, with an experienced team focused on delivering high quality care for residents.”

Jayant Krishnan, currently Finance Director, BVAC Australia, will be appointed Interim Managing Director, BVAC and Jayant and Andrew will work closely over the coming months to ensure a smooth transition for the team. 

Mr Stone said Jayant has led the BVAC Finance team for almost four years and had played a broader leadership role across the business since Andrew stepped in to lead Customer and Strategy at Bupa. Jayant has been at Bupa since 2010 and has held a number of senior finance roles. He is a chartered accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne.

The new program, to launch in 2025, will see graduate nurses from both organisations given the opportunity to swap places for a three-month exchange, gaining valuable skills and experience to improve patient care at hospitals and residential aged care homes around the country. 

Ramsay Health Care’s Chief Nurse and Clinical Services Director, Associate Professor Bernadette Eather, said the program was a great professional development opportunity for graduates from both organisations, and would also benefit patients across Ramsay hospitals and residents in Bupa homes.  

“Graduates taking part in this program will learn important skills to take back to their workplace and to carry with them through their nursing career,” A/Professor Eather said.

“The program will offer our graduates comprehensive clinical experience and the development of key skills for managing aged care patients who can experience a variety of short and long-term health issues, as well as complex issues like dementia. These are important skills for nurses in hospitals and residential aged care homes, given our nation’s ageing population.

“Ramsay’s Graduate Pathways Program has been designed to ensure new graduates not only transition to the workforce from study, but to ensure they are set up for success, get a head start on their development and excel in their careers. This partnership with Bupa is another wonderful opportunity for our graduates to gain valuable training and experience in the management of elderly patients.

“In return, we can offer Bupa graduates acute nursing experience across our medical and surgical wards. The skills they will learn aim to assist in the early recognition and management of conditions that could be treated in the home without the requirement to transfer the resident to an emergency department for assessment.”

Managing Director Bupa Villages & Aged Care Australia Andrew Kinkade said with Australia’s ageing population, this program will help equip the next generation of nurses to support the needs of older Australians in a range of settings.

“Residents come into aged care with more complex needs than they did a few years ago and we continue to tailor our graduate programs accordingly.

“This partnership is the first time an aged care organisation has offered nurses the opportunity to work in a hospital setting as part of their graduate experience. At the same time, Ramsay graduates will gain experience working with multi-disciplinary teams and in building relationships with residents that go beyond acute care,” Mr Kinkade said.

This partnership is another example of how Ramsay and Bupa are working together to deliver better health outcomes and value for patients and residents while also building the skills and capabilities of the next generation of nurses.

Thirty women will commence paid traineeships across a range of carer, kitchen, maintenance and other roles in Bupa aged care homes in regional Victoria. The first eight women have already begun their placements at Bupa Echuca and Bupa Bendigo.

Bupa Aged Care and Villages Managing Director Andrew Kinkade said the partnership is an innovative way to both grow the aged care workforce and enable vulnerable women to have a real impact in caring for older Australians in regional Australia.

“We’ve already had wonderful feedback from both our new team members and our residents and families. The most important thing for us is the relationships formed between our residents and team members. Our new team members have great life experience and values and with the right training and support, they will excel and play a valued role in supporting older Australians.”

WomenCAN Australia is a charity which assists vulnerable women at risk of financial insecurity, including homelessness, to attain new skills and build independence.

“This sort of collaboration benefits everyone involved and actually really does change women’s lives by supporting them along a path we’ve proven leads to financial independence,” said WomenCAN Australia CEO and founder Mikaela Stafrace.

“What BUPA and WCA are doing together provides a model. We plan to get more and more women into training and jobs.’’

All participants will be supported by on-the-job training in Bupa’s aged care homes, including external training through an accredited program. Once they have successfully completed the training, participants will be offered a permanent role with Bupa.

29 October 2021 - information sent to care home residents and whānau

Dear Care Home residents, families and whānau,

Following the announcement of four community cases of COVID-19 in Christchurch, in an abundance of caution, to make sure we keep our residents safe, we have decided to close our Christchurch Care Homes (including Rangiora) to all external visitors, effective from 11.59pm tonight, Friday 29 October.

