Aged Care Insite Issue 92 | December 2015 - January 2016 | Page 32

workforce

Quite the complements

Volunteer, activity planner and pet therapy
specialist honoured for the added dimensions
they bring to lives of residents, staff.
By Dallas Bastian

K

eeping residents’ spirits up and engaging them with
complementary therapies were at the heart of work by
nominees for the MOA Benchmarking Community Service
in Aged Care Award.
The awards recognise medical and health professionals or
volunteers who are supporting the health and wellbeing of
residents in aged care. Neil Pitt, a volunteer with Koombahla
UnitingCare Ageing, took out the honour at the NSW & ACT
Regional Achievement and Community Awards this week.
Pitt takes care of a number of odd jobs at the facility, freeing
up time for the staff there to spend in other areas. “You can’t
do enough for residents,” Pitt says, adding it’s important to do
anything you can to put a smile on their faces or engage them in
activities. “If you can make someone smile and go home and sleep
and be pretty co