News and views from our community
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Meet Melanie Abbott our Faces of Baptcare #38
In this world, there are some people who just talk. Then there are those other special people who actually walk the talk. Our Melanie Abbott is one of those people, although in her case, she swims the laps…For the month of March, Mel has been involved in a fundraiser with Laps for Life and Reach Out organisations, raising money to prevent youth suicide.“This March, I’m swimming to save lives,” says Mel. “I’m swimming laps to make sure young people in Australia have the mental health support they urgently need.”As her colleague Ashley Vincent commented, “Mel has an exceptional capacity to give.”Find out more about Mel below: What is your role at Baptcare and can you describe a typical day in your job?My current role is Senior Mental Health Practitioner in the Mindset Foundations program in southern Tasmania, and a typical day isn’t a thing! Each day is different as I spend time out and about with clients working on their goals in their own real life environments. This means coming into the hub, collecting a car, having a chat to colleagues and then heading out across the south with a coffee and an audiobook. Some days I drive 177km to see someone and assist them with attending appointments or facing fears by going into a shopping centre etc. The part I really enjoy most is helping people work out what it is about a task or situation that is triggering for them and then helping them nut out strategies to give them the capacity to do things independently.Wow – that’s a lot of driving! Can you recommend a few audio books you’ve listened to recently? Do you play any particular music while you’re driving?It depends on what sort of things are happening for the people I am seeing on any particular day. I do like a bit of Classic FM if things have been particularly heavy but other than that I quite like lighter audiobooks. However, there have been a few good reads about people living with mental health concerns lately: Kim Lock’s The Other Side of Beautiful, Emily Maguire’s Love Objects, Rose Cartwright’s Pure and Meg Mason’s Sorrow and Bliss. All these have protagonists with mental health challenges but the stories unfurl with compassion and kindness. Another book I need to rave about – it provides a hopeful take on childhood trauma - is Tabitha Bird’s A Lifetime of Impossible Days. Somehow Tabitha manages to bring light and love into a very dark space by having her main character travel back in forth in time and then there’s the gumboots…What do you like about working with Baptcare and in the mental health space?It’s all about the people I work with. They always surprise me with their amazing tales of survival and resilience (even if they can’t see it at the moment we start our journey together). Our clients are some of the most amazing people. Every day that I have the privilege to listen and be with them is humbling. Did you always want to work within the mental health space? I came into Social Work after working at University of Tasmania (UTAS) in Asian Languages and Studies and then in local government in regional Japan, so mental health wasn’t a space I thought I’d end up working in. Once I found this job though, I was pretty soon hooked. It’s a role which helps people develop hope and confidence in themselves and it is a privilege to see people face fears and grow. We have a lot of flexibility in how and where we work and that makes the program fit so many people. How long did you live in Japan and did you notice any major cultural differences in their approach to mental health?All up I lived in Japan for four years. It’s pretty interesting as there seems to be a stronger taboo about discussing mental health issues in general in Japan, and yet media coverage of suicide, and particularly youth suicide is much more open. In the 1990s it was very common for a local teen suicide to be covered in quite a bit of detail with the obligatory classroom shot – with one desk covered in flowers. However, asking for assistance or treatment for mental health conditions was very secretive. This may have changed a bit, and there was a lot of work done following the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995 and I would suspect after the tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 when so many people really struggled to cope with what had happened. I don’t want to criticise Japan or Australia or any other country for their approach to mental health as it is so tied to all sorts of aspects of culture and context. There’s good and bad in any country’s approaches to mental health and, more to the point, so much work and change is happening in this sector all the time. We see that you are currently doing a fundraiser (Laps for Life) to raise money for youth suicide. What inspired you to do this? I’ve been enthusiastically snorkelling with a group of passionate women in the SNOT (Snorkel Nerds of Tasmania) group this summer and have loved being back in the water. There are so many fundraising and exercise programs out there I couldn’t resist when something that combined swimming and mental health came up. What have you learnt about youth suicide from working with Mindset? Our program works with people aged 18+ and most people I have worked with are much older than the youth age group. I