What is your current role and what does it involve day to day?
My current role as an Assessment Officer involves the onboarding of new clients to our home care program. I spend my day meeting new clients in their homes and making sure things are all good and ready for us to begin delivering services to them.
How long have you been working at Baptcare?
I have been with Baptcare going on five years. I started back in 2017 as part of the customer enquiries team, then moved on to become a Customer Liaison Consultant, and now I’m an Assessment Officer.
What do you like about working with Baptcare and in the home care space?
I love being able to meet so many new and interesting people every day, all with their own stories to tell and experiences to share. I love being able to give something back to a group of people (our elderly population) who have given so much of themselves to our community over their lifetime.
Can you share a particularly special customer interaction you’ve had recently?
I saw a client recently who was going through a tough personal time, and by the end of my visit, they put their hand on my shoulder and thanked me just for listening. They told me that I had managed to turn their day around. It was a really special feeling for me.
Did you always want to work within the caring space?
I have always had a calling to work in “care” in some capacity. Prior to working at Baptcare, I had spent time working as a service coordinator in the early childhood education sector.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
For some reason I used to say I wanted to be a marine biologist – I never even knew what a marine biologist was at the time! Later on, I thought about being a physiotherapist as I used to help my grandfather out as he had a knee that caused him a great deal of pain. He used to tell me I’d make a great physio one day.
Do you have a favourite quote or motto in life?
Worrying about something will never change the outcome.
How would your friends describe you?
Generous, thoughtful, and always busy!
If you could sit next to someone at a dinner party, who would it be and why?
I am a BIG Elton John fan and have been lucky enough to see him perform live three times. I would be thrilled to be seated next to him at a dinner party – I think it would be a blast!
Can you tell us two surprising things about yourself?
I am a certified scuba diver (since the age of 12) and I have been to three of the five Disneyland theme parks around the world (and counting!)
OK… we feel a Disney deep dive coming on….
Which Disney theme parks have you visited?
I have visited Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, 3 times; Disneyworld in Orlando, FL, once; and Disneyland Paris, once.
What’s the next Disney location on your list?
I would love to say Japan is next on my to do list.
What do you like about the Disney parks?
I could write a book to answer this one! There is something about the place that just evokes joy. I cry every single time I walk into a park (from happiness). You can’t have a bad day at Disney. The food, the smells, the cast members… magical! The thing I look forward to the most is always the fireworks. My favourite rides are:
-Disneyland CA – Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
-Disneyland Paris – Indiana Jones
-Disneyworld FL – Expedition Everest
And my favourite thing to eat at all Disney Parks is the hot buttery popcorn.
Is there a reason you are so into them?
I have grown up watching Disney movies, as most of us did. And my sister actually worked at Disneyworld FL for a year, and I remember seeing her photos and listening to her talk about it just HAD to experience it for myself. I love the escape from reality you experience at the Disney Parks.
When you’re at Disneyland it’s like you’re in a literal fantasy world where everything is bright and beautiful and grand. It really brings people together. I took my husband to Disneyland for the first time, and he is so not a Disney fan. And yet he had one of the best days ever there. Like I said – no bad days at Disney!
If you could be a Disney character, who would it be and why?
TOUGH ONE! Let me think… Maybe Mickey? He is just classic and timeless and brings instant happiness.
As do you Shari! Thank you for sharing your little bit of magic each day in our home care team.
