Sharon Maitland, Service Manager of Wearne House in Mandurah, won the Consumer Appreciation Award, a testament to her unwavering dedication and exceptional caregiving. She joined Amana Living as a graduate nurse in 2002 and has been the Service Manager at Wearne since 2007.

Sharon was nominated for the Consumer Appreciation Award by Leng Saw, whose parents and mother-in-law have all lived at Wearne House. In his nomination of Sharon, Leng shared heartfelt words of gratitude, saying, "Sharon inspires her staff to do their best every day. She is loving, caring, diligent, compassionate, involved, and persevering. I thank our lucky stars that my parents and mother-in-law are cared for by Sharon and her team. Sharon is special and I can think of no one else more deserving of this award.”

In addition to Sharon’s well-deserved recognition, Lisa Studholme, Service Manager of the Kinross Care Community, was celebrated as a finalist in the Excellence in Residential Care Award category.

Lisa joined Amana Living in 2015 and she has been the Service Manager at Kinross since 2019. She was recognised for her professionalism and commitment to fostering deep, meaningful relationships with staff, residents, and their families and creating a warm and welcoming family-like environment at the Kinross Care Community.

Commenting on the achievements of Sharon and Lisa, Stephanie Buckland, CEO of Amana Living, said: "We are very proud of Sharon's work to create a community of compassion, respect and excellence in care at Wearne House. It was a delight to have her accomplishments and contribution to her profession acknowledged publicly.

“We are equally proud of Lisa Studholme for being selected as a finalist for the Residential Care Award and recognised for her passion for building strong relationships with the staff, residents and families of the Kinross Care Community. We thank her for recently stepping up into an Operational Manager role and sharing her expertise with our newer service managers.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have these talented nurses as part of the Amana Living community.  They are making a positive impact and a part of a wonderful team who are united by a common goal to fulfil the lives of the older people we serve every day.” 

Adding to Stephanie’s comments, Sharon said: “I was inspired by my mum to choose a career in nursing and I love my job for many reasons. I work with the most incredible people who never cease to amaze me with how much they give, no matter what role they work in.

“Also, I always thought it was great to have four grandparents but to have 47 at any given time, not to mention the extended family that comes with them, is one of the best perks of the job.”

Both Sharon and Lisa embody the highest standards of nursing excellence and exemplify the core values of Amana Living. Their passion, dedication, and unwavering commitment to providing exceptional care to their residents serve as an inspiration to their colleagues and the broader community.

If you would like to recognise an Amana Living nurse who you believe has positively impacted the lives of older Western Australians, you can nominate them for a Consumer Appreciation Award in the 2024 WA Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards. To submit your nomination, please visit www.wanmea.com.au and complete your entry by Monday, 11 December.