Staff at Moruya IRT have been recognised for their efforts during the bushfires.
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Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) said they made "extraordinary efforts caring for residents and customers while under direct threat".
The NSW Excellence in Age Services Award went to IRT employees working throughout the Shoalhaven and Eurobodalla regions. This includes aged care workers, nurses, lifestyle coordinators, kitchen, laundry and cleaning staff, caterers, maintenance and gardeners, retirement village managers, home care employees, administration officers and members of the Critical Incident Management Team.
IRT Group CEO Patrick Reid said the award recognised exceptional commitment to caring for residents in frightening circumstances.
"I am incredibly proud and humbled by the heroism of our aged care teams who remained calm under pressure and continued to put the care needs of our residents before their own even when some members of the team were losing their own homes to the fires," Mr Reid said.
"Our employees showed true leadership, courage and selflessness during the crisis to keep our residents and employees safe."
IRT's aged care centres along the NSW South Coast provide care for up to 540 residents.
As the emergency situation unfolded, employees demonstrated commitment to the welfare of residents.
Many came in from leave, worked double shifts to assist with evacuations, helped secure and hose down buildings as fires approached and ensured residents remained calm, at times without power.
Employees worked around the clock for days on end.
The theme for this year's Aged Care Employee Day is Thanks for Caring and Mr Reid encouraged everyone to share their thanks for those working in aged care.
If you'd like to thank someone or a team at IRT, visit www.irt.org.au/thanks-for-caring.