The only exceptions are visits to residents in end-of-life or palliative care or visits for compassionate reasons. Please let me know if you’d like to arrange a visit in these circumstances.

The Government continues to gather information on these new cases to identify close contacts and any locations of interest. There have already been 13 Christchurch locations added to the Ministry of Health list. Please regularly check these and if you have attended one of the listed locations during the relevant timeframes, follow Ministry of Health advice.

This decision will be reviewed on Monday 1 November once we have received more information from the Government and have a clearer picture of the outbreak in Christchurch.

We understand this has been sudden and has an impact on our residents, their whānau and our people, however we ask for your understanding and patience as we manage this situation together.

In the meantime, we will have digital devices available for our residents so that they can stay connected with their families.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.

Stay safe. Kia kaha

12 October 2021 - information sent to care home residents and whānau

Dear residents, families and whānau,

The Government has announced that Auckland will be staying at COVID-19 Alert Level 3 for another week. This Alert Level will be reviewed next Monday 18 October.

This means there continues to be no changes to the restrictions in place at our Care Homes.

We will continue to keep up to date with Ministry of Health advice and review the situation as more information is provided.

We wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of what Alert Level 3 restrictions mean for you and your loved ones:

• Visits to the care home, on compassionate grounds, remain available. Please let me know if you’d like to arrange a visit in these circumstances.
• Now, more than ever, it is important to keep in touch with loved ones using digital devices. The use of a laptop and/or smart phone is available so that families can stay connected. We welcome families providing their loved one with a device if you wish to do so.

We are very aware that these continued restrictions mean that you’ve spent a large amount of time away from your loved ones, and we cannot thank you enough for your understanding and support.

We continue to do our best to care for our residents during these times and to provide them with fun and meaningful activities, as well as ways to keep in touch with family and whānau.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.

Stay safe. Kia kaha,

12 October 2021 - information sent to village residents

Dear residents,

The Government has announced that Auckland will be staying at COVID-19 Alert Level 3 for another week. This Alert Level will be reviewed next Monday 18 October.

This means there continues to be no changes to the guidelines in place at our Retirement Villages.

We wanted to take this opportunity to remind you what Level 3 means for you and your loved ones at Bupa:

• If you have a care home on site, the doors between the care home and village will remain closed.
• Any community centres or communal areas will remain closed.
• There continues to be no resident activities or van outings.
• Visitors who are in your exclusive extended bubble under Alert Level 3, and who you invite into your home, need to sign in with the Government NZ COVID-19 Tracer app, or sign in manually, and observe hygiene protocols.
• If applicable, Respite, Day Care and Wellness Clinics are still not available.
• If your village offers a meal service, this will continue to be available through contactless delivery. Milk deliveries will continue.

We will continue to keep up to date with Ministry of Health advice and review the situation as more information is provided.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.

Stay safe. Kia kaha,

Northland and Waikato Alert Level 3 Extension

12 October 2021 - information sent to care home residents and whānau 

Dear residents, families and whānau,

The Government has announced that Waikato and Northland will stay at Alert Level 3 for the next three days, with the intention to move down Alert Levels at 11.59pm on Thursday 14 October, but this will be confirmed on Wednesday.

For all our Care Homes and Villages in Waikato and Northland, for now, there is no change to what we are doing – our Care Homes remain closed to all external visitors.

We will continue to keep up to date with Ministry of Health advice and review the situation as more information is provided.

Below is a reminder of what Alert Level 3 restrictions mean for you and your loved ones:

• Visits, on compassionate grounds, remain available. Please let me know if you’d like to arrange a visit in these circumstances.
• Now, more than ever, it is important to keep in touch with loved ones using digital devices. The use of a laptop and/or smart phone is available so that families can stay connected. We welcome families providing their loved one with a device if you wish to do so.

We continue to do our best to care for our residents during these times and to provide them with fun and meaningful activities, as well as ways to keep in touch with family and whānau.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.

Stay safe. Kia kaha

12 October 2021 - information sent to village residents 

Dear residents,

The Government has announced that Waikato and Northland will stay at Alert Level 3 for the next three days, with the intention to move down Alert Levels at 11.59pm on Thursday 14 October, but this will be confirmed on Wednesday.

