Juniper takes ‘church’ out

WESTERN Australia’s largest church-based aged-care provider has rebranded to dispel any confusion regarding its service offering.

Uniting Church Homes has dropped its church-focused trading name in favour of the name Juniper, accompanied by the tagline ‘A Uniting Church community’.

The not-for-profit organisation has been operating in Western Australia for 63 years, and providing services other than the traditional nursing home care for at least the past 15 years.

Chief executive Vaughan Harding said the wider array of services provided was part of the reason for the rebrand, but misconceptions about what the name represented were also a key driver.

“With new generations, a lot fewer people are connected to the church,” Mr Harding said.

“We were getting feedback from potential employers who were concerned they had to be part of a church to work for us.

“For those who had never been into a church setting, they felt a bit uncertain as to what that might mean; were we going to try and convert them?”

Mr Harding said there was also uncertainty from many in the baby boomer generation – now reaching the age where they needed assistance – about what the association actually provided, as the name suggested it was a charity.

“They didn’t want any perception that they had needs, and if they did have needs they would deal with it and they would pay for it – they didn’t want any charity,” he said.

The name Juniper was chosen because of biblical references to a concept of shelter, protection and sustenance – a choice Mr Harding said still reflected the organisation’s religious roots.

“There’s always an opportunity cost when you make a transition from a name you’ve had for decades, but we believe we’ve done our homework; and because we have the taglines, we are keeping our heritage alive and well,” he said.

It’s taken the organisation five years and significant investment to complete the rebranding process.

But Mr Harding said it was a necessary journey as the organisation worked to meet the future needs of the community and reflect the scope of services provided.

The organisation is the largest church-based aged care provider in WA, with privately run Aegis Aged Care Group the only larger provider overall. Juniper is the third church-based provider to rebrand and downplay its religious roots. Anglican Homes underwent a rebrand to become Amana Living, and Churches of Christ Home and Community Services changed its name to The Bethanie Group.

Another big player, the Brightwater Group – as it’s been known as since 1997 – was formerly known as The Homes of Peace.