Team care in action

Pictured from left are Surpreet Kaur, Novie Taguicana and Navpreet Kaur who work together at Uniting AgeWell’s Hawthorn Community. They share information and ideas in order to provide the best holistic care to the residents that they can.

Their stories highlight how Uniting AgeWell “grows” its employees to be the best versions of themselves. In the words of Hawthorn Community Residential Services Manager Sudha Maridu, “All three have good hearts, a great work ethic and are very driven. We are here to support them to be all that they want to be.”

Read their stories here:

Navpreet

Personal Care Worker Navpreet has been at Hawthorn for two years now and could not be happier. This is her first role in aged care, and she absolutely loves it! “I enjoy spending time with the residents, I get on very well with older people,” she explains.

She is enjoying everything about the hands-on caring role so much that she plans on extending her knowledge and studying a Bachelor of Nursing

Navpreet also enjoys the work environment at Hawthorn Community. “It feels like we are one big family here,” she says. Family is very much on her mind these days – her baby is due in December, and she plans on returning to work after her maternity leave.

Navpreet, who was raised in India and completed her Masters in Computer Science there, previously worked in a corporate environment before moving to Australia with her husband in 2019. She worked in admin in Australia before following her passion and studying aged care.

But while she’s always sharing information with her colleagues about the best care to provide for the residents, there’s one thing she’s not divulging. “We don’t know if we’re having a little boy or a girl! It’s going to be our Christmas surprise.”

Novie

In three short years at Uniting AgeWell, Novie has progressed from being a Food Services Assistant to a Personal Care Worker and is now an Enrolled Nurse. She is studying a Bachelor of Nursing part time at RMIT.

The Philippine-born Novie arrived in Australia as an international student in 2019 after having worked in real estate in her homeland. She studied a Diploma of Conveyancing before changing gear and moving into aged care.

It is a choice she has never regretted. “Making a house sale is one thing, but that feeling of being able to make a difference to the life of an older person … that’s special! It leaves me feeling fulfilled.”

One of the main reasons she joined aged care, apart from the fact that she enjoys spending time with older people, is because of the career opportunities and security it affords.

“I like to be mentally challenged and I aim to be the best version of myself that I can,” she explains. She’s also keen to do the annual Professional Development Courses that Uniting AgeWell runs for nurses to keep them on top of their game when it comes to best nursing practices, regulations and everything else in between. She is also keen to learn as much as she can about dementia to help older people with the disease make the most of their lives.

Surpreet

Surpreet completed her schooling in India and arrived in Australia as a teenager – looking for career opportunities and a better life in the Lucky Country.

She heard there were opportunities in the aged care sector, she has always had an affinity for older people, so she studied to become a Personal Care Worker.

Surpreet took up her role at Hawthorn Community three years ago and counts it as one of the best decisions she’s ever made. “Every day I learn something new from the wisdom of the residents,” she explains. “The staff are fantastic too – it feels like I am part of a family here. Everyone is incredibly supportive.”

She intends to study nursing further down the line, but in the meantime she’s happy just where she is and enjoying spending her holidays exploring her new country.

Find out more about a career with Uniting AgeWell