Meet our Lifestyle Coordinator, Lee-ann
On Aged Care Employee Day, get to know a very cherished member leading our Lifestyle team.
On Aged Care Employee Day, get to know a very cherished member leading our Lifestyle team.
What made you want to pursue a career in the aged care sector?
Over 20 years ago my grandmother was admitted to an aged care facility. I would go visit her twice a week. Each time I went to leave my grandmother Ruby, she would cry asking me to stay stating that the staff would yell at her for taking too long to do things. I stayed one day and witnessed this happen and it broke my heart. My grandmother passed away three months later. I went home and told my husband at that stage that I was going to do my Certificate III in aged care.
Once I completed the course over 20 years ago, I found some places just weren’t good to work at. I moved round until I found one I was comfortable with. I worked in a facility at North Lakes for eight years which I enjoyed but felt I had just so much more I wanted to do. I started here at Woodford when it first opened back in 2015. I was the only staff member in one area. I worked as a PCA for around three years and in that time trained a lot of staff and ensured they were trained correctly. The got offered the Physio Aid role for four years which I did manual handling and more which was great to try and keep the residents mobile and active. The Lifestyle Coordinator went on holidays and I was asked to fill in, and here I am after two years working as the Lifestyle Coordinator.
What do you like most about your role and working at the home?
A role as a Coordinator can be challenging, trying to come up with different ideas and to cover culture and diversity. When I first came into the role, it was a bit overwhelming but the support I received from management was reassuring as some days you question yourself if you’re doing enough. The staff have been supportive as well, we work extremely well together as a country facility.
I do enjoy the theme days and my boxing class. I have been a boxing personal trainer for many years bringing my skills to Woodford and watching the residents improve their cognition, balance and coordination. Some residents don’t do any other activities but are always at boxing.
I have worked her for nine years and have no intention on leaving, this is the best facility I have ever worked at in over20 years.
What is most challenging about working in aged care?
The hardest part is my connection with residents, I get so close to the residents in my role. I don’t show my emotions much and I struggle in there passing. I am always professional and never shed a tear in front of people , but walk away and find a space on my own to shed my tears. Being in aged care is not for someone just looking for a job, it’s about the love and care we can give. To me it’s one of the hardest jobs as my residents are all like family. To me, a good career is someone who cares, has empathy, and can show their emotions at the right time.
What is a special memory you have from working at the home?
There are so many special memories, I have two special ones that will always stay with me.
One male resident in his younger days was a bit of a ‘scrapper’ in the pubs as he put it, he joined my boxing class and threw some punches. My son was a professional boxer at this stage, and this male resident would follow his fights on Facebook. Before he passed, my son gave him a signed boxing glove, he never put it down until he passed.
The other memory was the lady behind why I started the boxing classes at Woodford Manor. This lady told me how her late husband was a boxer, and she never went to watch him fight and regretted this. This lady was nearly blind, and she would count her steps to the boxing class. My son also gave her a signed boxing glove as again she would listen to his fights as she couldn’t watch them. To this day, her family have this in a sealed box, as it meant so much to her.
How does working in aged care bring you happiness?
If I can make a difference to someone’s life in anyway, I like to try and bring them into a world and try things they’ve never done before. Aged Care can be very rewarding if you just look outside the box and make it fun.
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