Uniting AgeWell

29/11/2025

With a career at Uniting AgeWell that spans decades, Evan Kyrkou, Application Support Team Leader was celebrated as a most worthy winner of the 2025 Excellence Award Corporate and Support Services at the recent AgeWell Awards held at The Edge, Federation Square.

Evan has made an outstanding contribution to the AlayaCare Cloud project, demonstrating exceptional dedication, resilience and leadership, supporting the business through a complex and high-impact transformation. His tireless efforts ensured seamless application support, proactive issue resolution and engagement across the organisation.

A pillar of support for the team and instrument in the success of the AlayaCare Cloud rollout, Evan exemplifies the values of excellence, commitment and service, consistently going above and beyond to maintain system stability, enable user adoption, deliver timely solutions and meet critical milestones.

Evan gave thanks to all those who have helped him, “My goal as a manager has always been to support, inspire and enable my team to be the best that they can and to provide them with the best opportunities to upskill themselves. Also to never lose sight of the clients and residents we are looking after. The last 18 months have been the most challenging for the team and myself and they have shown their resilience and skills to navigate their way through everything that has been presented to them. As a team they have always punched above their weight. This award also represents their support, effort and teamwork.”

You can find out more about Evan's impact by watching his video here:
https://www.unitingagewell.org/agewell-awards/agewell-awards-2025/

29/11/2025

Meet Jodie Branch, a Care Organiser in our Tasmania South Home Care Team who is the 2025 winner of Uniting AgeWell's Excellence Award - Home and Community Tasmania.

Jodie demonstrates an unwavering commitment in her role as Care Organiser. Highly respected by her colleagues, Jodie leads with integrity, expertise and compassion, providing outstanding support and going above and beyond for our customers. As a trusted problem solver and key resource within the office, Jodie exemplifies the values of Uniting AgeWell and is highly deserving of recognition for her dedication and positive impact.

Recognised by her colleagues for her advocacy for her customers, their choices and their right to live and age as they wish - you can watch Jodie's story here: https://www.unitingagewell.org/agewell-awards/agewell-awards-2025/

28/11/2025

Congratulations Sussy on winning the Excellence Award – Home and Community Victoria for 2025!

With over 30 years experience, Sussy Vasquez-Lozano is the Program Manager for Uniting AgeWell's Commonwealth Home Support Program in the Melbourne South Metro Region.

This award recognises Sussy's outstanding dedication and commitment to service excellence at Uniting AgeWell, enabling our customers to live and age well.

Sussy is an inspiring leader and highly regarded mentor who consistently demonstrates Uniting AgeWell’s values and a commitment to excellence, guiding her team with clarity, expertise and unwavering support.

Sussy’s mentorship has empowered many staff members to achieve both personal and professional growth. Her compassionate approach and positive attitude, combined with a strong work ethic and deep knowledge of aged care, ensures that both clients and colleagues are supported and valued.

Sussy’s leadership not only drives high performance but also fosters an inclusive and respectful workplace culture where staff feel empowered to deliver their best.

Visibly moved when she received the award, Sussy said, “Thank you to the clients who are all an inspiration for what we do every day.” She also thanked all those who helped, worked with, mentored and inspired her, including her team who she described as family.

You can find out more about Sussy in the words of her colleagues by watching her video here:https://www.unitingagewell.org/agewell-awards/agewell-awards-2025/

28/11/2025

Meet Candice Hayers, an Extended Care Assistant at Sorell Community, Ningana in Tasmania. Candice is now also the winner of the Excellence Award - Residential Tasmania for 2025.

Candice, who has been in the role for over six years, said she was deeply honoured to receive the award. “Working in aged care means so much to me, and the residents are the reason why. They teach me, inspire me and bring joy to my days. I am grateful to work with such a wonderful team. We support each other and work hard together. This award reflects all of us.”

Candice truly embodies Uniting AgeWell’s core values, bringing empathy, respect and kindness to every interaction with residents and colleagues. Her leadership is distinguished by a heartfelt commitment to person-centred care and service excellence, inspiring others through meaningful improvements and a genuine passion for enhancing the resident experience.

