Baptistcare’s ‘tender touch’

Baptistcare Moonya’s Tender Touch therapy program has been acknowledged by Aged and Community Services WA (ACSWA) as a “positive contribution” to the quality of life of aged care clients.

The program has been chosen as a finalist for the New Projects – Innovation and Best Practice Award which will be presented at the 2012 ACSWA Excellence in Care Awards Ceremony on Friday, 8 June at the Burswood Entertainment Complex.

Baptistcare is committed to enhancing quality of life and providing support and a sense of wellbeing for people under their care. Complementary therapies aim to support and enhance the quality of life of a person through improving their wellbeing, complementing mainstream treatment or care.

Volunteers from the community have generously donated their time and expertise to the Moonya program, receiving training from qualified practitioners to enable them to perform Tender Touch therapies which include hand and foot massage, and foot spas to residents.

Moonya residential care manager, Sharon Bryce, expressed gratitude to the volunteers who have shown “dedication, passion and hard work towards a valuable program which has stood the test of time”.

“The program is a new initiative to honour, validate and provide a service to the aged members of our community who require residential aged care,” Ms Bryce began.

“In a small way, it recognises their contribution to the community and is a way of giving back in a tangible way, demonstrating that the community cares about them.”

She added without the “vision, expertise and faith” of Moonya occupational therapist, Elizabeth Bartholomaeus, the program would not have come to fruition with such successful outcomes and promising outlook for the future.

Baptistcare chief executive, Dr Lucy Morris, congratulated the Moonya staff for their development of the “innovative and well received” program.

“Volunteers involved in the program feel it is an amazing privilege to work with the residents, capturing their spirit for the program in a few words, “we touch their hands and feet, they touch our hearts,” Dr Morris said.

Baptistcare aims to roll out the Tender Touch program throughout all of its 13 residential aged care facilities and implement this initiative into the organisation’s community aged care service in the future.