This means there is no changes to the restrictions in place at our Retirement Villages.

Below is a reminder on what Level 3 means for you and your loved ones at Bupa:

• If you have a care home on site, the doors between the care home and village will remain closed.
• Any community centres or communal areas will remain closed.
• There continue to be no resident activities or van outings.
• Visitors who are in your exclusive extended bubble under Alert Level 3, and who you invite into your home, need to sign in with the Government NZ COVID-19 Tracer app, or sign in manually, and observe hygiene protocols.
• If applicable, Respite, Day Care and Wellness Clinics are still not available.
• If your village offers a meal service, this will continue to be available through contactless delivery. Milk deliveries will continue.

We will continue to keep up to date with Ministry of Health advice and review the situation as more information is provided.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.

Stay safe. Kia kaha,

21 September 2021 - information sent to care home residents and whānau  in Auckland for Alert Level 3 change

Dear Care Home residents, families and whānau,

The Government has confirmed that Auckland will be moving to COVID-19 Alert Level 3 from 11.59pm tonight, 21^st September. The rest of the country (except for the Upper Hauraki area) will be staying at Alert Level 2.

The Government will review these Alert Levels in two weeks’ time, on Monday 4th October.

For our people iPreview release n Auckland, a move down Alert Levels will come as a welcome reprieve after almost five weeks in Level 4 lockdown. This is a significant step and acknowledges the risk of contracting COVID-19 has lessened. However, the public health risk has not been fully eliminated and, therefore, we still have significant restrictions on our day-to-day lives.

We wanted to remind you that at Alert Level 3 all of our Bupa Care Homes will remain closed to all external visitors, unless they provide essential services.

A reminder about what this means for you and your loved ones:

• We will continue to have exceptions for visits on compassionate grounds, so please do reach out to me to arrange your visit if this applies to you and your loved one.
• We will continue to offer the use of a laptop and/or smart phone so that families can stay connected at this time.
• We will continue to closely follow the Ministry of Health updates and revise our instructions as new information comes to hand.

Thank you, again, for your continued support through these challenging times.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Stay safe. Kia kaha

21 September 2021 - information sent to village residents in Auckland for Alert Level 3 change

Dear residents,

The Government has confirmed that Auckland will be moving to COVID-19 Alert Level 3 from 11.59pm tonight, 21^st September. The rest of the country (except for the Upper Hauraki area) will be staying at Alert Level 2.

The Government will review these Alert Levels in two weeks’ time, on Monday 4th October.

For our people in Auckland, a move down Alert Levels will come as a welcome reprieve after almost five weeks in Level 4 lockdown. This is a significant step and acknowledges the risk of contracting COVID-19 has lessened. However, the public health risk has not been fully eliminated and, therefore, we still have significant restrictions on our day-to-day lives.

At Alert Level 3, the rules that apply to the general public also apply to village residents. However, we ask that you apply extra caution wherever you can. Please follow the below guidance:

• The doors between the Care Home and Village will remain closed. We continue to ask that there is no movement between Villages and Care Homes.  We understand this can be challenging if you have a loved one or friend you wish to visit but this restriction is in place so that we keep our residents as safe as possible from the threat of potential infection.
• The community centre and communal areas will remain closed to everyone, including residents.
• There will be no resident activities at Alert Level 3. In some Villages, residents may wish to use the library. If you would like library books, please let me know and I can get them and leave at your door.

• Please be vigilant in following the Ministry of Health guidelines which includes staying home, when possible, and taking extra precautions when leaving home or touching surfaces. You can leave the Village to exercise, go shopping, and keep medical appointments, but if you are not well, please remain in the Village (unless leaving for medical reasons). If you do choose to leave the village, please take proper precautions and wear a mask.

• The new advice from the Government is that anyone over 65 years of age is to stay home until you're vaccinated, as Level 3 poses a higher level of risk. If you have not managed to have your vaccinations yet, and would like my support in getting them, please get in touch.
• Please continue to stay in your household bubble but as per the Government’s guidance, you may now expand your bubble to connect with one other household e.g. a family/whānau member(s). Please remember to keep your bubble exclusive and only include people where it will keep you and them safe and well. In relation to visitors:

• • Permitted visitors are required to stay in your home and observe hygiene protocols.

