In honour of Aged Care Employee Day we invite you to get to know our team a little better. Read their individual experiences to discover what drove them to build their career in aged care and learn what fulfils them most each day at work.
Uniting AgeWell staff bring diverse experiences through varied and interesting journeys into aged care. They work in our residences, in people’s homes, and remotely, creating a tightly woven and trusted network of professional care and support. They share a passion for making a difference in people’s lives.
Please read some of their stories below and acknowledge the contribution of all our staff by saying #ThanksforCaring.
Celebrating career pathways in Aged Care
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Jodie Branch
Jodie Branch was in her early 40’s when the Tasmanian sheep farm she and her husband managed was sold.
Leaving the mother-of-two teenagers looking for her first full-time job off the land.
Now 14 years later, the Care Organiser for Home Care in Southern Tasmania says joining the not-for-profit aged care organisation was one of the best decisions she’s ever made.
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Rachel Martin
There’s something about working with older people that resonates with Rachel Martin.
Rachel is a Team Leader within the Social Connections Program at Uniting AgeWell, and her role is to facilitate the many programs that are available to keep older people in Melbourne’s east and south connected to the community and to others.
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Shayne Armstead
Uniting AgeWell Head of Applications, Shayne Armstead thinks outside the box.
But he also thinks what to do with the box itself and how to make an app for it so it can be used across the organisation to make life easier for staff and the older people they support.
Shayne and his team operate in the software innovation space, but he also likes to see those innovations through to implementation.
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Rangika Magage
The one person who continues to motivate Uniting AgeWell Hotel Services Coordinator Rangika Magage is her late-grandmother.
"My grandmother played a huge role in my early life. There aren’t any aged care facilities back home, families look after older parents and grandparents.”
“Gran died of cancer a few years back, and I treat all the residents the same way I used to treat her. With kindness and huge respect.”
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Stephanie Lao
Stephanie Lao has always felt a special connection to older people.
Steph’s passion for working in aged care was cemented during the first four years of her career. She nursed in residential aged care as well as working part time in a General Practitioner’s Clinic. “Working there wasn’t for me,” she says, “so I gave it up to work exclusively in aged care.”
Steph discovered another unexpected huge plus about nursing in aged care: a clear upward career trajectory.
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Penel Anderson
Team Leader of Social Connections, Centre Based Groups, Penel Anderson knows the importance of social connections for older people. She sees it in action.
Penel has been in charge of the program at the Ivanhoe Centre since 2011, with the last few years moving into a Team Leader role, overseeing operations at five AgeWell Centres across metro Melbourne.
Emily Tahiri
Meet Uniting AgeWell Exercise Physiologist Emily Tahiri, who loves seeing the results of her care in action.
Emily will bend over backwards to help her clients at Forest Hill AgeWell Centre bend over forwards. And she’s never happier than seeing them become more supple and mobile to go out and embrace all the adventures that their lives have to offer.
It’s hugely rewarding to see older people’s confidence grow, and the quality of their life improve. The physical changes bring about mental changes too.
Meet more members of our team
With 3500 staff across Victoria and Tasmania, we've got plenty of stories to share.
Get to know more of our staff members, from our home care works and advisors, nurses and personal care workers to our cleaners and chefs, allied health, maintenance, administration and corporate teams.
And discover how they make an impact in the lives of our clients and why they enjoy working in aged care.
Say thanks for caring
The ability to make a difference and give back to the community is what motivates our team each and every day.
Your experiences with Uniting AgeWell, feedback and stories make all the difference.
Acknowledge the efforts of our staff with a message of thanks below. We ensure all messages are passed onto the relevant members of our team.
Consider a career at Uniting AgeWell
Careers
At Uniting AgeWell we believe that every person has the right to age with dignity. Discover how you can make an impact and explore our development opportunities.
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