Monday 7 August marks this year’s national Aged Care Employee Day – a day to express thanks and celebrate Australia’s 400,000-plus residential care, home care and retirement living workers who collectively care for our over 1.5 million older Australians.

“Aged Care Employee Day has become an important date in our calendar and reminds us of the caring and professional work of our aged care staff,” says Tom Symondson, CEO of The Aged & Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA). “They’re the backbone, the people who support our elders day in and day out. They make the lives of older Australians better".

The Australian aged care workforce encompasses a wide variety of essential roles including nurses, personal care workers, outdoor maintenance workers, housekeeping, specialised therapy and allied health practitioners, catering, administration, management, volunteers, in-home care workers and others. 

Throughout the last year aged care workers have gone over and above in their provision of vital care and support for our older Australians, as they continue to face enormous challenges, including severe staff shortages.

Cathie Farquhar, Leisure and Wellness Coordinator at Uniting Gerringong aged care home, told us that:

“Today on National Aged Care Employee Day, we recognise all the amazing staff we are privileged to have working with us at Uniting Gerringong, and we say ‘thank you’ to all our hardworking and compassionate staff for all they do for our residents, across the variety of important roles within our organisation.”

“We hear so often from the families of our residents how grateful they are for the caring support and kindness shown every day to their loved ones by our staff.”

“To mark and celebrate this year’s National Aged Care Employee Day, our staff have received messages of support and thanks from our Executive Director and Director of Senior Services, and personal messages of thanks have been delivered verbally to those staff at work on the ground today providing service”.

The Bugle recognises, thanks and celebrates our aged care superheroes today.