The heart of the matter

Some things remain constant. And while Sherry-Ann Bailey holds the high-powered position of being Uniting AgeWell Director of Home Care for Barwon and North West Melbourne – her passion remains the same.

At heart she’s still that same young girl who accompanied her step-mum to work at clients’ homes in the UK because she loved being able to make a difference to older people.

Sherry-Ann, who has responsibility for home care clients and staff in these areas, remains firmly grounded in her core beliefs, which reflect the values of the organisation – kindness, respect, integrity, innovation and inclusion.

“What I love about Uniting AgeWell is that it is a learning organisation and a leader in aged care,” she explains. “I feel very supported and valued. It’s good to know I can make a difference.”

And she has. She’s a great advocate for energising and retaining staff and encouraging them to be the best version of themselves in order to support the clients as best they can.

She’s come up with an innovative way to strengthen career opportunities to energise and retain staff. She embraces career changes within the organisation – for example the many direct care workers who study while working and become nurses or Lifestyle Coordinators.

“I say, let’s see what we need to do to make this happen,” she explains. “Rather than lose a good worker who is driven by heart, we want to work with them to retain them.”

Sherry-Ann joined the organisation in 2022 after a stellar career in senior leadership positions in aged care in both community and residential settings in Melbourne and Queensland.

She also has a global perspective. She was born in Kenya and grew up in the UK. When she was 18 she started working at an aged care facility. She and her husband, Paul, moved to Australia in 1986 for a better life. While working with vulnerable children, she completed a Bachelor of Arts and then worked for a while in the aged care and disability sector at council. She then followed her heart and worked exclusively in the aged care arena.

Sherry-Ann, who is widowed, has two children and five grandchildren. She lives with her mum, daughter and granddaughter. “Four generations of strong women under one roof,” she says. “As well as a menagerie of three dogs, three cats and two guinea pigs.”

International Women’s Day is an important opportunity for Uniting AgeWell to recognise the impact of our valued members of staff, like Sherry-Ann, and to reaffirm its commitment to providing truly inclusive career pathways.

With 78 per cent of the workforce identifying as female, Uniting AgeWell offers flexible work arrangements to enable staff to work around their family commitments.