did work with someone who had just become an adult and listening to their parents talking about not being able to find youth services that actually offered practical assistance was a bit of an eye opener. Also, when I shared this on my personal Facebook I was very conscious that quite a few of the people on there have deep personal grief as a result of youth suicide. And now for a few personal questions… What did you want to be when you grew up? An interpreter at the UN – those booths look amazing.Can you tell us something surprising about yourself? I don’t eat crayfish after learning too much about how they procreate while interpreting between Japanese and English at an international symposium. Do you have a favourite quote or motto in life? How can you choose just one? How would your friends describe you? Reeking of chlorine at the moment I suspect? Can you describe your ideal weekend to us? Time to swim or snorkel, potter in the garden, bake something, read, yoga and have the house faeries magic the house into submission! Do you have a mentor or idol? OR If you could sit next to someone at a dinner party, who would it be and why?The two times I have met idols - Julian Burnside and Rodney Croome - I have been almost too overwhelmed to speak so it would be a very quiet dinner! Some questions about swimming: How bad are the prune-y hands and green hair factors? If you keep moving at a decent pace the prunes stay away. I’m a fading redhead so am safe from the green hair issues. Do you have any special swimming routines? Try not to think about how much further and faster I would have been as a teenager when I was training seriously, and listen to my body. I try to relax into the rhythm and let my mind wander, today’s pearl of wisdom was “lap 43 is just as important as lap 1 and lap 50”. What have you learned about yourself/and swimming from doing this challenge? And do you think you’ll become one of those iceberg winter swimmers? Unfortunately, my asthma doesn’t play nice if I try to swim distances in cold saltwater. I deliberately bought a longer pass to the pool to encourage me to keep it up. Having been a competitive swimmer back in my teens, maybe this is me starting my late in life swimming routine?
- 30 Mar 2023
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Faces of Baptcare #37 | Meet Chintan Patel, Resident Care and Services Manager at The Orchards Aged Care Community
What does a typical work week look like for you?I have responsibility for maintaining the quality of our service and smooth functioning of our community. I do a lot of planning, implementing improvements and observing what is going on day to day.I think that’s the essence of being a good leader – what you do has a lot more impact on people than what you say. You must deliver.There’s usually a list of things I’m working through daily, for example, roster management, staff questions/people management, resident and relative queries, risk assessment, etc. There are certain targets and deadlines I need to keep to. It’s important to prioritise matters, attend to things and resolve them each week to ensure we continue to deliver a safe and effective service which maintains and improves the quality of care to our residents. The main goal is to ensure our residents have a safe and healthy environment to live in.To me, it’s not just about exceeding quality standards, it’s also about providing consistent care each day and constantly looking for continuous improvement across everything we do.Is there any special training required to become a Resident Care and Services Manager (RCSM) in the aged care sector?In my case, I am a Registered Nurse. I started my professional journey in the health sector in 2007 and then moved to aged care where I worked in various support services and quality roles before moving to an operations role. I have worked in not-for-profit organisations as well as ASX-listed aged care providers. I joined Baptcare as a RCSM in October 2022 and feel great to be part of The Orchards Community.What kind of ‘soft skills’ are required to be successful as a RCSM?Working as a RCSM is a highly rewarding leadership role requiring compassion, passion, experience and exceptional decision-making skills. You must understand that the decisions and actions you take have a direct impact on the lives of people around you.I see you have a Masters in Biotechnology – tell me more about that.Maths and Science have been my favourite subjects since school. After completing secondary school, I studied for a Bachelor of Pharmacy and then a Masters in Biotechnology. At university, I did research on cryopreservation techniques and wrote a thesis on “cryopreservation of garlic germplasm utilising vitrification method and plant vitrification solution 3”. I’m happy to say, the result was excellent and demonstrated that it is commercially feasible and there’s a possibility for regeneration of virus free garlic.Why do you like working in aged care?I’ve been working in health and aged care for more than 15 years now and have enjoyed every role and never wanted to look for any other career options. I feel very satisfied when I make positive changes in the lives of older people in our care and their families. I always want to make sure residents have the freedom to do what they want wherever possible and enjoy staying with us.I really strive to create a homely environment