If you’d like to learn more about Baptcare’s home care services, please visit our website at https://www.baptcare.org.au/services/home-care/what-you-need-to-know
Community news
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Personal Alert Victoria | Enhancing safety and independence
Personal Alert Victoria (PAV) offers eligible Victorians a free personal monitoring and emergency response service. This important service is funded by the Victorian Government and helps people continue to live independently at home, safe in the knowledge that help is only a button press away.If you or someone you know is frail, elderly and isolated or who is living with a disability, you may like to consider applying for the PAV program.What does the PAV service involve?The PAV service responds to calls for assistance 24 hours per day.Clients wear a pendant around their neck or wrist which is designed with a button that, when pressed, dials the PAV hotline connecting the caller with trained staff ready to provide assistance. For example, if you fall or suddenly feel unwell, you can press the button and be connected with someone who can speak with you through the pendant.PAV hotline staff will talk with you to determine whether a call should be placed with emergency services, one of your nominated contacts (usually family members, friends or neighbours) or whether you simply require some reassurance about your situation (in the event of a non-urgent issue).How does my pendant connect me to the PAV hotline?A receiver unit sits next to your telephone and is plugged into your telephone line. When it receives an alert from your pendant (after you have pressed the button), the receiver unit automatically dials the PAV hotline.Who is eligible for the PAV service?Eligibility is determined via an assessment conducted in your own home.There are two sets of eligibility criteria to meet – Part A and Part B:Part A:You must meet all three conditions set out below –Daily monitoring – you consent to daily monitoring.Wearable pendant - you are capable of using and willing to wear the PAV pendant at all times.Living situation – you live alone OR are alone for most of the day or evening OR live with a person who would be unable to get to the phone in an emergency (or is unable to use the phone).Part B:You must meet two of these criteria –You have had at least one fall that needed medical attention in the previous six months or be at risk of falls.You suffer from a major medical or chronic condition that puts you at risk of medical emergencies or has some ongoing effect on your health or wellbeing.You are taking six or more different medications on a permanent basis that are prescribed by your doctor / medical specialist.Who conducts my eligibility assessment for PAV?Eligibility assessments for the PAV service are usually conducted by your local council, community health service, aged care assessment service, district nursing service and some publicly funded community rehabilitation services.You can either contact your local service provider directly (for example, by enquiring with your local council’s aged care program) or be referred to an assessment service by your doctor or local community health service.It’s worth noting that there may be a waiting period involved until a PAV unit becomes available for installation at your home.For more detailed information on the PAV program, please refer to the PAV program and service guidelines provided by the Victorian Department of Health.
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Faces of Baptcare | Meet Durham Smith
Personal Alert Victoria (PAV) offers eligible Victorians a free personal monitoring and emergency response service. This important service is funded by the Victorian Government and helps people continue to live independently at home, safe in the knowledge that help is only a button press away.If you or someone you know is frail, elderly and isolated or who is living with a disability, you may like to consider applying for the PAV program.What does the PAV service involve?The PAV service responds to calls for assistance 24 hours per day.Clients wear a pendant around their neck or wrist which is designed with a button that, when pressed, dials the PAV hotline connecting the caller with trained staff ready to provide assistance. For example, if you fall or suddenly feel unwell, you can press the button and be connected with someone who can speak with you through the pendant.PAV hotline staff will talk with you to determine whether a call should be placed with emergency services, one of your nominated contacts (usually family members, friends or neighbours) or whether you simply require some reassurance about your situation (in the event of a non-urgent issue).How does my pendant connect me to the PAV hotline?A receiver unit sits next to your telephone and is plugged into your telephone line. When it receives an alert from your pendant (after you have pressed the button), the receiver unit automatically dials the PAV hotline.Who is eligible for the PAV service?Eligibility is determined via an assessment conducted in your own home.There are two sets of eligibility criteria to meet – Part A and Part B:Part A:You must meet all three conditions set out below –Daily monitoring – you consent to daily monitoring.Wearable pendant - you are capable of using and willing to wear the PAV pendant at all times.Living situation – you live alone OR are alone for most of the day or evening OR live with a person who would be unable to get to the phone in an emergency (or is unable to use the phone).Part B:You must meet two of these criteria –You have had at least one fall that needed medical attention in the previous six months or be at risk of falls.You suffer from a major medical or chronic condition that puts you at risk of medical emergencies or has some ongoing effect on your health or wellbeing.You are taking six or more different medications on a permanent basis that are prescribed by your doctor / medical specialist.Who conducts my eligibility assessment for PAV?Eligibility assessments for the PAV service are usually conducted by your local council, community health service, aged care assessment service, district nursing service and some publicly funded community rehabilitation services.You can either contact your local service provider directly (for example, by enquiring with your local council’s aged care program) or be referred to an assessment service by your doctor or local community health service.It’s worth noting that there may be a waiting period involved until a PAV unit becomes available for installation at your home.For more detailed information on the PAV program, please refer to the PAV program and service guidelines provided by the Victorian Department of Health.
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Enjoying the comforts of home: Lynette and George
Lynette is 75 and her husband, George, is 70. With a little help from home care, they're able to live healthily and happily together at home.
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