News and views from our community
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Looking back on National Palliative Care Week
Perspectives on National Palliative Care Week 2022 | Faces of Baptcare | Tammylea Collyer, Care Advisor – Home CareMeet Tammylea Collyer, Care Advisor and an integral part of our Home Care team.Tammylea is a strong advocate for people being able to access high quality palliative care in the setting of their choice, including their own homes.We asked her to look back on National Palliative Care Week and what this vital care means to so many.National Palliative Care Week (22 May – 28 May) is Australia’s largest annual awareness-raising initiative to increase understanding of the benefits of palliative care. What does the week mean to you?I think it raises awareness about everybody’s right to access high quality care, compassion and comfort when they need it.It’s amazing that we can offer tailored palliative care in the home, supporting a person’s emotional and psychological needs, along with managing physical symptoms and pain.We don’t forget our clients’ spiritual and cultural needs, either. An important part of palliative care involves supporting the entire family to come together and have a range of sensitive conversations about what the right kind of care looks like for them.How did you come to work for Baptcare?I started with Baptcare as a Personal Alert Victoria Responder. I was working in another role with Aruma at the time, as a Youth Service Case Manager. When that finished up, Baptcare asked if I was interested to come on board as a Personal Care Worker (PCW).After working one-on-one with clients as a PCW and understanding the importance of individualised care, I decided to put that knowledge to work as a Care Advisor. It’s a role focused on partnering with our clients to build tailored Care Plans meeting their individual goals. Everyone is different so it’s important I translate that into each Care Plan.I’ve been with Baptcare for about two years now.What have your learned about the value of palliative care?As a former PCW, I’ve worked side-by-side with palliative care teams. Together, we provide the full spectrum of care, that is, personal care, home care and respite care tailored to our clients’ emotional, spiritual, cultural and social requirements.I’ve worked directly with our clients at the time of their passing. I understand that it’s not a job for everyone. But personally, I feel that being there and talking to clients – even when they are not responsive – and being able to brush their hair and tell them that their loved ones are OK, is crucial to a respectful and person-centred care approach.Being there for our clients and their families – knowing how much this is appreciated at such a difficult time - just reinforces why palliative care teams love the job that we do.I was glad to be part of these teams, ensuring that our clients and their families received the highest level of care and compassion through those times.Growing up, did you always want to work in an industry involving one-on-one care?I never really knew what I wanted to do as a child growing up.I know I had to grow up fast – my father died when I was nine years’ old. My mother had complex health issues. So, I had to think like an adult very quickly, running a household and looking after my younger brother and mum. I cooked and cleaned. I had to write the shopping list and do the shopping.Looking back now, I really believe my life today has evolved from those childhood experiences of caring for others. Those early experiences inform so much of what I do today.What’s your motto in life?I don’t have time for negativity and I look for the positive in everything.Life is beautiful and worth celebrating.On a lighter note, who would you like to sit down with at a dinner party?I’m not sure about that one! As long as they’re positive and cheerful, it doesn’t matter to me who they are. It’s the personal qualities that are important.Thankyou Tammylea. Your compassion and warmth are appreciated by those in your care. We are proud to have you in our Baptcare team.