as much as I can because this is our residents’ home . I know I’ll continue to work in this sector because I enjoy helping vulnerable people in our community.What was your first job?My first job was working in Customer Assistance at Woolworths. I learned how to use my people skills and empathise to understand the feelings of some very frustrated customers so I could respond positively to any problems and build good relationships with them. It was a great opportunity to gain experience about customer service and communication.Your Baptcare colleagues sing your praises and have commented on how they feel inspired by your kindness, dedication to our residents and leadership skills. What keeps you motivated and how do you keep others motivated?The most important things motivating me are the smiles and sense of reassurance I see on the faces of our residents and staff. Building trust is so important – you need to prove your presence by making positive changes with visible improvements to allow people to start building their trust in you.All challenges and complaints are welcome – they are opportunities for improvement. My hunger to find solutions keeps me motivated.Similarly, staff need acknowledgement to stay motivated and feel inspired every day. I always make sure that hard work and extra effort are acknowledged, and everyone feels like a valued member of the team. I try to walk around The Orchards Community to meet staff on the floor, say hello and acknowledge their presence at work.I talk about opportunities for further development and growth and give staff the space they need to thrive. I always make sure they are happy and feel supported at work and that the workplace environment is safe and relaxing. That way, everyone feels happy and ready to come back on their next shift.What do you like to do in your spare time?In my free time, I love to go for a walk and connect with nature. It helps me to relax my mind and body and I feel healthy and more energetic. Sometimes, I plan a walk with my friends so that we can have meaningful discussions – it helps me to think outside the box. I also enjoy spending time with my family, playing indoor and outdoor games with the kids – and answering their endless questions!Thank you Chintan, for your relentless pursuit of service excellence at The Orchards. We are truly grateful for everything that you and your team do to help our residents live their best lives.
- 28 Mar 2023
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Meet Aya Badawy our Faces of Baptcare #36
Aya Badawy’s career journey with Baptcare is nothing short of inspirational. Currently working as part of our wonderful People, Culture and Safety team, you can read more below about why Aya is a treasured member of her team and of the greater Baptcare community. What is your current role at Baptcare and what does a typical day involve?I am currently working as a Talent Acquisition Specialist for In Home Care. My day always includes lots of phone calls to screen and interview new candidates. (We are currently recruiting for multiple In Home Care roles.) What has been your career journey at Baptcare?I started as a volunteer in the Orchards community in 2017 then the amazing Volunteer Co-ordinator at that time, Vicky, helped me to find my career path in Baptcare. Firstly, in March 2018 I was accepted to work as an office assistant in our Brookview community and then by 2020 I was promoted to work as the office manager there. During July 2022 I was given the opportunity to work as a talent acquisition specialist in the People & Culture team where I work today.What do you like about your job and working in the PC&S team?It’s a new experience for me and I enjoy the challenge of dealing with different types of people every day. I also like the challenge of having to rely on my feelings during the interviews and screening process to work out if the candidates will be the right fit for Baptcare or not.Having these interesting conversations really makes a difference in my day. I can say that diversity is a great factor in Baptcare and something that I feel makes our organisation so different and unique. Have you always wanted to work within the People and Culture space?After starting my position as an office manager, I was hoping that I could join the PC&S team one day, and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity!What did you want to be as a young child? I always wanted to be an engineer like my Dad.Do you have a favourite time of the year or a favourite family celebration? My favourite time of the year is Ramadan and Eid. It’s a very special time for us to get family and friends together. We normally prepare lots of food and traditional desserts in our celebrations. My Daughters always enjoys decorating our house as well, especially during Ramadan. Can you tell us two surprising things about yourself? Chocolates and music are always my way to unwind and get in a good mood.I used to do athletics when I was younger. My events were long jump and high jump. Do you have a favourite quote or motto in life?Happiness is not by chance but by choice.How would your friends describe you?My friends are always telling me that I am a hard worker - not only at work but in my private life. They describe me as a Bee. Do you have a mentor or idol? I will always say my parents are my great mentors. I have learnt a lot from them.