• • Permitted visitors should sign in with the Government NZ COVID-19 Tracer app, or sign in manually.

• Respite, Day Care and Wellness Clinics are still not available to Village residents.

• Van outings remain suspended.

• The meal service to Village residents will continue to be available through contactless delivery. If you require assistance with shopping please let the Village Manager know. Milk deliveries will continue at Alert Level 3.

• Our partner, Securely, will answer any call bells and arrange ambulance services, if required. Please note that our Care Home employees won't be responding to call bells from village residents at Alert Level 3.

Thank you all for working with us through this time of Alert Level changes.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions about the changes.

Stay safe. Kia kaha,

Rest of New Zealand

21 September 2021 - information sent to care home residents and whānau  for Alert Level 2

Dear Care Home residents and whānau,

The Government has announced that all of New Zealand, except Auckland and the Upper Hauraki area, will be staying at COVID-19 Alert Level 2.

However, the Level 2 rules are changing to allow a maximum of 100 people to gather, including at hospitality venues (up from 50 people).

The Government will review this Alert Level in two weeks’ time, on Monday 4th October.

For all of our Bupa Care Homes under Alert Level 2, we will continue to be open for visiting, with the same restrictions in place. As a reminder the key restrictions for our visitors are:

• Please do not visit if you feel at all unwell, if you have been at a location of interest, if you have been in contact with someone confirmed to have COVID-19, or if you are living with someone who is:
  ● a close contact, or
  ● isolating due to being at a location of interest, or
  ● is being tested for COVID-19 as directed by a GP or the Ministry of Health.

• We require all visitors to wear masks, enter through the main reception, sanitise your hands on arrival and complete contact tracing.

We continue to closely follow the Ministry of Health updates and will revise our guidelines as new information comes to hand.

Thank you so much for your patience, tolerance and support. Together we will get through this.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Stay safe. Kia kaha,

21 September 2021 - information sent to village residents for Alert Level 2

Dear residents,

The Government has announced that all of New Zealand, except Auckland and the Upper Hauraki area, will be staying at COVID-19 Alert Level 2.

However, the Level 2 rules will be changing to allow a maximum of 100 people to gather, including at hospitality venues (up from 50 people).

The Government will review this Alert Level in two weeks’ time, on Monday 4th October.

For all of our Bupa Retirement Villages under Alert Level 2, we will continue to be open for visiting. As a reminder, the key restrictions still in place are:

• We require all visitors to enter through the main reception, sanitise their hands on arrival and complete contact tracing.

• Please continue to observe personal hygiene and physical distancing of 1 metre where possible in the Community Centre and communal areas, with a maximum of 100 people in the space at one time.

• Visitors and residents can use communal spaces but must continue to wear masks while doing so.

• At Alert Level 2 all visitors to our Care Homes are required to wear masks. If you wish to visit someone within the Care Home, please either bring your own mask or we will provide one if needed.

The rules that apply to the general public also apply to village residents, but we ask that you continue to apply extra caution wherever you can. Alert Level 2 guidance can be found at covid19.govt.nz.

We continue to closely follow the Ministry of Health updates and will revise our guidance as new information comes to hand.

Thank you so much for your patience, tolerance and support. Together we will get through this.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Stay safe. Kia kaha,

Dear residents, families and whānau,

We are now one week into our second COVID-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown, with the Government announcing this afternoon that this will be extended for 4 days for all of New Zealand, until 11.59pm Friday 27^th August.

Auckland will stay in Alert Level 4 until 11.59pm Tuesday 31^st August.

As you know, under Alert Level 4 our Care Homes and Villages will remain closed to all external visitors, unless they provide essential services.

We will continue to have exceptions for visits on compassionate grounds, so please do reach out to me to arrange your visit if this applies to you and your loved one.

Thank you all very much for working with us through these challenging times, to keep yourselves and your loved ones safe and protected from the risk of infection.

We will continue to offer the use of a laptop and/or smart phone so that families can stay connected at this time. Again, please reach out to me if you need support setting up digital contact with a loved one.

