At Catholic Healthcare we are shining a ‘light’ on our people and the exceptional work they are all doing across our services. We share how team members are innovating, engaging and helping to make Catholic Healthcare a great place to work.
This week, meet Geralyn Ong, Care Advisor for Home & Community Services, in the Northern Sydney Region.
Geralyn regularly visits the McQuoin Park Retirement Living Village in Wahroonga each week where a number of residents also receive Home Care support.
“I visit every Tuesday and I’ve become skilled at making ‘mates’,” says Geralyn. “I have been able to establish some great friendships with the residents. They always look forward to seeing me.”
In her role as a Care Advisor, Geralyn advises residents at the Village on Home Care options.
“The greatest value I provide is my presence at the Village, to help clients understand the intricacies of navigating the My Aged Care website and what support is available. They know they can speak to a friendly and trusting person about this sometimes complicated process.”
Geralyn meets with residents one-on-one by appointment, acting as a Care Concierge. She arranges for relevant Home Care services, whether that be through a Home Care Package, the Commonwealth Home Support Programme or Fee for Service options. She is able to answer any questions the residents have about the processes and assessments involved.
“Geralyn is friendly, courteous and efficient,” says David, a client of Geralyn’s at McQuoin Park. “She really knows the Catholic Healthcare products very well and she provides lots of useful information throughout the process. Without Geralyn, we’d be lost.”
Vanessa, Village Manager, also takes part in the referral process.
“A trend which I have been noticing over the past few years is that people are entering Retirement Living Villages later in life, often moving in with more complex health needs. Having Geralyn as part of the team helps ensure our residents can safely age-in-place in the Village and live with dignity, engage actively, and contribute to the Village community,” says Vanessa.
“Geralyn is very active and goes out of her way to assist clients in Care Navigation along with the care she provides to her clients, with a very high case load.”
During the current lockdown period Geralyn has been doing regular rounds of calls to her clients to check to see if they need any assistance with grocery shopping or extra services, particularly for those who are vulnerable and have no family members.
“I was dropping off something to a client and it was her birthday and due to the restrictions she was unable to have any family members visit her. She was so elated to see me and I made her day! It made me feel so privileged to be able to spend time with her on her birthday.”
September 29, 2021
Healthcare, CHL
Meet Kath Readford OAM, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Lourdes Hospital & Community Health Service, Dubbo. For the past 28 years Kath has supported the Orana region, providing dementia counselling, advice, support and advocacy services. Kath has been pivotal in the work achieved in Dubbo, also setting up the Home Club 20 years ago specifically for people living with dementia.
August 24, 2021
CHL
This week, meet Leo Chen, Payroll Services Manager, in the Finance team at Macquarie Park, Sydney. Leo leads Catholic Healthcare’s Payroll team and is responsible for ensuring all employment-related salary, allowances and other payments are made in accordance with employee agreements.
