workforce
“I feel that the industry can often be interpreted as a cold and
structured environment with no room for innovation,” Forrest
says. “We should be promoting the variety of roles within aged
care and the need for positive attitudes to enhance the lives of
the residents.”
He adds that working in this space has helped him to find
constant pathways for development in leadership roles. Forrest
is responsible for business development and the group’s team of
therapists but also completes hands-on physiotherapy, allowing
him to remain in close contact with the needs of residents.
He says: “My role within the aged care and community setting
has enabled me to connect with such a large variety of amazing
people that I would never have met without this role.
“I feel very fortunate to learn from people who have experienced
amazing journeys and great hardships throughout their lifetime and
are willing to pass on their lessons.”
TEELIA PEPLOE: AGED CARE CAN BE ANYTHING
Photo: LASA
aged care services. My Care My Choice helps people find a provider
and highlights the fantastic work providers do, which can be life-
changing for our most vulnerable people.”
Gray would like to see mainstream media pay more attention to
positive stories of ageing and the providers who help facilitate it.
“This would also have flow-on effects for how we see the process
of ageing within ourselves and may hopefully improve the treatment
of older people across our society as a whole.
“Like the rest of us, older people have so much to contribute to
our society and I would love to see this encouraged and celebrated.”
She also hopes that the view of aged care expands to better
reflect reality. “When people think of aged care, they think of a
‘nursing home’. But it’s so much more than that. There are literally
thousands of different careers you could have in the sector, whether
it’s directly working with our elders or helping them indirectly by
providing other products and services.”
PAUL FORREST: PATHWAYS TO LEADERSHIP
Paul Forrest, state manager of WA physiotherapy and occupational
therapy service provider Xtra AgedCare and Xtra HomeCare, agreed
that the industry is constantly looking for fresh and new ideas to
enhance quality of care.
Forrest says the uptick in next-generation aged care leaders
is resulting in a dynamic workforce not restrained by previous
practices or ideas of how care should be delivered.
Teelia Peploe wears many hats. Some days spent running her
small business, St Louis Estate Home Care, are spent focused on
quality and audits, some on HR and hiring new staff or strategy and
business development. Others involve filling in for carers or nurses.
“Wherever the day takes me, I try to keep up as much direct
contact with clients and their families as possible,” Peploe says.
“It sharpens my focus on what’s important to them and where
we can improve.”
She says one of the most exciting challenges is considering
how to best cater to the next wave of people accessing aged care
services. “Aged care is … potentially anything the client wants it to
be. For us, that’s where the innovation is. It gets us thinking about
how we can create an experience and not simply meet a need.”
One thing she hopes the public comes to know about aged care
is that people love the work they do.
“Whenever we conduct staff surveys, one thing is always 100 per
cent cl ear and that is job satisfaction,” Peploe explains.
“Fundamentally, most people working in aged care find their
roles very rewarding. It’s not hard to see why.”
SAMANTHA BOWEN: PART OF THE SOLUTION
As founder and managing director of the Acorn Network,
Samantha Bowen not only leads by example as a young leader but
supports others to “step up and shine” in aged care.
Bowen’s organisation aims to connect with organisations,
leaders and entrepreneurs to highlight the opportunities within
aged care and inspire each other.
Every industry intersects with aged care, Bowen says, from
journalism and architecture to retail, healthcare and more. “It is
important to embrace this opportunity to educate ourselves on
how we can change the industry to be more inclusive, innovative,
and sustainable for ourselves and our older loved ones.”
She adds it’s crucial that next-generation leaders are supported
and inspired to be part of future conversations about Australia’s
ageing population.
“Our industry is rapidly changing, and ensuring young people are
part of these discussions is vital if we are to ensure we are all part of
this ageing journey.”
LAURA SUTHERLAND: PUSHING BOUNDARIES
For Laura Sutherland, one of the best parts of running her own
recruitment consultancy – focusing on leadership and specialist
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