We will continue to closely follow the Ministry of Health updates and revise our instructions as new information comes to hand.

If you have any questions or if I can help you in any way, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Stay safe. Kia kaha

23 August 2021 - information sent to village residents and whānau under Alert Level 4 

Dear residents,

We are now one week into our second COVID-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown, with the Government announcing this afternoon that this will be extended for 4 days for all of New Zealand, until 11.59pm Friday 27^th August.

Auckland will stay in Alert Level 4 until 11.59pm Tuesday 31^st August.

As you know, under Alert Level 4 our Care Homes and Villages will remain closed to all external visitors, unless they provide essential services.

Thank you all very much for working with us through these challenging times, to keep yourselves and your loved ones safe and protected from the risk of infection.

We will continue to closely follow the Ministry of Health updates and revise our instructions as new information comes to hand.

If you have any questions or if I can help you in any way, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Stay safe. Kia kaha

Dear Care Home residents and whānau,

I hope you are all doing okay through this challenging time.

As I am sure you would have seen, the Government has announced that COVID-19 Alert Level 4 will be extended for all of New Zealand until 11.59pm Tuesday 24^th August (as was the case for Auckland and the Coromandel). This means our Care Homes and Villages will remain closed to all external visitors.

We understand that the continued restrictions, and not being able to see your loved ones, can be difficult. Please be assured, we are doing all we can to keep you and your loved ones safe at this time. Thank you for your understanding as we manage this situation together.

As I mentioned in my letter earlier in the week, we do have exceptions on compassionate grounds, so please do reach out to me to arrange your visit if this applies to you and your loved one.

We do encourage you to stay in touch with each other through digital means. If your loved one does not have their own device, we will continue to offer the use of a laptop and/or smart phone so that families stay connected at this time. Please reach out to me if you need support setting up digital contact with a loved one.

If you wish to send food, general parcels or laundry to your loved one, then please do so via a courier service. Courier services have the necessary hygiene protocols in place and also use contactless delivery.

We will be offering our residents extra snacks and treats during Alert Level 4, so they are not missing out on things that you may ordinarily be providing for them on your visits.

If you have any questions or if I can help you in any way, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Stay safe. Kia kaha

20 August 2021 - information sent to village residents and whānau under Alert Level 4 

I hope you are doing okay through this challenging time.

As I am sure you would have seen, the Government has announced that COVID-19 Alert Level 4 will be extended for all of New Zealand until 11.59pm Tuesday 24^th August (as was the case for Auckland and the Coromandel).

This means our Villages and Care Homes remain closed to all external visitors, with previous restrictions in place.

We understand that the continued restrictions, and not being able to see family and friends, can be difficult, but we know you appreciate a cautious approach to keep everybody safe. Thank you for your understanding as we manage this situation together.

If you are in the Auckland or Coromandel region, there are a number of locations of interest and we encourage you to keep checking these. If you have been to any of these locations of interest during the relevant time period or share your villa or unit with someone who has, then there are rules around self-isolating. Please check the Ministry of Health website on www.health.govt.nz for further information, or please check with me if you are unsure and I will help you.

It is really important that we all continue to be vigilant and follow the Ministry of Health guidelines, which includes not congregating in groups, not leaving the Village unless for exercise or grocery shopping and continuing good hand hygiene.

As you may know, the Government has made wearing a mask compulsory, when visiting essential services such as supermarkets, pharmacies and petrol stations. Masks must also be worn at public transport departure points, for example train stations and bus stops, in taxi or ride-share vehicles, and, when visiting healthcare facilities.

We will be starting milk deliveries again next week, so please keep an eye out for this.

If you have any questions or if I can help in any way, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Stay safe. Kia kaha,

“Comprehensive, holistic action needs to be taken to improve the aged care sector. This Report represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to come together and commit to providing older Australians with the high-quality care and dignity they deserve, now and into the future.”

Bupa supports recommendations that will improve quality of care, build a capable, caring and valued workforce, and increase funding to reflect the true cost of caring for older Australians and the expectations of an ageing Australia.

“The Commissioners have produced a comprehensive proposal for reform and we support the Government’s commitment, outlined today, to transforming aged care.

