Sir Moses Montefiore Home
The Montefiore Home is Australia’s leading aged care provider with a proud history spanning more than 120 years.
The Home provides a full range of residential aged care services within a secure, tranquil and Jewish environment and has campuses at Hunters Hill, Randwick and Woollahra. Each campus has its own distinctive style and ambience, but all share a commitment to providing exceptional levels of care and enhancing the quality of life of every one of our Residents.
The Home has a team of Diversional Therapists who design and facilitate leisure and recreation programs and help Residents overcome any barriers to participation. These programs incorporate laughter, creativity and self-expression, social opportunity and membership of a group. Individual Residents’ needs are assessed before particular activities are recommended.
The Hunters Hill, Randwick and Woollahra campuses accommodate more than 650 frail-aged Residents of which approximately 30 % are financially disadvantaged and unable to cover their own cost of care. In addition, one in three of our Residents is a Holocaust survivor; with their own complex and unique care needs. We have developed an integrated training program for our staff which equips them with the necessary skills to address these needs.
The Montefiore Home always works towards a culture of excellence in caring. This drives commitment to provide an outstanding service and optimise quality of life for every single Montefiore Resident, regardless of their financial circumstances.
Jewish media last week reported “concerns over the commercial management” of Sydney’s Montefiore Home. President David Freeman responds…
David Freeman
“You may have read an article in this week’s Australian Jewish News (03/02/12) about a claim by Mrs Phillips that she could save up to $35m per year if she were put in charge of the Montefiore Home.
In order for the Home to reduce operating expenses by $35m it would require a reduction in staffing levels in our nursing homes of more than 50%. Such a drastic reduction in staffing levels would result in the Home not being able to provide even the most basic level of care and services, placing our accreditation at risk and thereby jeopardising the care subsidies we receive annually from the Government. In order to protect our residents, their families and the elderly of our community, the Board will not contemplate anything that it considers to be irresponsible and is not prepared to compromise on staff and standards of care.
The Home has a proud tradition of providing high standards of accommodation and care to all of our residents equally, whether they are full pensioners who only contribute a portion of their pension towards their cost of care, or those who are able to contribute more. The Home cares for over 700 residents of whom more than 200 rely on the pension as their only source of income. In addition, the Home cares for around 130 Holocaust survivors who have their own special needs. This is our charitable charter and what sets us apart from commercial operators.
The Board, through good governance and on behalf of the community, has been able to provide industry-leading standards of care and accommodation to the elderly in our care whilst ensuring that the Home remains financially sustainable. This is a remarkable outcome given that the Home receives virtually no annual funding from the JCA.
It was prudent financial management of successive Boards of Management that enabled the Home to fund the construction of the excellent Randwick campus, which accommodates 276 elderly residents, and the refurbishment and upgrading of the Hunters Hill facilities so that they remain at the forefront of high quality residential aged care.
In the article, Mrs Phillips erroneously claims that 97 cents in every dollar of income received by the Home is spent on staff. Her calculation is incorrect because she does not include all of the Home’s income in the calculation. Mrs Phillips is also incorrect in her calculation of the benchmark for labour costs. Cam Ansell, the senior partner of accounting firm Grant Thornton and who is head of their aged care division, has confirmed that the industry standard for benchmarking labour costs is to compare wages with overall expenses, not income. In this regard Montefiore’s wages represent 75% of expenses, which is within accepted benchmarks.
In addition to our Annual Report, which is circulated to all members of the Home and which contains a summary of our financial results, including our balance sheet, we also provide the JCA with a full copy of our independently audited financial accounts on an annual basis answering any concerns regarding transparency.
Finally, Mrs Phillips also suggests that funds from the Montefiore Home should be used to subsidise the Jewish Day Schools. Whilst the Board of Management acknowledges the importance of the Jewish Day Schools, the charter of the Montefiore Home is to provide services to the elderly of our community. All funds of the Home are required to meet the escalating needs of the aged in our community, particularly in the challenging area of dementia care. In this regard the Home is in the final stages of design for the construction of a 90 bed dementia wing at the Randwick campus and a major upgrade of the Hostel at Hunters Hill. This follows the recent substantial upgrading of the dementia unit and nursing homes at Hunters Hill.
In reality, the provision of high quality care and accommodation to the elderly, perhaps the most vulnerable members of our community, comes at a price. The Board believes our elderly residents deserve to receive the high standard of care and accommodation provided by the Montefiore Home.”
Sydney’s Montefiore resident Eva Lang has celebrated her 100th birthday.
Eva Lang
The momentous occasion was marked on the 25th January with a birthday morning tea and a visit from former Randwick Mayor and Member for Coogee Bruce Notley-Smith who presented Eva with a special congratulatory letter.
Eva also received letters from Her Majesty the Queen, Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Governor-General Ms Quentin Bryce, Governor of New South Wales Marie Bashir, Premier of NSW Barry O’Farrell, Member for Wentworth Malcolm Turnbull and a Mazel Tov Certificate from David Freeman AM, President of Montefiore Home.