- 10 Jun 2022
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National Reconciliation Week, 2022 | Faces of Baptcare | Meet Emily Patterson, Personal Care Assistant – Brookview
If you’re ever visiting our Baptcare Brookview Community and hear someone singing along to Elvis’ greatest hits, it’s a sure sign that Emily Patterson has started her shift.Emily is one of our standout Personal Care Assistants, working tirelessly to ensure our older residents receive the highest standards of care and attention. What makes her stand out? Emily ensures every day is brimming with fun for those under her watchful care.Whether that’s a singalong to some of the classic hits of the 1950s, reliving a fun playground past time (the ‘Hokey Pokey’ is very popular with residents!) or just taking the time to listen and share stories, Emily is always looking at ways to promote joy and laughter.“I come from a large family – six kids – and I remember Nan singing to us with all these great tunes from the past,” said Emily. “I just thought it was natural that the residents might enjoy singing these songs, too.”If Elvis is not to your taste – don’t worry – Emily also brings a strong repertoire in Patsy Cline’s greatest hits. The residents love their singing companion – and the feedback from their families is glowing.“We get so much great feedback on Emily,” says Tamara Withanage, Residential Care and Services Manager at Brookview. “Our residents’ families tell us how they feel very secure knowing their loved one is receiving such attentive one-on-one care.”“Brookview is like a family”As a Personal Care Assistant, Emily’s days typically start at 7 a.m. before ending at around lunchtime or early afternoon. Her responsibilities include showering residents, cleaning their rooms, double-checking that all medication has been taken and assisting with feeding.Having worked for almost seven years at Baptcare, Emily has gotten to know the residents and their families at Brookview and looks on them as part of her extended family. “I feel so motivated to come in and see the residents each day,” said Emily.As a proud First Nations Australian, Emily was brought up to respect her elders, gladly providing comfort and care. It’s the same philosophy she brings to our residents at Brookview. ‘But it’s not just about what I can do to support them,” she explains. “I learn so much from our residents. They’ve got a lifetime of experience and wisdom to share – just like my aunties and uncles.”Discovering her true callingLooking back on her career, a clear theme emerges of a desire to support and care for others. One of Emily’s first jobs was working in childcare, preparing nutritious meals to power the little ones through their active days.She soon felt a calling to join aged care, remembering how she had helped look after her beloved Nan through her battle with throat cancer.“It seemed very natural to me, to move into aged care. I grew up in a family where we all looked after Nan – we enjoyed helping her out,’ explains Emily. “I feel like it’s my calling to help older people and bring some fun into their day.”We are so glad to have you onboard Emily!In the words of a famous Elvis song – our residents “can’t help falling in love with you!”
- 02 Jun 2022
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Brookview’s Quiet Room
A quick flashback to an interview with our own Geoff Wraight in the Source Saturday late last year on Brookview’s Quiet Room innovation.The brainchild of Bron Morris, Spiritual Care Co-ordinator at Brookview, the Quiet Room was developed during COVID-19, and is a dedicated staff sanctuary space; a room where staff can rest, reflect and recover.Faith-based Not For Profit operator Baptcare is creating Quiet Rooms to help stressed workers.“All the staff are under extra stress before you even start to think about a crisis like a COVID-19 pandemic. There are huge staff shortages right across the sector. Baptcare’s no different in suffering from that,” said Geoff Wraight, Baptcare’s Head of Spiritual Care.Brookview Aged Care Community (in Westmeadows, 17km north of Melbourne’s CBD) experienced a COVID breakout and the staff sought a Quiet room.“It’s been very warmly received. There is Muslim staff at that site who are now using it regularly for their daily Salat, their prayers. The manager herself has a particular self-care habit at the end of each day, before she goes home, she goes and does some breathing exercises and meditation.”Mr Wraight pointed out stress was not the only factor for a Quiet Room. One of the other motivations is Baptcare’s commitment to the whole person, including their spirituality.“In addition, the National Standards for Spiritual Care in Aged Care and Guidelines for Quality Spiritual Care in Health and our current building code reference the importance of a quiet space where staff and residents can go for meditation or contemplation, or prayer, or just withdraw from the craziness and the stress of a hospital or an aged care facility,” he added.“There was a nurse manager at one of our sites, almost being in tears because they just found out there was a new Government requirement to make a fullregister of all the psychotropic medicines being used at that level, and across the whole site,” he said.“This particular administrative task was detailed and laborious. She was already at the end of her ability to provide care for the residents, yet there was this new administration task… She had a moral dilemma, a huge values conflict. There just wasn’t enough staff on the floor in her view, to give the level of quality care that we want to give. And yet the demands of the system were pulling away from doing that direct care.”“I think it was just a little example to me that having that culture and ethic of we care about you as a whole person, we care about what this is doing to you as a human being.”And having a Quiet Room.