“The challenge will be ensuring this results in a genuine and lasting difference to older people and our community – of which industry is a critical part – to meet the evolving needs of an ageing population.”

Mr El-Ansary welcomed the focus on residential care in both the Report and the Government’s initial response.

“Recent investment in the sector has supported people who increasingly want to stay in their homes for as long as possible, but we also need to recognise that residential care homes remain an important adjunct for many Australians. As our population ages and care needs increase, residential care is often the only option for many.

“We are pleased to see residential aged care quality, safety and sustainability listed as key pillars in the Government’s response to the Report,” Mr El-Ansary said.

“With thousands of older Australians entrusted to Bupa’s care, we are committed to continuing to make the necessary changes and building on the work we have already begun to ensure our residents always feel supported in our homes.”

Mr El-Ansary said as the report had just been released, Bupa would take some time to consider its recommendations and share its response.

Dementia affects close to 500,000 Australians, many of whom continue to lead active and healthy lives. Keeping up with activities they enjoy is one way people living with dementia can help maintain their quality of life.

In some cases, this is using skills they already had such as regular household chores, and in others, it’s finding creative activities to help relax the mind. That’s exactly what Maurice and Betty at Bupa Windsor have found in their creative outlets.

Maurice Wild

Maurice is Bupa Windsor’s resident artist and often acts as a spokesperson for the care home’s other residents.

In his time at Bupa Windsor, Maurice has started participating in local community painting classes. He has produced amazing paintings that are proudly displayed on the care home walls, often generating conversation between residents and staff.

Once he established his love for painting, he took his idea even further by creating a range of seasonal cards which he now sells to create awareness of Parkinson’s Disease.

Maurice has also been part of interview panels for recruiting new staff, including the home’s recently hired recreational officer and maintenance officer.

Betty McIntosh

Betty is a gifted knitter and an extremely talented painter.

Her knitting speciality is teddy bears, which she now makes to order for residents, families, employees and volunteers.

Betty’s Teddies are in such high demand, that it can often take weeks for her to fill her pre-orders – although nobody seems to mind the wait.

When asked why she does this, Betty says that the smile on peoples’ faces when they get one of her teddy bears is priceless and gives her endless joy.

Bupa voluntarily reported the issue to the ACCC and other regulators and began a remediation program for impacted residents. Since Bupa started contacting impacted residents in July 2018, around 85% of those impacted have been reimbursed with interest or are in the process of receiving final payments.

Suzanne Dvorak, Managing Director Bupa Villages and Aged Care Australia, apologised for the error and the impact on residents and their families.

“Having a family member enter aged care is often a stressful time, and we are deeply sorry for our mistake, which impacted some of our residents and their loved ones,” Ms Dvorak said.

“As soon as we discovered our error, we voluntarily reported the issue to the ACCC and other regulators, and began the work to ensure we compensated residents fairly and quickly. All of our current residents, and most former residents, who were impacted have been compensated with interest.

“We have also strengthened our internal processes and training as a result of this issue. We have since voluntarily revoked ‘extra service status’ in all of our care homes, which means we no longer charge extra for these services where we offer them,” Ms Dvorak said.

Bupa confirmed that a small number of former residents have not yet received reimbursement due to outdated contact details, however Bupa is continuing to attempt to contact next of kin as a priority.

As part of the approved settlement, Bupa admitted that its conduct breached the Australian Consumer Law. In accordance with the Federal Court’s orders, Bupa is formally required to continue with its remediation program, pay a penalty of $6 million and take other action including by implementing an Australian Consumer Law compliance program.

Anyone who believes a direct relative may have been impacted and hasn’t received a reimbursement is encouraged to contact Bupa on 1300 072 311.

Media Reference Number: 20/057

To mark the occasion, we spoke to an aspiring nurse at our Wodonga aged care home, Bhakta Bhattari. Bhakta has recently completed his nursing degree and is in the final stages of becoming a registered nurse.

Born and raised in a Bhutanese refugee camp in Nepal, Bhakta was 16 when he moved to Wodonga with his parents and three brothers in 2012.

“Coming to Australia was amazing, but it was also a huge challenge. Life in the refugee camp was very tough, and I had to relearn a lot of things to adapt to the cultural differences in Australia. I made a lot of friends quickly through school and playing soccer,” Bhakta said.