- 23 Mar 2023
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Geraldine Lannon appointed as new Victorian Director of ACCPA
We are delighted to announce the appointment of our Chief Executive Officer, Geraldine Lannon, as a Director of the Aged and Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA). Geraldine is filling a casual vacancy as a Victorian Director.ACCPA sent out the following announcement to its members informing them of Geraldine’s appointment:NEW ACCPA VICTORIAN DIRECTORThe ACCPA Board of Directors is delighted to announce the appointment of Geraldine Lannon as a Director of ACCPA, filling a casual vacancy in the position of Victorian Director.As a Board appointed position, the ACCPA Board undertook a transparent and robust process for the appointment, commencing with an open call for nominations from our members in early February 2023. The position attracted a large number of high calibre candidates and we thank all of the nominees for their interest and efforts.Geraldine is the Chief Executive Officer of Baptcare, a leading, faith-based, not for profit organisation providing services in residential care, retirement living, home care, disability, seniors’ housing and a number of other areas across Victoria.Geraldine brings to the ACCPA Board over 26 years’ executive leadership experience in aged care, public health and community services. She has served on a number of boards including a large, not-for-profit aged care provider in Western Australia and the Health Round Table, which provides data analytics to hospitals across Australia and New Zealand. Amongst her broad range of relevant skills, Geraldine’s extensive government relations, digital, change management and strategy development experience particularly recommended her as a worthy addition to the ACCPA Board.Geraldine holds clinical, management and governance qualifications, having initially qualified as a registered nurse and including a Master of Business Administration and qualifications in safety and quality, project management and emergency management. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Geraldine has received a Western Australian Health Award for Effectiveness Through Clinical Engagement and has also been a finalist in the Telstra Women’s Business Awards.The term of appointment for this Director position concludes at ACCPA’s Annual General Meeting in 2025.We look forward to welcoming Geraldine to the ACCPA Board at our upcoming Strategy Workshop in early April 2023.
- 22 Mar 2023
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Meet Nigel Rich – Heritage Manor resident and drummer extraordinaire
Meet Nigel Rich, one of our beloved residents at Heritage Manor, Morwell, Victoria.At Baptcare, we love to see our residents continue doing the things they love – and Nigel is no exception! A talented drummer with a deep love for music, he started drumming lessons in 1958 at Ivan Lol’s Drum Centre. After a year of lessons, Nigel purchased his first drum kit, a three piece set obtained second-hand from the Drum Centre - and it’s fair to say, he’s never looked back.A band of brothersNigel and his brothers – Adrian, Peter and Colin – started a band with their mate, Johnny, in the late 1950s. Performing as The Rich Brothers, they played their first gig at Morwell’s Kernot Hall in 1959 as a support act for The Thunderbirds. Their group was in great demand, performing all around Morwell, including a town parade attended by Bert Newton.Bert wasn’t the only big name The Rich Brothers encountered! Nigel’s favourite gig was a fundraiser for the local football club at the Moe Town Hall in 1959. The Master of Ceremonies was none other than famous race caller, Bill Collins.Joining The Firebirds – and finding his soulmateThe brothers decided to disband in 1961. But performing was still very much in Nigel’s blood, so in 1962, he joined The Firebirds. They played all around Gippsland, including the YMCA, RAAF Base, The Karma in Morwell and at local rock’n’roll dances. Nigel performed with many well-known artists including Alison Durbin, Yvonne Barrett and Dave Rebecchi. By 1969, he had formed his own band – The Nigel Rich Quartet.Shortly after, Cupid’s arrow struck when Nigel met the lovely Brenda, a friend of his sister. After they married and had a little girl, Nigel decided to give up performing, becoming an Industrial Electrician at the APM. It’s a decision he never regretted, allowing him to spend more time with his family, which had grown to include two beautiful daughters.New tech – electronic drum kitsNigel continued to play drums in his spare time and took a big step forward in 2012, purchasing his first electronic drum kit from a former U2 tribute band drummer. Recently, he felt it was time for an upgrade and so has spoiled himself with a brand new electric drum kit, which was set up for him in one of the Heritage Manor nooks.Now Nigel can play the drums through his headphones without disturbing his neighbours. Of course, they still like to stroll past from time to time and listen to him play out loud. Follow the sound of the drums and you’ll soon see our residents dancing and singing along to Nigel’s tunes. Almost 70 years after those initial drum lessons at the Drum Centre, he’s still the consummate entertainer!