- 31 May 2022
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The Merri Creek School Story – a glimmer of compassion in the sad story of Melbourne’s beginnings
By the end of 1847, the Wurundjeri clan had left Merri Creek in the face of increasing persecution and moved from Yarra bend taking their children with them.The school continued with a change of teacher and a smaller number of pupils, mainly from outside of the Melbourne area. At the end of 1847, there were six acres of vegetables under cultivation and many of the children could read and were learning to write. In 1849, an extraordinary cantilever bridge was constructed over the creek by the children and teacher, but it was swept away in a flood in 1850.With the bridge gone, gardens destroyed and the press fanning public criticism of the school as a waste of money, it was officially closed in 1851.While this a sad story, it is also one that shows that at the heart of the local engagement of those earliest Melbourne Baptist people was some sense of inclusion and dignity that they felt toward the original and dispossessed Kulin peoples who were forcibly displaced from their home of thousands of years.1 Mayer Eidelson, The Melbourne Dreaming: A Guide to the Aboriginal Places of Melbourne, Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press, 1997, p. 282 Gary Presland, Aboriginal Melbourne: The Lost Land of the Kulin People, Harriland Press 2001, p104-105.3 See “The Merri Creek ‘experiment’” in Ken Manley, From Woolloomooloo to Eternity: A History of Australian Baptists, Paternoster, 2006. pp43-44
- 26 May 2022
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Happy National Volunteer Week 2022! Lana Davis, Volunteer Program Lead – Faces of Baptcare #15
Faces of Baptcare #15Lana Davis, Volunteer Program Lead at Baptcare, lives by a piece of advice “time with family is always time well spent.”Lucky for Baptcare, Lana includes our community of 400 volunteers in her definition of family and – it seems – her calling in life.“Volunteering is the ultimate joy – creating a space where someone feels safe, empowered and cherished – it’s so fulfilling,” Lana says. “My mother worked for a not-for-profit while I was growing up and I was roped into all sorts of fundraising activities from walk-a-thons to selling chocolates door-to-door. Whilst I may have rolled my eyes at my mum for putting my name forward for these things as a kid, I 110% appreciate the skills, knowledge and experience these volunteering acts have given to me over the course of my life. Little did I know that my mum generously donating my time to a cause would put me on a life-long trajectory towards supporting people to engage in their passions.” How long have you been at Baptcare and what is your role? I began my journey with Baptcare in December of 2017 as the Volunteer Co-ordinator for Baptcare Karingal Community in Devonport on the North-West Coast of Tassie. The staff, volunteers and residents at Karingal are warm and friendly and really bring the home to life. In January 2022 an opportunity came available to be the Volunteer Program Partner and I jumped at it!What did you want to be when you were a little girl?I don’t think I ever really knew what I wanted to be. I was always referred to as being someone who was ‘quick witted’ and having the ‘gift of the gab’. I tried my hand at many roles but the one I loved the most was my work with Volunteering Tasmania and now, of course, my role at Baptcare.What do you like about working in the volunteering space?I love nothing more than having someone come and talk to me about potentially volunteering for an hour a week only to have them find we have so much more to offer! Many of the volunteers I brought into Karingal started like that but were soon giving 10-15 hours a week! Members of our community have so much to offer us.As a trained Volunteer coordinator, one of the best gifts you can offer a potential Volunteer is the gift of listening, asking the right questions and harnessing their personal passions in order to make a difference in the life of another. Volunteers come to me in those initial first weeks and marvel at how quickly and easily volunteering becomes part of their life, a piece they never knew was missing. It’s the ultimate joy – creating a space where someone feels safe, empowered and cherished.What is an example of success in the volunteering space?In just my time at Baptcare alone there have been many - from having a Volunteer be employed in a role they never thought they would be able to do (in just six weeks too!) to having Volunteers come thinking they would just have a cuppa and a chat with a resident but going on to create self-sustainable gardening and crochet programs where the residents and the Volunteers create items for sale! Seeing the volunteers delight in being able to be an active member of the home, together with the residents