IRT employees win excellence award for collaborative retirement housing

A team of IRT employees has been recognised by the Aged & Community Care Providers Association ACCPA (formerly Leading Age Services Australia LASA) with an Excellence Award for the development of Jasmine Grove at IRT Kanahooka.

The collaborative retirement housing neighbourhood for women over 55 is set within the new Henry Brooks Estate at IRT Kanahooka retirement village and was officially opened in December 2021.

The award announcement coincided with the fifth annual Aged Care Employee Day on 7 August; a day established to celebrate Australia’s 365,000 aged care employees, caring for 1.3 million Australians.

The 2022 Excellence in Age Services Team Award went to the team which was integral to the project’s development. IRT CEO Patrick Reid congratulated everyone involved in bringing the Jasmine Grove project to fruition.

“From the very early days of this project, the team has been so passionate about the purpose of Jasmine Grove. And that is to create a lower-cost, collaborative retirement housing neighbourhood that promotes connection and togetherness, specifically for single women aged over 55,” Mr Reid said.

“I couldn’t be happier for the eight women who now call Jasmine Grove home and the IRT team members who have worked so closely with them to make it the wonderful place it is today.”

Jasmine Grove is purposefully designed to encourage participation, sharing and a sense of community while offering residents their own private and secure homes. Eight private one-bedroom fully self-contained villas are set around a community building featuring a large share kitchen, family sized dining and lounge area where the residents can come together to prepare and share a meal together or simply relax and chat. The outdoor area includes a BBQ setting, additional storage and shared vegetable garden and green space.

The villas are pet-friendly and include a full kitchen, dining area, lounge room, laundry, bathroom, outdoor storage and parking space. Residents can also take full advantage of the amenities of the retirement village Henry Brooks Estate which surrounds Jasmine Grove including the clubhouse, pizza oven, giant outdoor chessboard and extensive landscaped walkways. Residents are also eligible to receive 50 hours of integrated IRT Home Care services within the first 12 months of residency.

The LASA award isn’t the first for the Jasmine Grove team; having also won the John Holland – Team Innovation Award by the National Association of Women in Construction. The project itself was also awarded a national innovAGEING award for Improving Consumer Choice and an international award at the 9^th Eldercare Innovation Awards 2021 for Project of the Year – Ageing in Place.

Read more about Jasmine Grove at IRT Kanahooka on IRT’s website: irt.org.au/jasminegrove

Media enquiries: Hannah Ellson 0429 361 627 | engage@irt.org.au

General enquiries: 134 478

About IRT Group:

IRT Group is one of Australia’s largest community-owned, not-for-profit providers of retirement living, residential aged care and home care. With more than 50 years’ experience and locations throughout NSW, the ACT and South East Queensland, we employ almost 2200 people and play a significant role in promoting seniors as dynamic, influential and valuable members of society.