“There weren’t many other refugees in my school when I first moved here, but the following year, there were around 15-20 and I was determined to help guide them through the challenges. I’ve always loved helping people and I see myself as a leader. I’d put this down to my experiences in the refugee camp.”

Bhakta said there were around 17,000 people living in the refugee camp at the time and just one hospital with few doctors and nurses. Even those with the most severe illnesses could take a week to be seen.

“Seeing my friends suffering and dying without sufficient care just made me want to help and give back. Nursing was my childhood dream.”

A teacher at Wodonga Senior Secondary told Bhakta that working in aged care could be a good pathway into nursing, so once he finished school, he started his degree and lined up an assistant in nursing job at the Bupa Wodonga aged care home, where he’s worked since early 2017.

“I’m a really chatty person so I love talking with the elderly residents and sharing my story. They tell me about their lives and give me advice about life. It’s amazing how similar many of our stories are and how much we have in common.

“I have so much love and respect for the elderly, I feel like I’m looking after my grandmothers and grandfathers. This has made it really hard to have to say goodbye to some of the residents who have passed away, but as a health professional we need to be able to manage this and continue on with our job,” Bhakta added.

Bhakta’s passion for helping others is evident through his extensive community work. In 2015, fresh out of high school, he began volunteering at community events for the local council.

In 2017 he established Albury Wodonga Multicultural Community Events where he organises events that bring together people from diverse backgrounds while promoting social cohesion, often funded out of his own pocket. It was this community involvement that saw Bhakta jointly awarded as the 2020 Wodonga Young Citizen of the Year.

Bhakta is a shining example of someone committed to ‘Nursing the World to Health’, and Bupa is proud to have him in our team.

Media reference number: 20/055

With that in mind, the Bupa team wanted to say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to everyone across the broader team, to let them know how proud we are of them, and how much their hard work and dedication is appreciated. These videos, shared with the Bupa teams, are the result.

Thank you to everyone who is in the frontline. We see you. We appreciate you. Thank you.

Berwick, Vic:

Bupa Berwick resident, Stanley Excell, has a special connection to the day with his mother, father and two uncles all serving. At Bupa Berwick’s Anzac Day event, Stanley took great pride in showing his family photograph and sharing his story.

Stanley’s mother, Hazel was a nurse, who passed away in her late 60s. His father Joseph was sent to France in the First World War. Despite receiving a gunshot wound to his right shoulder during the War, Joseph lived out his days as a farmer until he passed at the age of 101. Unfortunately, his two uncles, Thomas and Percy, passed during the War.

Traralgon, Vic:

As a veteran himself, putting on an Anzac Day to remember for his residents was particularly important to acting General Manager at Bupa Traralgon, Andrew Bonnitcha. Andrew served in the Royal Australian Airforce for more than 30 years.

While residents would normally attend the local community event, this year they held a closed ceremony which included the Ode to the Fallen read by one of the residents, John Elsum, who served with the Royal Australian Navy in World War II.

Eden, NSW:

While Bupa Eden residents and employees missed the usual buzz of support of the local RSL, they were grateful to be able to enjoy a smaller gathering at the care home to commemorate the day and remember those who served.

The day wouldn’t have been complete without enjoying a morning tea of homemade Anzac biscuits.

Glenvale, Qld:

At Bupa Glenvale in Toowoomba, residents stepped in to help out with the service by performing parts of the ceremony that would normally be done by visiting service men and women.

Residents sang the national anthem, read the Ode and raised and lowered the Australian flag. They also laid homemade wreaths and enjoyed a barbecue and a quiet drink to complete the day. The team at Glenvale said this year was particularly special with residents taking on ownership of the event.

New Zealand:

Residents at Bupa Cedar Manor in Tauranga planted poppies to remember the fallen Anzac soldiers. Residents held the New Zealand flag as they shared stories about their own family members going off to war. With some residents just children themselves at the time, they recalled great challenges and hardship at home while the men were off fighting in battle.

Bupa Tararu and Bupa Winara commemorated Anzac Day by making their own poppies. Many homes held ceremonies and participated in the virtual Dawn Service.

