“Change is ongoing – but it’s always been for the best,” says Noleen Clark.
She should know. The Administrative Officer at Hawthorn Allied Health Service has been with the organisation for 30 years and is proud to be part of the fabric of the history of Uniting AgeWell and the years leading up to its formation 20 years ago.
“My role has certainly evolved over the years too,” she says. “I just can’t believe how the time has flown.”
Noleen was 25-years-old when she started as an Allied Health Assistant in community services for older people, based at the Broadmead Day Therapy Centre in Wattle Road, Hawthorn. (The building was later demolished and Hawthorn Community was built at the site.)
“It was all very formal back then,” she recalls. “We used to have to call the nursing staff ‘Sister’ and I had to wait for instructions to do things. We were certainly not encouraged to take our own initiative!”
Noleen switched to the administrative side of the business, moving to the current premises in Elgin Street, Hawthorn in 2000. Over the years she has had ten managers and a couple of CEO’s as the organisation became Uniting Care and then Uniting AgeWell.
“What I really enjoy now is that we no longer work in silos,” Noleen explains. “The culture is that we are aware of the direction the organisation is going, we are abreast of changes and we are included in the bigger picture. The mentality of sitting tight and waiting to be told what to do is well and truly over.”
Teamwork is also what it is all about. “When I first started at Broadmead, the Sisters wouldn’t allow me to even open a client’s file. Now we work as a team, and I phone clients and do annual reviews.”
She also likes the flexibility the role offers, and counts the five years she worked part-time job-sharing at the centre as very happy. “The arrangement suited me as I had a lot of demands on my time with my children,” Noleen explains. “The person I shared the role with was just great, we were so much in sync we even ended up finishing each other’s sentences!”
One of the massive changes Noleen has seen over the years is the level and range of services available to clients. “There is so much on offer now,” she says. “The level of care has become increasingly high.”
There is a change in the clients too. “The ages of the clients coming in to work out in the gym and do the exercise classes are much younger than in the past. There has been a shift from coming in when you have had a fall or a medical episode to being proactive to maintain their health and fitness.”
Although she has had ten managers over her time with the organisation, Noleen say she feels both supported and appreciated. “Callum DiPierdomenico used to be my co-worker, now as Operations Manager Allied Health, he’s my manager. He’s very approachable, we have a great team environment.”
She is emphatic about what it takes to work in the role. “A good sense of humour!”
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