- 17 Mar 2023
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Faces of Baptcare #35 - meet Carla De Oliveira Magalhaes, Nurse Unit Manager at our Westhaven residential aged care community
How long have you worked at Baptcare?I joined in May last year, so I’ve been here around ten months now.Have you always been a nurse?I started in the aged care industry as a volunteer at another facility in Sunshine.An older lady reached out her hand to me for some support and I just knew instantly that I was making a difference. I had worked in warehouse and retail environments previously, had completed university, but I didn’t have a strong sense of where I was going in my career until that experience.I completed a Certificate III in Aged Care and worked as a PCA for about ten years, which was incredibly rewarding. I really understood that I was making a difference in the system and started thinking about how to lead positive change. It all stemmed from a strong feeling of empathy and connection with the elderly.I kept studying and became a Division 2 Nurse and then a Registered Nurse. I really wanted to get into management and help educate other staff about leading the way in providing the best of care. I’ve been a Nursing Manager for five years now and I love it!What training did you complete?Apart from my Certificate III in Aged Care, I’ve got a Diploma in Enrolled Nursing and a Bachelor of Nursing. Maybe I can go and do my Master’s now! I love learning and developing my skills.What do you love about your job?I love guiding the team and providing leadership on a range of things to make sure we are doing our jobs the right way – about the aged care standards we need to follow, legislative requirements and one on one care. I love teaching staff – with 20 years’ experience now, I’ve got a lot of insight to share. Being in a management role means I’ve got the opportunity to share that knowledge with others.What is a typical day at work like for you?I make sure I do a team check-in and a resident check-in. Ensuring that day to day care is running smoothly is a key part of my role. I take on any feedback, continuous improvement ideas and make sure that staffing levels are good. I’m the ‘go to’ person on the floor so if there are any issues, I’m immediately in solution mode.As a Nurse Unit Manager, there’s always going to be desk work and admin to take care of. But by nature, I’m curious about how we can always improve and make things better. Working on keeping strong connections between residents and their families is important to me. I’m a really curious person and I like to focus on problem solving and helping others. Sometimes I’ll pop in and see what’s happening on other floors and see if there’s anything I can help with. Resolving things gives me great satisfaction.What keeps you motivated?Without a doubt, it’s the residents.Many of them have no-one to visit them – their friends may have passed away. They aren’t able to look after themselves at home anymore so they’ve come here – this is their new home. So, I understand that I’m the person they can rely on and advocate for them.I think I understand their situation really well because of my own circumstances, growing up. When I was four years old, I moved to Australia from overseas and didn’t have a lot of extended family around me. I never knew my grandparents from my father’s side of the family. I had to build new relationships and bonds in a new place. I guess I’ve been looking for that connection to older people in my life – hearing their stories, the life lessons they’ve learned. They are looking for affection and want to hold my hand. I’m so happy to be able to do that.What do you like to do outside of work?I love spending time with my daughter. She was only four months old when I started working at Baptcare – I’m still a new mum. It’s fascinating to watch her play – I keep seeing things in her that echo my own personality traits. I see her trying to get hold of her toys and think – “Ha! That’s just like me – stubborn in a good way!” Any spare time I have, I want to spend it with my family.When I want to relax, I turn to nature. I love the outdoors and being around water – oceans and rivers are really soothing.What do you love about working at Baptcare?I get the flexibility I need as a new mum. I was able to adjust my working hours to 7am-3pm (instead of 9am-5pm) so that I can spend time with my daughter in the afternoon. If I need to look after her, I can get Carer’s Leave. There’s a really good understanding that people have their own lives outside of work.I enjoy the pace of the work – especially in the Transition Care Program – because I’m constantly meeting new people with different needs. The variety of work is fantastic.If you could meet up with anyone for coffee, who would that be? I would love to be able to meet all of my grandparents for a coffee, together. I’ve only got one grandparent left. So, to see them all again over a coffee, that would mean so much to me.What’s your motto in life?Go for it! Believe in yourself.I never believed that I could be where I am – but someone said to me, “You’ve got it! Go for it!” And now, I want to say that to everyone.Sure, there will be hurdles and things can be hard – but if you persist, you’ll get it.Dream big! I always want to keep climbing and really make a difference for others. So, go for it!
