Time is a gift

As a member of Anglicare’s Aged Care Team, Tammy Gordon supports a group of older Tasmanians to stay independently and safely in their homes across the North West Coast.

She was accompanying her husband on a working holiday around Australia nine years ago when someone suggested how easy it would be to gain work if she had an aged care qualification. This prompted her interest and she enrolled in a course on her return home to Brisbane.

Moving to Tasmania several years later, she was quickly offered a position at a nursing home on the North West Coast, where she worked for the next six-and-a-half years as a carer and in a leisure and lifestyle role.

Tammy moved into community aged care with Anglicare two years ago and says she has never had any regrets.

“Having the time to spend with my clients, one-to-one, is wonderful,” she said. “Seeing them happy and comfortable in their own homes is very rewarding. They tell me how much they look forward to seeing me next time. Several of them still bake and they offer to send what they’ve made home with me and this makes me feel appreciated. And they’ve had such interesting lives! One of my clients is 83 and has a craft stall at the Penguin Market. I encourage her to keep doing this as long as she can.”

Tammy loves the North West Coast and can’t imagine living anywhere else. She has around 15 regular clients who live in an area spanning Railton and Penguin. She usually visits between two and six people a day, supporting them with personal care, household tasks and grocery shopping. “Sometimes simply getting out of the house and having a coffee or doing some shopping is what they need,” she said.

One of Tammy’s regular clients is John Glover, of Ulverstone. John and his wife Sue ran a country-style restaurant in the Meander Valley for 11 years. Read more about this special time in their lives here.

A supportive team

Tammy recalls being a little apprehensive about her new role when she started.

The idea of being on my own was daunting, but I quickly learned that support was just a phone call away. We have a wonderful scheduling team and our nursing team is on hand when we need specialist medical advice.

Every three months, the North West Coast team comes together in Devonport for a training session. Recent topics have included elder abuse and dementia. Refresher training in first aid and medication administration is also held regularly.

Tammy’s work history and her life experience (she cared for her father-in-law who passed away two years ago) is highly valued by the Home Care team.

She mentors new workers who come to Anglicare with a wide variety of backgrounds, and welcomes new clients into the service.  She has also recently joined a committee where she will represent her colleagues in discussions about how to improve Anglicare’s services.

Has Tammy’s story sparked your interest?

Anglicare is on the look-out for new team members with Aged Care qualifications interested in working one-to-one with older Tasmanians in their homes across the North West Coast.

Check this web page to hear from other workers and find out what Anglicare can offer you.