Ross Home, home to 124 residents in north Dunedin, is our oldest care home and is counting down to celebrating their centenary in October 2018.
Margaret Pearce, Ross Home Manager, is very proud of the role that Ross Home plays in North East Valley, after being part of the community for 99 years.
“We’ve always been well connected to the community with various local school and groups coming into the home. I’m particularly pleased with the many medical students that spend time with us at Ross Home to gain experience every year. In the last 24 months, around 240 students have been part of the team here.”
A highlight for Margaret was the establishment of the Competency Assessment Programme, set up 16 years ago with support from Vicki Yarker-Jones. It was a joint initiative between Ross Home and the Otago Polytechnic, with oversight from the Nurses Council.
The idea was to give nurses who came from overseas, or who had not been working in the area for over 10 years, the opportunity to test their skills as they entered (or re-entered) the New Zealand workforce.
A few years after it was established, the programme was fully taken over by the local Polytech, and it has since been rolled-out nationally. Students completing the programme continue to come to Ross Home every year, with a number joining Ross Home in permanent roles.
Ross Home hosts a mothers group each week, and local school groups can always be found in the home, often working on practical projects such as designing and planting gardens for the residents.
Residents have regularly headed out from Ross Home to participate in community activities. The Valley and Hill Games are an example of an annual event where Ross Home and Little Sisters of the Poor Home and Hospital engage in friendly competition.
When Opera-tunity travels to Mosgiel several times each year you’ll always find a group from Ross Home in the audience. Margaret confirms that they haven’t missed attending a single Opera-tunity show.
We look forward to sharing more memories from Ross Home, as we prepare to celebrate their 100th birthday in October 2018.