Board Chairman message
For more than 50 years Catholic Homes has advanced Catholic social teachings which reflect Gospel values that emphasise Christ-like joy, love and hospitality.
Joy springs from a deep connection with faith and for those who encounter Jesus in their hearts and lives, sharing this with family and friends.
Love, central to the healing ministry of Jesus Christ, encompasses compassion, sympathy, forgiveness, and selflessness, while promoting unity and understanding.
Hospitality, inspired by Christ’s example, extends an invitation with open arms to love thy neighbour as thy self and to share resources for the benefits of all with a preferential treatment for the poor.
These values underpin Catholic Homes’ mission that guides us to find meaning in our lives and our efforts to create a community of holistic care to the elderly.
This reporting year Catholic Homes enhanced this mission to provide quality and compassionate care to older people, especially to those who are disadvantaged.
The Board and Executive continued to work collaboratively with senior staff and our workforce to direct actions to deliver the best possible care, and all are to be commended for their achievements this year.
It is very pleasing to report that during another challenging year, work to build our newest aged care residence advanced greatly.
The Sister Mary Glowrey facility in Belmont opened its doors to the first residents in September 2023, bringing 96 much needed age care beds and community care services to the community and we very much look forward to its opening.
With renewal comes change, and in May with some sadness we bade farewell to our much-loved Servite residence in Joondanna.
After many decades of operations, the difficult decision to close Servite was taken because its ageing buildings and facilities were deemed incompatible with our standard of care and the needs of residents.
We acknowledge the hard work and compassion demonstrated by staff at Servite and Head Office in relocating with great care and sensitivity our residents to their new homes.
The year 2022-2023 saw a renewed focus on the Catholic Homes Mission Framework and further development of our Catholic Identity as an expression of our work as a Church ministry in Western Australia.
Such work to affirm and celebrate our Catholic Identity and purpose is vital to the Mission of the organisation as we look to the future with prayerful hope.
Our mission is guided by the healing ministry of Jesus Christ in whom every life is sacred, every person unique and made in the image and likeness of God.
Christ’s life and work epitomizes the value of human life, hope, redemption and restoration. Similarly, our work at Catholic Homes can be seen as a truly authentic Catholic response filled with love and compassion for those we serve.
As we welcomed the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in the community, much effort was placed to secure the financial stability of the organisation as it faced continuing challenges wrought by the pandemic.
The Board and executive of Catholic Homes will continue to exercise proper stewardship of resources to ensure these meet our goals for financial and operational sustainability.
At the financial year’s end, the resignation of Chief Executive Paul Andrew was announced.
The Board is deeply appreciative to Paul in his nearly five-year tenure, for his leadership and commitment at a time of significant change and industry challenges.
During the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic and both during and at the conclusion of the Royal Commission into aged care, Paul continued to place our residents and their families, our clients and our staff, as his first priorities as a leader.
We sincerely wish Paul well as he embarks on a new path with Catholic Education Western Australia Limited.
On behalf of the Board, I express the deep gratitude for the commitment of all staff in fulfilling Catholic Homes’ mission to deliver quality, compassionate and holistic personalised care to older West Australians.
I also extend my heartfelt appreciation to my fellow Board members for their enthusiasm and commitment to governing the important work of Catholic Homes to the elderly we care about.
I conclude with a message from Pope Francis given for the third World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly earlier this year:
“From the elderly we received the gift of belonging to God’s holy people. The Church, as well as society, needs them, for they entrust to the present the past that is needed to build the future. Let us honour them, neither depriving ourselves of their company nor depriving them of ours. May we never allow the elderly to be cast aside!”
John F Ogilvie KSG
Chairman
