Edith Rogers, a Personal Care Assistant based at St Joseph Residential Aged Care Home in Hunters Hill, celebrates 30 years of service this year.
Edith began her career working at Gertrude Abbott Aged Care Home in Surry Hills where she stayed for five years, before transitioning to St Anne’s and then St Joseph.
“Before Catholic Healthcare took over the management of St Joseph from The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, I briefly ran the Home for approximately six months,” says Edith.
“Since then, as new leaders have been appointed, I have moved towards my current role as Personal Care Assistant which I love and thrive in.”
Edith has a lot of senior responsibilities in her role at the Home and is seen by the residents as a ‘jack of all trades’.
“I am involved in undertaking all the regular personal care assistant duties like helping the residents to shower, dress and groom, but I also manage the stocktakes and orders, take residents’ blood pressure and do reporting and documentation,” says Edith.
Edith has enjoyed a long career with Catholic Healthcare, which can be attributed to her genuine passion for working with the elderly.
“I believe strongly in providing high quality person-centred care. I respect and have empathy for all residents at the Home and I am motivated to help them to live better lives,” says Edith.
Edith has also inspired her daughters to work in the aged care industry.
“Two of my daughters began their nursing career at St Joseph as nursing assistants. Now my eldest daughter has enjoyed 20 years working as nurse in surgical/medical and my other daughter has worked for 12 years as a clinical nurse consultant in urology.”
Recently, Edith has been involved in mentoring students who are completing their Certificate III and Certificate IV in Aged Care, helping them to gain employment at St Joseph and St Anne’s.
“I want to set a good example for the youth of today and to be a living witness to how rewarding a career in aged care can be,” says Edith.
“Having such a long history and association with Catholic Healthcare has also made me quite loyal to our organisation. I hope to continue to work in my role for many years to come!”