The decision to close our homes to visitors was an extremely difficult one, but our absolute priority is to protect people. I also know that it was the right move. As has been demonstrated around the world, tough decisions to contain the virus are Australia’s best defence in saving lives. We need to take firm measures to keep the virus out of our homes and protect the lives of residents and staff. I make no apologies for this.

I also wanted to reinforce that exceptions will always be made on compassionate grounds, such as for those who are receiving palliative care. We are here to support you at an exceptionally difficult time.

For those who can’t visit, I know that it is very difficult not to have daily, physical contact with your loved ones. We’re using technology to help bridge the gap. Skype calls, video chats, video messages and regular phone calls have been set up throughout our homes. It’s been wonderful to hear of the great interactions that our residents have been having with their family members during this time by using technology to its fullest.

Our residents have also been receiving beautiful letters and artwork from members of the community through our Visits by Mail program, to help keep residents connected and put smiles on their faces. We are also establishing private Facebook Groups for each of our 72 care homes, so that our teams can share more of the daily activities in which our residents are participating, and family members can take part in group discussions, sharing their ideas and their feedback. We will be sharing more on this with our resident’s families soon.

Finally, let me assure you that residents still move freely around their homes and are regularly accompanied outdoors. We know this is absolutely fundamental to a happy life. In fact, one of the reasons we adopted these tighter restrictions was so we could ensure that our residents could continue to enjoy this freedom of movement.

We know these are not perfect solutions, but this is not a perfect time. It is requiring significant adjustments and sacrifices from everyone. I thank our residents, their families and our amazing team for everything they are doing to make the best of things during this time.

I’d be happy to hear your thoughts and any ideas you have by emailing here.

If you’re looking for activities for your kids to do at home – here’s an idea for you. Ask your children to write a letter and/or draw a picture for one of our aged care residents. Then post it to one of our 72 homes (addresses available here).

The World Health Organisation has advised it’s safe to receive letters and packages with coronavirus dying on most dry surfaces within a few hours,¹ so writing letters is a great way to keep older Australians connected without needing to be physically with them.

What could you include in your letter?

• Tell them about you and your family. Where do you live? Where do you go to school or kinder? What’s your favourite thing to do? How about your favourite colour? Do you have grandparents of your own?
• Let them know why you wanted to write to them.
• Send them your best wishes: Take care, Wishing you well, Hope you’re feeling healthy and happy.
• Include a drawing of whatever makes you happy!
• If you wish, include your name and return address so our residents can respond to you if they’d like to.

Take some photos of your child’s creations and share them on social media with #VisitsByMail to encourage others to get involved!

Want to know how else you can help?

Don’t have kids? Ask your niece, nephew, neighbour, or go ahead and write a letter yourself!

Why not ask your child’s school or day care to get involved?

We’re also asking our care homes to share pictures when they receive their letters, so keep an eye out on the hashtag to see your masterpieces putting a smile on someone’s face.

What will this mean to our residents?

Suzanne Dvorak, Managing Director, Bupa Villages & Aged Care, Australia said it’s important to keep people connected at this time.

“This could be a friendship that lasts for a very long time. It might be started in difficulty but end up being a very meaningful and worthwhile relationship.

“Our residents are remarkable, they’re a generation of people with grace and resilience. This is an opportunity for them also to teach some of the younger generation ways of manages through time’s they haven’t experienced before,” Ms Dvorak said.

Here’s how this is already working at Bupa Maroubra:

Students from our Seniors and Teens Empathy Program, a program run by Social Enterprises Heart and Soul Story, at Bupa Maroubra were so disappointed when their intergenerational meetings with residents were cancelled. Not to be discouraged, the students took matters into their own hands and started sending pictures and letters to stay connected to the residents of Bupa Maroubra.

Christine Gannon, GM at Bupa Maroubra, said receiving the pictures and letters have helped the residents still feel connected to the broader community. “It’s a difficult time for residents in all our homes at the moment, but this has been a really lovely way to remind them that everyone is thinking of them. I’d encourage everyone with kids at home, or at school, to get involved and help keep our residents smiling!”

1. Coronavirus (COVID-19) information for cargo and mail workers