An inclusive and supportive organisation

ElderPRIDE is Eldercare’s commitment to supporting our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender diverse and intersex (LGBTIQ) residents, family members, staff and volunteers to ensure they feel welcomed and safe.

ElderPRIDE acknowledges that the LGBTIQ community is diverse, but people can encounter similar challenges, such as discrimination.

We also understand that attributes such as sexual orientation, sexual characteristics and gender identity are important, but these do not define people as individuals.

Eldercare is proud to be a Rainbow Tick accredited organisation to promote LGBTIQ inclusiveness.

We see ourselves as an ally of the LGBTIQ community; partnering to change discriminatory attitudes and negative behaviours.

We believe we have a significant role to play in promoting a deeper understanding of the ways in which past and present experiences of discrimination can impact our LGBTIQ residents, family members, staff and volunteers.

ElderPRIDE has three key objectives:

1. To treat individuals for who they are.
2. To be inclusive, regardless of whether a person discloses their sexuality or gender identity.
3. To provide integrated residential care and retirement living services that encompass individualised wellbeing approaches that support the mind, body and spirit.

Inclusiveness aligns with Eldercare’s organisational values of respect, accountability and connection.

We welcome and respect the diversity that our residents, family members, staff and volunteers bring to Eldercare.

We model and expect respectful behaviour from everyone who lives, visits or works at Eldercare.

We do not accept any form of behaviour that vilifies or discriminates against someone else based on their gender, sexuality, age, race or ethnicity.

We promote inclusiveness by:

• promoting respectful and welcoming environments through our service delivery
• conducting LGBTIQ awareness staff training
• consulting members of the LGBTIQ community
• modifying current services and creating new ones for the LGBTIQ community
• creating new and updating existing policies and procedures relating to LGBTIQ issues
• reflecting our commitment to raising LGBTIQ awareness in our marketing materials
• participating in LGBTIQ events across Eldercare and in the wider community

Eldercare continues to consult with older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender diverse and intersex (LGBTIQ) people to guide our strategies for making our residential care welcoming and safe for our diverse community.

Eldercare thanks Veolia and Atlas McNeil for supporting the ElderPRIDE Project.

Eldercare is proud to be part of the White Ribbon Australia Workplace Accreditation Program to support staff experiencing violence inside or outside the workplace, promote respectful relationships, gender equality and demonstrate a zero tolerance to violence against women.

About White Ribbon

White Ribbon is an international movement aimed at stopping violence against women.

More than 60 countries, including Australia, are helping drive this global social change.

White Ribbon Australia's vision is to ensure women:

• are treated with respect
• live in safety
• are not subjected to abuse

Visit White Ribbon Australia to learn more.

Why Eldercare cares about preventing gender-based violence

Eldercare's organisational values align with the White Ribbon philosophy.

We encourage respectful relationships.

We also acknowledge we have a duty of care to provide our staff with a safe workplace that is free from violence.

Eldercare's dedication to White Ribbon

We are committed to helping stop violence against women by:

• creating new documentation which are used to support employees who experience domestic violence
• updating related policies and procedures
• distributing promotional materials, such as brochures and posters, to staff

• providing training for Senior Managers to support them in helping domestic violence victims
• hosting several events including White Ribbon Day, White Ribbon Night and RU OK? Day

Eldercare thanks Chemist King for supporting our participation in the White Ribbon Australia Workplace Accreditation Program.

Eldercare’s employee assistance program (EAP) is a voluntary, confidential counselling service provided free of charge to staff and their immediate families.

ACCESS Programs is the external counselling service appointed by Eldercare to deliver this assistance. They provide qualified, experienced counsellors who can assist when personal, family or work issues are impacting on your wellbeing. They will help you identify problems and find ways of resolving them. No one, including any member of staff at Eldercare, will know that you have sought counselling, so using the EAP will not affect your position at work.

Counsellors with Eldercare’s EAP are experienced in consulting with members of the LGBTIQ community.

Counselling is available 24 hour a day via telephone and at a variety of convenient locations across Adelaide.

Eldercare’s staff emergency relief fund was established to provide short term assistance to employees facing temporary financial hardship due to situations beyond their control such as:

• the death of an immediate family member
• a fire or natural disaster
• serious illness
• family or domestic violence
• serious injury (not related to work)

Staff are invited to contribute to the fund and support colleagues in need by making voluntary, tax-deductible donations via their fortnightly pay.

Employees experiencing hardship can apply to the staff emergency fund executive committee to receive a maximum payment of four weeks of their average pay or $2,000 (whichever is less).