- 16 Mar 2023
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Meet Nicole McKenzie – Faces of Baptcare #34 - Carer Extraordinaire
Meet Nicole McKenzie, one of Baptcare’s Delivery Service Leads, responsible for supporting many of our team of over 400 carers. What is your role at Baptcare, and can you describe a typical day in your job?My role here at Baptcare is Delivery Support Lead. I’m here to support, mentor and guide our Carers.I’m here to ensure they are working safe and in a safe environment, ensuring they are happy and that they have the most amazing experience here on their journey at Baptcare.What do you like about working with Baptcare and in the In Home Care space?I love the family feel here at Baptcare and I feel honoured and blessed in my role to be able to be that person to make a difference in so many carer’s lives so they do not feel alone out there on the front line. Can you share a particularly special work day you’ve had recently? Every day with my carers is a special day. I am lucky enough to have phone calls, texts, emails weekly from my carers telling me how supported they feel and how they are so happy to have me there supporting them. This warms my heart and is very fulfilling. This is why I am in this particular role: because I truly care for my staff ( or ‘The Dream Team’, as I call them). Did you always want to work within the caring space? I moved from NZ 10 years ago and as soon as I arrived I had this feeling of needing to help more people. I got into aged care and it has been the most rewarding journey and I couldn’t imagine working in any other industry. I think that I’ve found my calling. What did you want to be when you grew up? Well – funny story – when I was a child I always said, “ Mum I want to help everybody and I don’t want anyone to be lonely so I want to talk to everyone and make them laugh.” Well, my mother laughed as she told me her first thoughts were “Oh no – she will chat their ears off with her chatter.” But I always knew caring for others was something I wanted to do.Can you tell us 2 surprising things about yourself? Firstly, I don’t eat any cooked vegetables (said with a screwed up face).Secondly, I am petrified of spiders (any creatures with more or less legs than me!! That is a No from me!)Do you have a favourite quote or motto in life? “Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody.” How would your friends describe you? Caring, loving, happy vibes to be around, always there for you and would give you the shirt off her back. Do you have a mentor or idol? My sister is my idol, my rock, my world. She is beautiful inside and out.
- 24 Feb 2023
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On Founders Day, Sadie Newnham remembers early Strathalan
Baptcare celebrates Founders Day on 24 February, commemorating the purchase of Strathalan homestead in 1945 by visionary Baptists to provide housing for people in need.Nowadays Sadie Newnham lives at Baptcare’s Strathalan Aged Care Community, but she visited the site even before the date of first purchase.“My brother Vic and I and others came out here on a Youth Hike in 1943,” Sadie remembers. “We attended West Hawthorn Baptist, and we took the train out, got off at the station and walked across the paddocks holding our lunches in paper bags.“We walked all around the old homestead. The driving forces then were (Rev) W. G. Pope and his wife Mary Pope. She had been a missionary and returned to Australia. She was a good-looking lady with lovely wavy hair. He was a bit of an entrepreneur.“They found Strathalan and opened it up to people who needed it.”Sadie is now in her 95th year. She remembers fundraising afternoon teas at West Hawthorn Baptist to help towards the purchase of Strathalan. These were years when money was scarce, and people had to scrape to contribute funds for charity purposes.Sadie’s own upbringing was not easy. Her mother died when she was eight. Her father was a gold miner, truck driver and handyman. Sadie left school after Grade Eight and got a job first as a piece work machinist and then in an office. For the first year she wore her old school uniform to work until she could afford other clothes.Through it all, church and her faith were always central to Sadie’s life. She was a founding member of Blackburn North Baptist Church where she was a deaconess and sang in the choir.She was inspired in her belief in Christian service by the big-hearted Baptists who raised £4,481 to purchase Strathalan homestead, opening it in 1945 as Strathalan Home for the Elderly.This is the DNA of Baptcare. Baptcare staff continue to come face-to-face with social disadvantage and injustice in our communities. We can look at the example of those who insisted on better care for older people at Strathalan in the 1940s, and be inspired.
