Savneet Kaur Virk’s dream of being able to help residents with mental health and cognitive challenges is being realised, thanks to the support and encouragement of Uniting AgeWell. 

Uniting AgeWell is committed to supporting employees to flourish in their aged care careers and invests in staff by providing opportunities for professional and personal development and further education through a dedicated Scholarship Program. 

Now in its third year, the Scholarship Program is open once again for staff to apply, and it represents an exciting new season of growing and encouraging teams to strive for excellence. Savneet was nursing at the Latvian Community in 2023 when it transitioned to Uniting AgeWell and remembers thinking at the time, “I’ve heard good things about the organisation. I hope I like working with them.” 

Fast-forward three years and Savneet, who left India with her family for Australia at the age of nine, can’t speak highly enough of Uniting AgeWell, which she says mirrors her own values and is continuing to invest in her. 

The Registered Nurse was awarded a scholarship in Round 2 of our Scholarship Awards to study a Post Graduate Mental Health Certificate through Victoria University. 

Savneet was already halfway through studying part time for the certificate when she was awarded a scholarship of $3,000, which she says helped her enormously with fees and tuition. 

The 26-year-old completed the certificate, which has enabled her to start studying for a postgraduate master’s degree in mental health nursing – something she is passionate about. 

“It’s all about learning how we can better support residents with mental health challenges,” she explains. “It’s not just about medication; it’s about learning about the triggers that could have contributed to these challenges and seeing how they can be managed.” 

She is also aware that many older people, migrants in particular, may have experienced trauma from wars, depression and other challenges, which can resurface in later years. She is fascinated by dementia, as well as new studies and ways of supporting residents living with the disease. She is keen to not only apply new learnings to the Latvian site but also share them with the rest of the organisation. 

“I’m hugely grateful to Uniting AgeWell for investing in me to be the best version of myself,” says Savneet. “I am managing to juggle working full time with studying part time, and it’s largely thanks to the support from RSM Calton Ngwenya and the team.” 

Her studies come at a time when our Mental Health Framework continues to help make a difference across the organisation.