Eva was born in Budapest Hungary and throughout her time in Australia has had a full life filled with family and friends.
Eva’s birthday was celebrated with a huge birthday cake and as it was on the eve of Australia day a performance by the Bunyip Bush Band. Family, Residents and staff sang along to familiar tunes and enjoyed the recognition of all of the Home’s January birthdays. Eva is a much-loved member of the Home and in the three years she has been here it is clear Eva has made very many special friends.
As part of our commitment to Quality of Life of our Residents, Montefiore Home celebrates birthdays and special occasions and encourages families to join.
Sydney’s Sir Moses Montefiore Home has hosted its volunteers on a harbour cruise to thank them for their work in 2011.Despite heavy rain, the Monte Volunteers partied on, eating, drinking, socialising and joining a troupe of drummers in delivering the pulsating rhythms of Africa….reports Marcelle Grolman.
Harold Leibowitz and Betty Symonds
Judy Traub and Rene Solomons
‘Captain’ CEO Robert Orie welcomed everyone aboard with Montefiore President David Freeman AM paying tribute to the Volunteers and the huge contribution each and every Volunteer makes to the quality of life of the Residents. He also praised the efforts of the Volunteers Department that manages the program. He spoke of the big issues involved in aged care; the challenges facing us; and how we need to work together to find effective solutions.
One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of the prestigious Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency (ACSAA) Better Practice in Aged Care Award for better practice in any program that benefits the lives of Residents.
In a big win for everyone involved in the Volunteers program, Montefiore was named winner of Better Practice in Aged Care Award by the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency (ACSAA). The Award was presented recently on the twilight harbour cruise.
The Awards are presented for better practice in any program run by a residential aged care home that benefits the lives of the residents. The Montefiore Volunteers Program operates with 535 active volunteers who help support 170 resident related activities. In 2010 Volunteers contributed over 33,000 hours of service.
Montefiore President David Freeman AM paid tribute to our Volunteers and the huge contribution each and every volunteer makes to the quality of life of our residents, as well as the Volunteers Department – Hazel Stein and Jane Silverman – who manage the program.
Montefiore Board member Michael Goldstein and Dorothy Goldstein
Dr Joachim Schneeweiss and Montefiore President David Freeman
The award was presented to Foundation Director Roni Faktor by Dr June Heinrich, AM, Director on the Board of the Aged Care Standards & Accreditation Agency.
who, together with Ms Ann Wunsh, Acting General Manager Education, evaluated the program.
Dr Heinrich stressed Montefiore’s achievement in being chosen “the best of the best’, from over 90 applications across over 2,800 Homes in Australia. She said that Montefiore was judged as “Leaders in the industry, with [the volunteers program] going beyond routine and doing something different…in recruiting, training and retaining volunteers, you are an example to other homes.”
While Montefiore is immensely proud of this achievement we are keenly aware that we could not have achieved these standards were it not for the talent and unswerving commitment our 530 Volunteers give to our Residents.
With a Volunteer force that stands at more than 530, Montefiore is indeed an industry leader, particularly commended for its innovative approach. What’s more the Volunteers enthusiastically endorse the theme of this year’s function – ‘Volunteering is Fun’.
The reunion will be held on the afternoon of 15th May at Montefiore’s Hunters Hill campus (the site of the Isabella Lazarus Home). It is for past residents of the Isabella Lazarus home and we ask that if anyone is interesting in attending they contact us on:
02 8345 9114 (René Ichilcik)
Sydney’s Montefiore has thanked its valuable volunteers with a Hollywood party.
Performing for the volunteers
The Montefiore has more than 550 Volunteers at Montefiore who give up their time to enhance our Residents Quality of Life. We are so very grateful to them and to thank them we put on a an Academy Awards presentation worthy of Hollywood, with Montefiore hosting and toasting our magnificent Volunteers.
The red carpet was laid and the glitterati were out in full force, ‘dressed to kill’, at Randwick and Hunters Hill to give and receive well-deserved accolades. Speeches were made, entertainers performed, awards were presented and cocktails consumed.
The spirit that pervaded the event surpassed anything seen at the Oscars. President David Freeman AM delivered a Shakespearian address worthy of the Bell Shakespeare Company.
One might suspect a spot of coaching by John Bell (or perhaps Steven Spielberg), especially when a troupe of actors presented some of the hilarious scenarios that make up a Volunteer’s life at Monte.
Our favourite troubadour Manfred Perlstein performed one of his now famous ‘Perlstein originals’, while our guests feasted on delicious canapés prepared by the Academy catering teams.
How can we adequately thank our Volunteers for their enormous contribution to the quality of life of our Residents? Our annual party is but a small gesture of our appreciation, but our Volunteers all seem to agree that their true reward lies in doing for and honouring the senior members of our community.
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