How 25 years have changed us for the better
A quarter decade has flown by since GERATEC was first established by Rayne Stroebel in 1996. Along the way, there have been growing pains and welcome successes, which is why many long-term care communities have chosen to make GERATEC their quality of life partner.
GERATEC was founded on Rayne’s fervent belief that understanding the needs of older people and those who care for them is central to service excellence and quality of life. 25 years later, GERATEC is still looking for ways to understand better, serve better, and achieve optimal conditions for sustained quality of life.
What we do to achieve an environment where quality of life is prioritised largely comes down to our approach to care and support for older persons. We drive a social imperative that seeks to challenge many long-held false views about aging, consciousness, and autonomy. We seek to achieve a kind of Renaissance, if you will, in the long-term care sector.
After 25 years of growth, we are still the only company in South Africa that places an exclusive focus on improving the quality of life of older persons. To us, the services we provide are merely the tools we use to achieve our greater aim of dismantling ageism and the marginalisation of older people in order to create a world where older persons are understood and affirmed.
At the start, our sole focus was providing the best possible meals at the best possible prices. Since then, we have expanded to become much more. We want to guide our clients and their staff in the journey towards transformation in the long-term care sector through a holistic service offering. To do so, we have expanded our offering to three focus areas that ensure the highest quality of life for older persons while preserving their autonomy, creativity, dignity, and value.
These three focus areas are:
1. GERASERVE
Within GERASERVE, we offer Catering & Dietetic, Housekeeping & Laundry, and Care Partner Support Services:
• We provide nutritionally balanced meals to people living in long-term residential communities and give them the freedom to participate in the process. In this manner, we create room for creativity and taste, while ensuring their unique dietary requirements are met.
• Our housekeeping and laundry services ensure optimal hygiene and a clean, ‘noise-free’ environment at all times.
• We provide care partner support to our clients by way of specialist services that include occupational therapy, dietetics, nursing, companionship-skills-development, designing unique adaptive devices and equipment, care education, and more.
2. GERALEARN
We ensure that our staff and yours are educated and given the tools necessary to provide the highest quality care and support to older persons living in long-term residential communities through workshops and training aimed at the unique requirements of our sector. It is, after all, through knowledge, understanding, and skills that quality of life is achieved.
One of our proudest achievements over the last 25 years is that we have been able to open a dedicated training facility specifically for these purposes. We are currently hosting a range of free webinars that are open to all in the long-term care sector. (For more information, kindly email Maralize Conradie at training@geratecza.com).
3. GERACONSULT
Finally, we ensure you make the right decisions as you seek to create a community where older persons can enjoy quality of life. Our professional management consulting team will assist you in reviewing your construction and development plans, estimating your staffing requirements, evaluating your operational requirements, recommending financial and procurement management systems, and provide guidelines for best practices.
This is just one more way in which we ensure that all the expertise we’ve built up over the last 25 years is put to practical use and that we effectively guide those who need a helping hand.
GERATEC looks forward to many more years of working with our clients to achieve the highest quality of life for older persons and being instrumental in the transformation of long-term care and support.
This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied on as other professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your adviser for specific and detailed advice. Errors and omissions excepted (E&OE)