taking pride in their activities, is just wonderful for everyone.What is your motto in life?I have two – moments create momentum and work smarter not harder – neither have failed me yet!What do you consider to be a great life?A life filled with love, laughter and happiness. I may hold a few…ok…far too many…extra kilos but I know that I have a kind, loving family who bring laughter and happiness to my home. I love that I can still, at an age pushing 40, visit my parents and walk into their pantry - just for a look - and mum immediately knows ‘Lana’s home’. My toddler, James is 110% the same. “What are you doing James?” asks Nanny, “Just looking”, says James. Secretly we are both hoping Nanny has a hidden home-baked treat but we are also happy just to window shop!If you could finish this sentence… “You’d be surprised to know that I….” Make the world’s best Garlic Prawn Pasta! I’ve also been known to make a mean chocolate ripple cake too - just ask the volunteers at Karingal!Who is your idol in life and why?While it might sound cheesy, my parents and my grandparents. I have always been in awe of how they grew up with so few conveniences and before all the technological advances we now have. Imagine raising children without television and all the convenient Apps we have to entertain our children with these days!I also admired their relationship. Even at the age of 16. I remember thinking what a marvellous thing it was that they had been married for 40 years, raised 6 children, and yet still have things they didn’t know about each other.I wanted a love like that too and I ended up finding it. Lucky me.
- 18 May 2022
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Piecemakers – Moe’s quilting group extraordinaire. Drop by for a yarn and stay for a quilt…
Every fortnight, the Moe Baptist Church is abuzz with the sounds of friendly chatter, humming sewing machines, and an endlessly bubbling kettle.Welcome to the home of the Piecemakers.Piecemakers is a group of about 15 ladies who gather together every few weeks to quilt, chat and connect. Created in 2012, the group originally made 10 quilts that they donated to Baptcare for our Family Services and Asylum Seekers (Sanctuary) communities. So began a wonderful relationship that flourishes to this day.“What these ladies do for those we support is simply inspiring,” commented Sabina Cruz, Fundraising and Community Engagement Manager at Baptcare.“They donate their money in materials but also so much time. Hundreds of hours and creative flair go into each unique quilt, and these ladies are more than happy to part with them knowing that the quilt will bring comfort to a child in foster care or to a person seeking asylum in our Sanctuary program. It's a blessing to have these ladies donate their quilts each year.”These quilts can take up to 200 hours to make and some are entirely hand stitched. Draped over the chairs, the bright and intricately designed quilts seem to have a sort of Harry Potter-esque magic and life about them. Draped on mass, they look like one bright, open-armed hug just waiting to embrace someone in need.Norma, one of the quilters, was delighted to hear that a few of the Piecemakers’ quilts were donated to a grandmother and granddaughter within the Baptcare foster care community. Estranged from her daughter for 10 years and with her grandchild in foster care, Norma loved the thought that her quilts might bring joy to another grandmother and grandchild.“You hope that the people who receive the quilts will enjoy them and look after them,” Norma said. “I guess it’s something in their life that they can feel good about – and they may not have much else to feel good about, so it’s lovely to give them this gift.”Fellow quilter, Leslie,agrees with Norma. Asked why she likes to donate her quilts, Leslie said, “I’m just a giving kind of person I guess. When I lived in New Zealand, I used to foster orphaned children, so I’m happy to be helping out Baptcare’s fostering community now. It’s something close to my heart.”Like many communities, the giving at the heart of Piecemakers is also a gift to many of its members.“Many of the quilters may have family living far away, so they enjoy getting together with people in the Moe community,” commented Margot, the organiser of the group. “We all enjoy the friendship and connections.”As fellow Piecemaker Norma says, “I wasn’t in a good place before I joined Piecemakers. I really joined because I needed some TLC for me. Being a part of this group has been really therapeutic for me. They’re a beautiful group of ladies.”Some names changed for privacy reasons
- 05 May 2022
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Living happily at home: Matteo Russo
Matteo Russo currently lives happily with the support of Baptcare's Home Care services. "I trust the people who Baptcare send to my home. It's unbelievable, we're like a family," he smiles.