Candice’s reliability and support make her highly valued by staff and residents alike. Her strong advocacy for diversity and inclusion helps create an environment where everyone feels welcomed, respected and empowered to thrive.

You can find out more about how Candice brings magic to residents' lives by watching her video here:https://www.unitingagewell.org/agewell-awards/agewell-awards-2025/

27/11/2025

The winner of Uniting AgeWell's Excellence Award - Residential Victoria is Sevika Dahal, Registered Nurse Supervisor, Strath-Haven Community, Bendigo

Taking to the stage at the AgeWell Awards, Sevika thanked everyone for the award which she labelled as a great recognition for all the hardworking aged care workers. “I am so proud of the difference we can make to the organisation and to our residents. It is a dream come true to be part of an organisation where we are strongly supported by management.”

Sevika's award citation sums up why she is such a deserving winner:
Sevika is an outstanding nurse who truly goes above and beyond in her care of residents. Her warmth, integrity and leadership have made a profound difference at Strath-Haven Community and her genuine compassion uplifts residents and inspires colleagues, while her calm and inclusive approach creates a sense of trust and belonging. Sevika’s unwavering dedication to quality care and her ability to connect with everyone around her set a shining example of excellence in residential care.

You can find out more about Sevika's impact by watching her video here:
https://www.unitingagewell.org/agewell-awards/agewell-awards-2025/

26/11/2025

Uniting AgeWell's BEST Team of the Year for 2025 is the Allied Health Team!

This award acknowledges the team for consistently living their BEST and making a difference by role modelling a workplace culture reflective of the BEST philosophy, Uniting AgeWell’s values and Customer Promise and Charter.

Their award citation sums up why the Allied Health Team is such a deserving winner:
With heart and a commitment to excellence, the Allied Health Team has brought the BEST philosophy to life – believing in every customer, excelling through service innovation and the establishment of new wellness centres, supporting one another as the team doubled in strength and went through a period of rapid growth, and earning the trust and heartfelt praise from our community along the way.

Together you have made an extraordinary impact, set an inspiring service benchmark and made a meaningful difference in the lives of our customers.

Clare Irvine Director, AgeWell Centres and senior representatives of the team took to the stage to receive the accolade at the AgeWell Awards held at The Edge, Federation Square on Thursday 20 November, while team members across Victoria and Tasmania were able to join the celebrations via the event Livestream.

“Thank you so much for this incredible recognition, I am proud to accept this on behalf of the Allied Health team,” Clare said. “Deep gratitude to Andrew, Fonda and the Board. Your investment, support and belief in where we can take this team is why we are here today.”

She thanked the managers of the program and the practice leads, and paid tribute to her teams and their dedication.
“I started as a manager at the Allied Health team with 20 odd staff. We are now at 74 with lots of active recruitment underway. The future is looking bright.”

You can find out more about the work of Uniting AgeWell's growing Allied Health Team and their impact by watching their video here:

The AgeWell Awards celebrate Uniting AgeWell staff who lead by example, who inspire others through their commitment to supporting people to live and age well and consistently demonstrate Uniting AgeWell’s values and BEST principles in their work and actions.

26/11/2025

Meet Uniting AgeWell's Employee of the Year 2025 - Nickie Arthur.

It was to the backdrop of thunderous applause and a standing ovation that Nickie was named Employee of the Year 2025 at the AgeWell Awards on Thursday, 20 November 2025. She was also earlier announced as the winner of the Living Our Values Award

An emotional Nickie said, “Thank you so much for this incredible honour. I feel as though my entire role at Uniting AgeWell is reliant on every single member of every team that I interact with, and I am privileged to interact with lots and lots of our teams.

“I really believe deeply in Uniting AgeWell, in the journey that we go on with our customers and their families, and empowering and supporting our staff to do this as well as we do it.”

She added: “Kindness really is incredibly inspiring. And I think that is what inspires me: the kindness that we show. The kindness that is shown to me.”

Nickie exemplifies the spirit and values of Uniting AgeWell through her unwavering compassion, empathy and integrity. Her quiet strength, genuine care and commitment to continuous improvement inspire those around her. She deals with challenging situations with grace and importantly, enables everybody to have a voice, to be heard and to feel respected.
Her dedication to service improvement is evident in her leadership of customer service training, her proactive response to complaints and her commitment to resolving issues fairly and professionally.

