September 20, 2021
Residential Aged Care, CHL
Edith Celebrates 30 Years with Catholic Healthcare
Edith Rogers, a Personal Care Assistant based at St Joseph Residential Aged Care Home in Hunters Hill, celebrates 30 years of service this year.
Manuela Teasdale celebrates 40 years of service with Catholic Healthcare this year. She is the longest-serving staff member in this year’s pool of award recipients. Manuela is employed as a Personal Care Assistant at Villa Maria Centre in Unanderra.
“My mother actually worked here as a cleaner when Villa Maria was based in Wollongong, in the 1980s,” says Manuela.
“When she went on holiday one year, I stepped into her role for about three months to cover and that’s how I initially took on the role. I’ve have stayed on ever since. Over time, I have gone from being a cleaner, to an assistant in nursing, to now a personal care assistant.”
Even before Manuela joined, Villa Maria Centre had a rich history and tradition with its roots as a ‘home for aged ladies’. The Sisters of Perpetual Adoration took over running the newly-built nursing home at the Wollongong site during the 1960s. At the time, the Centre was known as the Villa Maria Centre for the Aged. Catholic Healthcare took over management in 2007, a few years after the Centre was relocated from Wollongong to where it is situated now, in Unanderra.
Manuela’s role involves caring for 14 residents in Julian Cottage. She looks after the residents’ personal care needs – including showering, dressing and ensuring residents receive timely and nutritious meals.
“What I enjoy so much is the camaraderie between us fellow staff, and also the connections I have built with the residents,” says Manuela.
One of Manuela’s fondest memories is caring for a resident who had suffered a stroke, a former doctor.
“When this resident passed away recently, I was very sad. Over the five years I had cared for him, we had really bonded and formed a lovely connection,” says Manuela.
Manuela is an Unanderra local, residing within five minutes’ drive from Villa Maria. She lives with her husband, as well as her daughter and her family.
“Living close to work has definitely been an asset and has meant I can achieve a good work-life balance. Having that balance in my personal and work life has enabled me to continue to have long-lasting fulfillment and zest for what I do.
“I genuinely hope to keep working as long as I can.”
Manuela is a proud grandmother of two grandchildren, whom she is currently involved in home-schooling, during the lockdown period.
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September 5, 2021
Home Care Services, CHL
Meet Alexina Arnold
This week, meet Alexina Arnold, Aged Care Assessment Services Manager for Home & Community Services. "Some of our clients don't have any family to help them during lockdown. They're really feeling the social isolation," says Alexina.