- 11 Apr 2022
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‘Judge me by my ability, not my disability’
- 31 Mar 2022
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International Women's Day 2022 – profile of Baptcare's Dolly and Aamisha Khanna
Dolly and Aamisha buzz with warmth and energy. It’s no surprise that both women work in the caring profession. Both women celebrate the opportunity to help people in their daily jobs at Baptcare as Lead Care Consultant and Acting Kinship Care Team Leader, and they also celebrate each other.When asked for the best thing about her Mum, Aamisha commented, ‘Her cooking! Also, growing up, I have always admired how she has not only been amazing at any work she does, but how she is a supermum. She has an incredible ability to connect with almost anyone.’Dolly admires Aamisha’s natural caring nature, and ability ‘to put anything back together, whether it is a 5,000-piece puzzle or people that are hurting. As a young girl she was always giving back to community, either by volunteering at an orphanage in Zambia or helping to build a school in Kenya’.You can read more of Dolly and Aamisha’s story below, including more about Dolly’s work as an ambassador for a recent BreastScreen Victoria campaign – breastscreen.org.au/screendebut.What do you like about your jobs?Dolly – The best thing about my job is the people! I really enjoy working with my teammates and also people from other areas of Baptcare who support and provide guidance to help deal with challenges and complaints. It’s very rewarding to be able to connect with clients from different backgrounds and to be able to give back to the community.Aamisha –I thoroughly enjoy the conversations and the time I am able to spend with clients and their carers, and the ability to help them. I also enjoy being part of an amazing team who are so dedicated and passionate about their clients’ wellbeing. They have so much knowledge and I am constantly learning from them.What three words describe your daughter and what is the most special thing about your daughter? Dolly - Her punctuality, work ethic and sense of direction. This child can never get lost as she has a built-in compass. Aamisha is an empath and gives so much of herself to the people around her. She is a natural born counsellor (and this is her chosen profession). As a young girl she has always been giving back to community, volunteering at an orphanage in Zambia, helping to build a school in Kenya, climbing Mount Kenya to raise funds under the Duke of Edinburgh program, volunteering at a Hospital and SPCA. My favourite memory is of her performing ballet in Prague, at the age of seven in the world ballet contest.Aamisha - If I had to choose three words to describe my mum, they would be nurturing, hardworking, and bubbly. Mum has the ability to walk into a room full of strangers, and immediately make a friend. She has always been extremely compassionate and caring, and from as long as I could remember, she has had an incredible work ethic. Growing up, I have always admired how she has not only been amazing at any work she does, but how she is a supermum. The most special thing about her is her ability to connect with almost anyone - and her cooking!What is your happiest mother/daughter memory?Dolly - All parents would agree that you don’t have one single happy moment but series of them. The first time I held her in my arms and instantly forgave her for the 12 hours of labour is undoubtedly my happiest one. But it is also travelling along with her and watching her evolve into this compassionate, empathetic and beautiful human that she is. The ability to put anything back together whether it is a 5,000-piece puzzle or people that are hurting. Aamisha - Like mum has said, I can think of a fair few moments - I think some of my favourites were during our first lockdown in Melbourne where we would spend the evening doing something creative like painting together with a show in the background and just enjoying the other person’s presence. Similarly, dinners and coffees together are always some of my most treasured moments with her because mum is so nurturing and I always leave feeling lighter and calmer.
- 07 Mar 2022
