A statewide initiative, ‘Celebrating Aged Care, Love Your Job’, campaign aims to recognise and celebrate the enormous contribution of aged care workers and volunteers. A well-deserved campaign winner was Orbost Regional Health’s (ORH) Jenni Broadley.

Colleagues and residents at ORH’s Waratah Lodge, and their families, were not surprised Jenni was recognised as a winner. When the win was announced on Facebook the great list of comments included references to Jenni as being caring, beautiful, an angel, passionate, much loved and a real asset to the aged care team; ‘we all love our Jenni’.

“When they told me the CEO wanted me to enter, do a video and send in photos I freaked a little,” Jenni said.

“I waited until all the family had gone out and I sat down in the kitchen with my phone and just started talking, and crying.”

With the help of the ORH tech team, the video was submitted by Jenni for the campaign. It showed her expressing her love of her job and the residents she works with.

The video begins, “My name’s Jen, and I work in a small, high-care nursing home as a divisional therapist in rural Victoria”.

“When I think of the word passion I think of the word love, and I love what I do,” she said.

“I’ve worked in aged care for over 10 years now but I say I landed my dream job four years ago.

“On a daily basis I look after 17 residents. But I don’t just look after these residents.

“These ladies and gentlemen are beautiful. They’ve taught me so much and hopefully I’ve taught them a little as well.

“I look at each resident as a person. If I can make these guys smile, or even laugh, or I can teach them something new that they’ve never done in life. We teach the boys to cook, we have a little church choir. The residents feel they belong.

“We talk. I say to them, ‘Yeah, you might be in aged care, that’s right, but look at it as a new chapter in your life. You know, don’t look at it as the end of the road. Find some new challenges, meet a new friend, do something in your life that you’ve never done before. Come and socialise. You may not feel like colouring in, or making Christmas decorations, but come and sit with us in the sunroom. Don’t just sit in your room.’

“So my job is not just a job to me. I love what I do. I make my residents feel special, and they make me feel special too,” her video concludes.

“I was overwhelmed when I was announced the winner. Just to be nominated and recognised for what we do is amazing. I don’t work for the accolades. None of us do. I simply love what I do, love my residents.

“I’m just me. I feel we should treat people how we want to be treated.

“I won the award, but it’s a real team effort at Waratah Lodge.

“All our staff are wonderful and caring. We’re like family, the staff and the residents. We watch out for each other.

“Why wouldn’t I love what I do?”

IMAGE: Jenni Broadley loves working in the aged care industry and was awarded for sharing her views with such passion. (PS)