So You Work in Aged Care

Show notes: Episode #5 – Special edition     Emotions In the fifth episode of our 6-part special edition series of the Voice of Aged Care podcast, we look at emotions – our own emotions and those of others around us. It’s such an important topic, understanding  what is going and how we can respond to emotional changes. At times it can feel scary or outside of our experienc...

Show notes: Episode #4 – Special edition     Productivity In the fourth episode of our 6-part special edition series of the Voice of Aged Care podcast, we look at productivity in aged care – the core elements of productivity, the barriers to productivity, individual strategies for boosting productivity, and some strategies you might use for your team. So what is productivity? A...

Show notes: Episode #3 – Special edition         Burnout and Working in Aged Care In the third episode of our 6-part special edition series of the Voice of Aged Care podcast, we will discuss the impact of burnout on you and the workplace, looking at the differences between stress and burnout, what happens to our brains when we are under stress, how to notice...

Show notes: Episode #2 – Special edition         Building Blocks of Resilience in Aged Care In this, the second episode of our 6-part special edition series of the Voice of Aged Care podcast, we will look at how we define resilience, the building blocks of resilience, self-awareness and action, and identifying what matters the most. In previous episodes we h...

Dealing With Change – Coping Strategies for Aged Care Workers   In this, the first episode of our 6-part special edition series of the Voice of Aged Care podcast, we discuss change and share coping strategies for aged care workers to best deal with change in the workplace. Over the past few years we have all felt the impacts of change, from global events like COVID and world conflicts, to the...

Show notes: Episode #46              Getting Into the Industry If you are considering getting into the aged care industry, it can be hard to know where to start. So in this episode I share 5 essential considerations that will set you up for a rewarding career in aged care. With the aging population here in Australia and across the wo...

Diversional therapist Lauretta Kaldor is true pioneer in her field, and has a wealth of wisdom and knowledge to share. Starting out as a school teacher in the 1950s at the age of 19, her journey towards diversional therapy began later in life when she was teaching arts and crafts to older people. When asked to run her classes in a residential care facility, Lauretta discovered a true passion for w...

Show notes: Episode #44 Escalating Concerns For those who work in aged care or care for elders in their home, it can be difficult to know when and where to escalate concerns about client wellbeing. This applies to concerns about the wellbeing of the person’s family and your colleagues too. While I do talk about this at the end of my training programs, I think it is a really important topic that ne...

Show notes: Episode #43 Therapeutic Lying - Dos and Don'ts People resort to lying for so many different reasons. Often we lie to avoid punishment or to protect ourselves or someone else. We may also lie to maintain our privacy or to avoid embarrassment. In this episode, the focus is on therapeutic lying, particularly in dementia care. So what exactly is a therapeutic lie? In an aged care setting,...

Show notes: Episode #42 What I learned From Teepa Snow Earlier in the year I was lucky enough to meet Teepa Snow, one of the leading educators on dementia, and attend her half-day workshop. I came away with many valuable new learnings and insights, so in this episode, I am sharing three key takeaways from the day. Teepa hails from the US, and is an occupational therapist with over 40 years of clin...

Show notes: Episode #41 Dealing With Tricky People In work and life, you are sure to encounter tricky people at times. I have personally experienced people who have different types of attitudes and beliefs to my own, and this has caused friction. I’m sure at times there have been some people who have thought of me as a tricky person to work with too! In this episode I want to talk about the four m...

Show notes: Episode 40 What is Emotional Contagion and How Relevant is it in Aged Care?  While I was at Uni, my PhD examined the concept of emotional contagion. But what exactly does this mean? It relates closely to this question I was recently asked by a client: How does the positive attitude of staff influence the atmosphere and world of residents in aged care? When I talk about emotional c...

Show notes: Episode 39 How I Cope with Workplace Death and Dying A topic that comes up often in my work is death and dying. There’s no doubt it can be difficult to talk about and process, and we all have our own way of dealing with grief and finding closure. It is important to find what works best for you, so in this episode I want to share some ideas, strategies and an affirmation that have reall...

Show notes: Episode 38 Interview with Sue Dawson, Chaplain In this episode I chat with a very special guest, Sue Dawson, who is a chaplain working in a retirement village and residential care facility, and a facilitator of the Wellness Adventure program. After starting her career as a registered nurse, Sue worked as a midwife, before moving into a ministry role as a pastor. Learning was always a p...

Demolition of a Retirement Village: Resident Impact A beautiful retirement village I first visited over a decade ago is going through a significant change. The site is being redeveloped, with the existing single storey villas being knocked down and replaced with high rise apartments. Change is inevitable, nothing is forever. And when change occurs, we all have different coping styles that we may t...

We all have different coping styles, and we’ve all been exposed to different types of stress in our lives. So how do we understand the coping styles used in late life and what we can do about it? Stress is a normal part of life, and coping is what people do to try and minimise stress. We all find different ways of coping with stress, and managing it, often through trial and error. Even when we are...

How to become a mental health champion At a recent event in Sydney, a presenter, a renowned psychiatrist, said something that struck a chord with me: It’s not about the tools, it’s about who will take us through them. In other words, it’s not about resources – it’s about who will use them, how they will use them, and importantly, what happens to the information the resources provide? For example,...

What are the signs and steps to psychological support in late life I get a lot of emails from people asking about the signs and steps to psychological support in late life. For example, maybe you’ve identified that a client or family member needs help, but are unsure of the next step. Or perhaps you’re not sure whether support is even necessary. An older person may say they don’t need help, even i...

Sadness vs. depression What is the difference between sadness and depression? And how do we know if an older person is experiencing one or the other? Firstly, sadness is an emotion, and we all can get sad at times, while depression is a mental health condition. The difference can be seen in terms of persistence of symptoms (how long they have been there) and the level they are affecting the person...

Loneliness and isolation are common in late life and two terms used interchangeably, yet there are not the same. Sometimes loneliness and isolation are normalised as part of ageing, and more recently with the pandemic and restrictions associated with COVID-19, isolation is attributed to minimising the risk of infection and spread of the virus.  So, how do we define them? Broadly, the dif...

Working in aged care is rewarding but can also be challenging. The last two years have been particularly difficult with increased work demands. In this episode we discuss the importance of examining this topic, organisational support and involving the workforce in the quality and improvement process. Links Buy my book   "Beyond the Reluctant Move" Find out about my   Courses Download my...

In this episode we discuss the challenges of experiencing client turnover in aged care. We will cover communication styles, resilience building activities and the importance of self-care strategies. Links Buy my book   "Beyond the Reluctant Move" Find out about my   Courses Download my popular   Resources

If you are supporting an older person chances are they have experienced a loss. It may be necessarily be the loss of a loved one, it could the loss of independence, value, role and meaning. In this episode we discuss strategies how to support clients with multiple losses. Links Buy my book   "Beyond the Reluctant Move" Find out about my   Courses Download my popular   Resources

Professionally most of us are okay in discussing grief with our clients. However, when we are affected by workplace grief ourselves we may find it difficult to know what is okay to say or do. In this episode we discuss how we as professionals cope when a client passes away and strategies we can develop to help us through this journey. Links Buy my book   "Beyond the Reluctant Move" Find out a...

Grief is commonly misunderstood, perceived to be a mental health condition and something which can make many people uncomfortable. In this episode we explore grief - what it is and how it impacts the elderly. In late life grief is not always associated with the loss of a loved one or fear of one's own death. The accumulative effect of grief is explored and strategies offered to assist those who su...