Lifestyle Coordinator Fiona Allchin doesn’t just think outside the box. She thinks of what she can do with the box too!
She’s based Uniting AgeWell Kalkee Community Murray where she’s making a daily difference to the lives of residents and also a huge difference to the organisation with her wealth of innovative ideas that have established her as a force to be reckoned with.
So much so that Fiona was nominated for an excellence award at Uniting AgeWell’s recent internal awards honouring its shining stars who go above and beyond in living the values of the organisation.
Fiona’s latest initiative is to start a Community Library on the pavement outside Kalkee Community Murray so residents can connect with the community more. She has ordered a little makeshift house stand where some second-hand books will be placed, along with reviews of some of the books by residents. The community will be encouraged to take a book and drop some off – and keep the library thriving.
Fiona’s other community outreach initiatives have included a reciprocal program with Clonard College and Belmont High and Geelong College Kindergarten where residents made pet rocks with googly eyes for the children.
Fiona is also involved with the Beyond Words program where residents work with volunteers to write their life stories. This is a cathartic experience and also results in a written legacy to pass on to future generations.
So who is this live-wire?
Fiona was born in country Victoria, finished her schooling in Geelong, studied a Bachelor of Business and Tourism and became a tourist officer for the region. “I absolutely love Geelong,” she says simply. Her next job was working for a motorhome company for holiday makers across Australia and New Zealand.
But there was always something missing from her life. She yearned for a role that involved caring for people. And she found herself increasingly drawn to older people. So 15 years ago, at the age of 40, Fiona studied a Cert III in Aged Care and Disablity and became a community worker at Werribee Council before joining Uniting AgeWell three years ago, first at Kalkee Nangatta before moving to Kalkee Murray.
In her spare time, Fiona, who is married with grown-up children, loves scrapbooking and has done a number of seriously long walks to raise funds for various good causes.
There are a number of caring roles available within Uniting AgeWell, not only in residential care but in home care to support the rapidly growing number of clients receiving home care packages in the Barwon region. And roles across the organisation are diverse, from nursing and personal care to food services, domestic assistance, allied health, social support and more.