Aged Care Employee Day: A Day of Thanks and Celebration

Aged Care Employee Day is celebrated annually across Australia on 7 August. It is an opportunity to recognise the invaluable work of every staff member in providing dedicated care, service, and support to older Australians across the country.  

This year at The Salvation Army Aged Care, each residential aged care centre and service, including the staff members working in retirement living and Salvos Home Care, celebrated the day with prayer, awards ceremonies, and morning or afternoon teas.  

The awards included recogniton for Service Excellence, Going Above and Beyond, and for being an Exceptional Team Player, and each recipient was celebrated with a certificate of recognition and a voucher. The awards were voted on by both residents and representatives of The Salvation Army Aged Care’s nineteen residential aged care centres, and the roughly 2500 staff members working across the various services as well.  

Arathi Chhetri, Manager of Learning and Capability, who works from the Sydney Territorial Headquarters office, received the Exceptional Team Player award as nominated by her colleagues in the Mission Enablement team. Bev Laplain, Assistant to the Head of Aged Care and the Executive Team, won the Mission Enablement award for Going Above and Beyond.  

For Arathi, her work includes organisational development initiatives involving capability, performance, culture, and change. At the forefront of her dedication, tireless efforts, and professional excellence, is her passion and enjoyment for what she does.  

“I like the broad scope and strategic focus of the role, but also the opportunity to work with such amazing, devoted and resilient people who work tirelessly to keep our older community happy and cared for,” she says.  

When reflecting upon her interest in joining the aged care sector, Arathi notes: “I was actively involved in the palliative care of my late father, offering him counselling and emotional support till the very end. That journey left a mark on my life and changed what I value. I deeply value and seek out the wisdom that the older community can share with us through their lived experience. I loved spending time and helping them.”  

On Aged Care Employee Day, it is important to recognise the ongoing and dedicated efforts of staff members to align to the mission, vision, and values of The Salvation Army. For Arathi, it starts with gratitude for the opportunity to serve. “Person-centred care is an area I think about and strive to continuously learn about from my colleagues,” she says. Her work is founded upon ensuring that every initiative aligns to the organisation's values of respect, inclusion and community service. 

For those considering a career in aged care, Arathi is adamant that, “this is where you get to make real impact, through care and empathy; where you get to serve a community on whose foundations the next generations have arisen.”