- 23 Feb 2023
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Meet Michelle Turra, Registered Nurse and our Faces of Baptcare #33
Who would have thought that a young girl’s love of the Australian television series, ‘A Country Practice’, would lead to a rewarding career in nursing?That was Michelle Turra’s experience – and we could not be more delighted! She’s been a valued member of our team at Baptcare St Hilary’s for more than 20 years.The start of a brilliant career Michelle joined Baptcare in 2002 while completing her Bachelor of Nursing degree.“I saw an advertisement in the local newspaper. I remember my first shift as a personal carer – I was given six residents to attend to on my own!” says Michelle. “I think I only made my way through assisting four. It was initially overwhelming, but I stuck it out with the support from a great team.”Michelle’s career always revolved around healthcare, starting out as a receptionist at a medical centre before joining us at St Hilary’s. After earning her qualification as a Registered Nurse, Michelle knew that a career in aged care was for her.“Aged care nursing is really rewarding,” she explains. “You have the opportunity to meet so many different people who have led impressive and interesting lives.”A love of learningSince joining Baptcare, Michelle has gone on to complete graduate studies in Cancer Nursing at Latrobe University. Throughout her career she’s consolidated her knowledge and experience across mental health, chronic disease management, palliative care, dementia care, infection control, pain management, clinical deterioration and emergency care.“It’s never boring and every day is different,” she says. “You get personal satisfaction from knowing that the comfort and care you provide enriches the lives of our residents. You are improving the quality of life for others.“It’s a myth that you will lose your skills by working in a nursing home. Elderly people have complex medical needs. You get to learn skills such as geriatric assessment, communication skills, leadership skills, critical thinking and problem-solving.”A day in the life of an aged care Registered NurseMichelle describes St Hilary’s as a smaller 51 bed ‘boutique’ home with a great family environment. “You get to know the residents really well,” she says.The value of having regular contact with a familiar face is a key factor in clinical care, Michelle explains, as it allows for quick identification of any deterioration in wellbeing. “You can sense when a resident is simply not themselves,” she says.Michelle leads and supports the St Hilary’s staff, ensuring day to day running of the home and that all residents’ needs are met. She oversees resident clinical care and supports management with governance tasks.“I liaise with doctors and allied health staff to ensure clinical care needs are attended and meet with family members to discuss any issues or concerns.”A keen work ethic – forged on a dairy farmMichelle’s colleagues speak with glowing praise about her dedication, hard work and reliability. She’s been described as ‘their backbone’ and it’s clear that staff and residents alike love having her as part of the St Hilary’s team.When asked what her secret for staying motivated is, Michelle doesn’t hesitate to reference her childhood experiences growing up on a dairy farm. Especially, watching the work ethic of her father.“I grew up in Trafalgar on the farm,” she explains. “I watched my dad work tirelessly, seven days a week, all year round: rain, hail and shine. I’m pretty sure this gave me the foundations for a strong work ethic.”In terms of keeping the team motivated, Michelle notes the importance of respecting and valuing each other. Acknowledging people have different strengths and weaknesses (and different ways of working) is key to building a strong team who can support each other.“I also believe in promoting positive morale amongst staff,” she says. “I’m always happy to organise social dinners, movie nights or lunch order days to brighten our moods. I definitely promote work/life balance.”On a personal level, Michelle tries to get up early every day and go for a walk before work. “It’s great for mood and sleeping. I make sure I have regular massages for relaxation and my health. It’s important to know that to care for others, you first need to care for yourself.”Relaxing outside of workMichelle is lucky to have two dogs who love going out on walks – a Golden Retriever named Rigby and Lucy, a Groodle.“I am lucky to live in Gippsland – one hour to beach, city or bush,” says Michelle. “I love spending time going for walks and exploring these areas.”When asked to name anyone in the world she’d like to have an opportunity to catch up over a coffee with, her choice naturally reflects someone who shares Michelle’s commitment to tender hearted care.“Princess Diana. For her kindness, compassion and her humanitarian efforts,” she explains. “I am sure she would have had some great stories to tell.”Her motto in lifeUnsurprisingly, Michelle’s motto is all about finding the silver lining in life.“I try to have a positive outlook on life and – as John Lennon said – ‘There are no problems, only solutions’,” she says. “I have definitely harnessed this thinking from my experience in aged care. If we just take a deep breath and prioritise what needs to be done, we can usually work through our stress.”Thank you, Michelle, for all the hard work, support and compassion you’ve provided to our residents over the years. Baptcare is proud to have you on board – you are definitely our ‘Queen of Hearts’.If you are interested in working for Baptcare, explore our career site here. We also have a variety of volunteer opportunities available.
- 22 Feb 2023
