Meet Kerry Reinhardt – she’s one of our amazing Provider Assist ACFI Specialists, whose passion shines through when they talk about the industry.
Watch her video and read her story below.
Where are you from?
Caloundra on Qld’s Sunshine Coast
How long have you been in your current job?
I’ve been with PA 20 months now and still loving it.
How did you find yourself working in aged care?
Quite by accident. I needed a job very quickly and took the first interview I got – which was in Sundale (where I am currently finishing a voluntary reappraisal today – 14years later). I have not looked back since starting in aged care – knew it was meant to be.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The interactions with the elderly residents, their anecdotes, and pulling all the pieces of the puzzle together to plan their care needs. I love the PA team, a remarkable bunch of people who all share the same vision and support one another in achieving their goals. Always positive and happy.
What’s the most rewarding part of what you do?
Spending time with the elderly, providing them with the care that they should be getting. It is their entitlement. I walk away knowing that they will be safer and their pain is being better managed.
What about the most challenging?
Dealing with territorial nurses. We all know that nurses are protective of their own turf, it’s a nursing trait. Sometimes it is difficult to get others to understand the ‘assessed need’ concept of care.
Can you tell us about a time when you have been extra proud of your or Provider Assist’s work?
It was just a small moment when a nurse whom I had previously spent time with trying to explain why an elderly lady would benefit from some tubigrip support bandages on her osteoarthritic knees. This nurse was very sceptical about this treatment but said she would try it anyhow. She came back to me and told me that the elderly lady had told her how wonderful her knees felt with her new bandages on. It’s those precious little moments that you encounter, I like to call them ‘aged care moments’, that remind me of why I love doing this job.
What’s your advice to someone who’s considering a career in aged care?
Take a leap of faith into what has the potential to become a rewarding life skill. It’s a crazy, bumpy, often hard ride – but it is filled with magical moments that will make you laugh, cry and wonder.
Provider Assist is on a quest to revolutionise aged care. What do you think the industry will look like 10-20 years from now?
Wow, what a wonderful vision that conjures up! To be rid of the “Oh, you work in aged care” stigma, to be proud to say you work in aged care and to have others acknowledge the industry as a professional career choice. But more importantly to nurture a living environment that is in line with comfort and choice as well as superior care standards. To see aged care providers accountable for their care standards and to recognise that the elderly are wonderful human beings who deserve comfort in their later years.
Anything else you’d like to share?
It’s about expecting more.
