St John of God Ballarat Hospital win Ballarat’s Best Idea

As one of three winners, St John of God Ballarat Hospital can purchase new sensory aids for dementia patients.

24 Jul 2023

Image: (Left to right) Suggest it Co-Founder Nick Clare, ‘Guru’ Anne Watson, City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Des Hudson.

Last week, the winners of the 2023 Ballarat’s Best Ideas were crowned. The three winning ideas were announced at a ceremony at the Town Hall, with City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Des Hudson and Suggest it Co-founder Nick Clare presenting the awards.

Ballarat’s Best Ideas is an annual competition where people can submit suggestions and ideas to local businesses and organisations. This is the third year of the competition, with great success in 2021 and 2022.

The entries were judged by a panel from the City of Ballarat, Federation University Australia, Crazy Ideas College, Committee for Ballarat, and an industry representative. There were five key metrics; positivity, creativity, impact for organisation, impact on the planet, people or the community, and commitment or ease of implementation.

Anne is one of our dedicated nurses, who put forward a suggestion for the hospital to implement. She saw a need for our patients living with dementia, and that some sensory toys and aids would be beneficial to help them during their stay in hospital.

Dementia can cause patients to become restless and anxious, and these sensory aids can stimulate fond memories and skills that are familiar to them. This can be quite soothing and calming to the patient, which can help to improve their wellbeing and quality of life.

Thanks to Anne’s winning suggestion, St John of God Ballarat Hospital will receive some funding to help bring this idea to life.

Director of Mission Integration Maureen Waddington, said the hospital was really excited to implement the idea. “We know these aids can assist in reminding and connecting our patients with their own particular story. This enables us to know, and further meet, their needs in a way that respects their unique identity. “

The hospital, in consultation with Anne, will now begin to source a range of aids to suit our patient’s needs.