Always a reliable guide, Nickie helps her colleagues to remain focused on person-centred care and the needs of customers, building trust, fostering connection and making a lasting difference in our workplace culture and in the lives of our customers.

You can find out more about Nickie's impact by watching her video here:

The AgeWell Awards celebrate Uniting AgeWell staff who lead by example, who inspire others through their commitment to supporting people to live and age well and consistently demonstrate Uniting AgeWell’s values and BEST principles in their work and actions.

25/11/2025

Introducing the 2025 Year in Review

At the Year in Review and AgeWell Awards Event on Thursday 20 November, CEO Andrew Kinnersly took great pride in presenting the 2025 Year in Review, a comprehensive and engaging video insight into the extraordinary year it has been.

Andrew addressed the 300 strong audience of colleagues from across Uniting AgeWell’s services, representatives of the Uniting Church and business partners, members of the Uniting AgeWell Board, the Senior Executive Team and Wurundjeri Elder, John Terrick.

He spoke of his optimism for the future and pride and gratitude to each member of the Uniting AgeWell family.

We invite you all to view the incredible year that was

23/11/2025

The Spring Edition of Uniting AgeWell's magazine Community Chat is out now.

In this edition you can read about the aged care reforms that went live on 1 November 2025. The Act shifts the focus to a rights-based framework, empowering older people living at home or in residential care and emphasising their choices and needs. In this edition of Community Chat we outline what you can expect including significant changes to the delivery of home care services.

We also talk about the importance of health and exercise at any age and share an exclusive interview with the host of The Ageing Idea podcast, Jacinta Parsons.

You can read this edition online by clicking on the link: https://www.unitingagewell.org/publications/community-chat-spring-2025/

19/11/2025

We’re at Federation Square today for the 2025 Year in Review and AgeWell Awards.

The AgeWell Awards for excellence recognise staff who lead by example and deliver outstanding levels of care and service.

Today we’re sharing stories of colleagues who inspire us through their commitment to supporting people to live and age well, and who consistently demonstrate Uniting AgeWell’s values in their work and actions.

We’ll reflect on 2025 and turn our sights to what we can expect in the year ahead.

Be part of the festivities by joining our live broadcast on the Uniting AgeWell website from 2pm:
https://www.unitingagewell.org/agewell-awards/agewell-awards-2025/

19/11/2025

In a ceremony that was both poignant and joyous, residents of Uniting AgeWell’s Latvian Community turned out in force to celebrate Latvian Independence Day.

There were smiles and quite a few misty eyes as residents from the Wantirna South aged care community and retirement village watched first the Australian flag raised followed by the Latvian flag. As the Latvian flag was unfurled the gathering sang the Latvian national anthem.

A beautiful poem written in Latvian was read by 99-year-old Betija Plume, who was among the 20,000 Latvians who relocated to Australia in the late 1940s and early 1950s after being forced to flee their homeland during the Soviet occupation of Latvia during World War II.

One of those attending was Jänis Dëlins, Honorary Consul of Latvia in Melbourne, who has addressed the ceremony at the site for the last 15 or so years. Jänis stressed how the site is welcoming of those from across the world and paid tribute to the dedication of the staff.

Afterwards there was a champagne breakfast with an assortment of traditional Latvian foods.

Read more about the moving ceremony here https://www.unitingagewell.org/news/celebrating-latvian-independence-day/

18/11/2025

Living Legends

While the Spring Racing Carnival is all but over, a group of residents from Uniting AgeWell Preston Community are still talking about their wonderful visit to the Living Legends.

Just out of Melbourne, the horse farm is a retirement community for some famous and not so famous race horses.

The group enjoyed dressing up for the day and having the opportunity to hold an actual Melbourne Cup trophy.

It was especially significant for one resident, Elaine who was gifted Melbourne Cup 1992 winner Subzero's saddle blanket.

Elaine decided to donate her prized possession to the museum there. A family affair, Elaine's daughter Siobhan and grandson Luke were there for the presentation.

All enjoyed a lovely Devonshire Tea with the 1995 Melbourne Cup at the head of the table.