Residents of the Oasis Peakhurst and Beauty Point Retirement Resort in south Sydney, can receive nursing supervision and care on a 24/7 basis as each apartment in the retirement communities is set up with Nurse Call emergency buttons and each resident is given a pendant. If any situation arises where a resident doesn’t feel well or they’re injured, they can press these buttons and a carer will attend to them at any time of the day or night.

Once the carer has attended, they call the Care Supervisor, Aimee Patel, to alert her to the situation. Aimee knows exactly what medication each resident is taking and because of her nursing background, she knows the best way to handle situations which arises.

Some retirement villages and communities only have support workers or home carers monitoring their residents but the Oasis Peakhurst and Beauty Point Retirement Resort have set up this system so residents are able to have nursing care 24/7.

As Aimee says: “My given hours are 9:00 to 4:30 but I always have my phone with me and I tell my staff they’re not alone and they can call me any time.”

Help is available at these communities 24/7

Aimee says most of the residents are independent at the Oasis Peakhurst and Beauty Point Resort and are responsible for taking their own medication, but at the same time it’s important that someone knows the history of each of the residents.

“For example,” she says, “I know who has dementia and who has something else. I know all of this because the families have come to me after their parents have seen the doctor and they say; ‘Hi, this is what's happening with my mum,’ and this is how we learn about their situation.”

Aimee adds she’s also the person the residents talk to, if they need services or they have any extra medical issues: “I have the information and I can direct the carers and let them know what service each person needs and give them the details of their medication etc. Pretty much, I'm the main communication point for the rest of our nursing staff,” she adds.

For Home Care Your Way, Aimee also assesses each resident when they move in and finds out what they need in regards to services in their home: “They come with a package and then we assess them and find out what their needs are and what services they want from us. And then it goes over to more of a yearly assessment for them after that,” Aimee adds.

The residents are the one’s doing the hard yards

Aimee points out that although she and her staff have a big job - it’s the residents who’re the ones doing the hard yards when it really comes down to it. As she says: “I don't like to toot my own horn, because it's not me - it's the residents who are doing all of this and I’m just helping them. And the families are helping them as well.”

“For example, I have a 99-year-old who had a fall recently. She was in hospital for a couple of days and her family wanted to bring her home and I said: ‘I feel we can take care of her.’ And she's come back to the resort and she’s been great, getting up, sitting up on her own in bed, walking to the shower, walking to the toilet or walking around with us standing behind her. But it’s because she wants to get up and keep chugging along. That’s how she’s doing it.”

“Yes, we’re here and we’re assisting her but in the long run, we’re a part of the support team – we play our role. But it’s people like her who are waking up every morning to start another day and they’re doing their part. We're just here as support for them,” Aimee adds.

An important job which has to be carried out the correct way

The role of Care Supervisor at these two retirement communities is an important role and one that needs to be done correctly. Aimee agrees saying: “Yes, it is an important job and in fact, if I don't do my job, no one's going to get taken care of – and that’s not just the residents – it’s also my staff. Because I’m the manager, I can’t just think about the residents – I have to think about the staff as well.”

She adds: “If you don't have the loyalty of your staff and they don't feel happy, you won't keep your good staff and we can’t have that. So, we look after our staff. This includes our Home Care staff and our Personal Care staff. We make sure they're supported throughout the day.”

Aimee says she keeps in touch with both the Personal Care and the Home Care staff during the day, adding: “Yes, they often call me with a question so my phone is on 24/7. I can even get a phone call at 10pm and someone will say: ‘Aimee, this person has a skin tear. What should I do? I just go through it with them and make sure everything is fine.”

While the carers know what they’re doing, Aimee says it helps them to know there's someone on the line telling them, ‘Yes, that's correct, you did a really good job,’ then they feel, ‘Okay, I'm doing the right thing.’

“With this set up, they know they have support here and they have back up. They don’t feel they’re alone in making decisions. Sometimes, we may decide to call emergency services but we make that call if it’s necessary,” Aimee adds.

The nursing care at the Oasis Peakhurst and Beauty Point Retirement Resort means that Aimee and her staff are making a great deal of difference to the lives of the residents at these retirement communities. As Aimee says: “I hope we’re able to make a difference. It's just me doing my job – along with my staff - and we’re making our resident’s lives as manageable as possible as they age.”

“They deserve to be taken care of with dignity, respect, care and love. That’s how I feel, anyway,” Aimee adds.