A balancing act

Audrey Song knows full well the emotional balancing act so many people who migrate face: absolutely loving their new life in Australia, yet feeling guilty they are so far away from their families on the other side of the world.

“To further complicate things, both my husband and I are from the one-child generation in China,” explains the Senior Care Manager at Uniting AgeWell Camberwell Community Condare Court. “Our parents are getting older, and there is no one else around to share the responsibility of caring for them one day.”

Audrey knows full well what a huge responsibility caring for older people is. She started working at Condare Court four years ago and provides the best possible holistic care she can to the residents. She started out as a Care Manager, was promoted and now even stands in as Residential Services Manager.

Audrey recently graduated with the inaugural cohort of Uniting AgeWell’s BEST Operational and Emerging Leaders Course, with CEO Andrew Kinnersly saying “the program exemplifies our commitment to employee development and the nurturing of potential within our organisation.”

“I’m learning management skills now,” Audrey says. “Uniting AgeWell supports me every step of the way, and I’m pretty excited about the future.”

During Harmony Week we’re celebrating the cultural diversity of our staff with a clear message that we welcome all, and that everyone belongs.

Audrey has come a long way since she left her home in Shanghai, China 15 years ago to study a Bachelor of Nursing at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne.

Over the years, she’s nursed at a medical clinic and also at different aged care facilities – drawn to older people through fond memories she had of growing up with her grandparents.

“There’s whole-of-person health management in aged care,” she explains. “There’s a reason why we refer to them as our residents, not our patients. We concentrate on their wellness, unlike in hospital settings where you treat acutely ill patients who then get discharged and you never see them again.”

Audrey also loves the flexibility of the role, the values of Uniting AgeWell and the feeling of being supported every step of the way.

However the pull to her family in Shanghai remains strong. “I visit my parents every year, and every time I see them I notice they have grown older. I have offered to sponsor them to move to Australia but they are not keen. I think they worry about the language barrier.”

Audrey appreciates how difficult it would be for her parents to move here and says life in Shanghai is very different to Australia. She says most people live in flats and embrace the fast-paced lifestyle of eating out in a bustling city life.

Audrey says traditionally the children used to share the responsibility of looking after their parents as they age, but the one-child policy means that her generation now faces caring for their elderly parents as well as raising their own children and holding down jobs. “And it only really works if you continue living in the same city.”

Audrey says aged care facilities and home care is being introduced in China, based on the western model – but there is still a long way to go. In the meantime Audrey, who identifies as being agnostic, continues to share her Chinese culture with residents and staff at Condare Court, especially over festivals and the Chinese New Year.