Carinity: Caring In Quiet Moments

For Carinity's Executive Manager of Residential Aged Care, Heidi Wiebe, it was a moment shared in the small hours of the morning that helped her appreciate the true importance of her chosen career path.

Carinity's new Executive Managerof Residential Aged Care, Heidi Wiebe, outside the Carinity Brookfield Green residential aged care community.
Carinity's new Executive Manager of Residential Aged Care, Heidi Wiebe, has extensive experience in the aged care industry in Australia and Canada.

As a Registered Nurse on the night shift in a tiny 22-bed country hospital in Canada, one of Heidi's patients was an elderly man.

"He was awake and couldn't sleep. He was lonely. I just remember feeling so privileged that, because it was 3am and there wasn't much going on, I had the time to sit with him," Heidi said.

"From then on, anytime I could find that moment, I sat with people and just chatted with them. It's a privilege to sit with people and for them to share their wisdom with you or to impart their experience. That keeps you going."

While those quiet moments ignited her commitment to the individuals in her care, it was leading improvements in the delivery of palliative care in aged care that focused her interest and passion on how to best support people living in aged care.

"The program was focused on living well. We shifted the focus to living, instead of existing, and it was truly transformative. We started to talk to people about their wishes and how they wanted to live," Heidi said.

Heidi brings this focus on living well to Carinity's 11 aged care communities. "In aged care, we're looking to help people live well every day.

Carinity Aged Care Executive Manager, Heidi Weibe, and Carinity Brookfield Green aged care community resident, David JonesHeidi visits David Jones at the Carinity Brookfield Green aged care community in Brisbane.

Crunching the care numbers

The aged care sector is currently going through a raft of changes, with new measures being introduced to support the delivery of care and the financial sustainability of the sector.

One of the recent changes involved the introduction of mandatory care minutes for each resident. For Heidi, this is an opportunity to further Carinity's already-strong focus on prioritising individual preferences.

"The introduction of the care minute requirements is an opportunity for our staff to work with residents and their representatives to reassess how the time we spend with them is best suited to their individual needs. It's about reaching agreement on their individual preferences and working on how we can accommodate those choices within our rostering.

"Sitting and talking to somebody can be as much about providing care as helping them shower. For some residents, going for a little stroll, spending 10 minutes doing a puzzle or reading a few pages of a book can be as much a part of their care plan as helping them have a good mealtime experience."

Heidi believes it will take time for everyone in the sector to shift their thinking around what's possible.

"An important part of our work is helping staff, residents and families understand that what matters is the resident's quality of life - doing what brings them enjoyment. So that's our responsibility, to shift that mindset around care delivery and how we achieve the right balance."

From a care provider's perspective, Heidi and the Carinity team see two main positives from these shifts in thinking around what constitutes the delivery of care.

"Number one, obviously residents have a better experience every day. And two, our staff will have more fulfilment at work because they can spend those moments with residents and build those relationships to provide that level of care and understanding.

"Increasingly, conversations around care will become, 'How do you want to live?' instead of, 'How can we care for you?'. It's a really important shift in focus to living instead of being cared for.

"Part of the challenge will be for residents and families to get used to the different approach as well as staff. The 'old' approach to care is what we've all grown up with, and our expectations reflect that.

"Now we need to think about how we shift our expectations and embrace this new direction. It's a change to a 'doing things with residents' style of care instead of 'doing things for residents'."

Heidi Wiebe chats with Carinity Brookfield Green resident, Anne Sutton
Heidi chats with Carinity Brookfield Green resident, Anne Sutton.

The importance of the 'little things'

With these changes to what aged care can look like, and how we can help our loved ones live according to their wishes, even when they can't communicate them, Heidi has simple advice: "Start early and talk about the uncomfortable stuff."

For Heidi, that means having conversations about what's in your advanced care plans, beyond the straightforward health elements.

"Talk about the little things that are important to you, with the people who'll make decisions for you. Start early."

In life, it's often the little things that are the most important to us, and that's certainly the case when it comes to feeling at home. Heidi stresses that the things that may seem like a minor detail in the scheme of our overall health are often the elements that make a real difference in maintaining our sense of self.

"When I talk about advanced care, I say that anyone could go and ask any of my family about the one thing that's absolutely non-negotiable for me when I can't make decisions for myself, and it's sour cream and onion potato chips.

"For me, it's a source of comfort, it's a source of joy. It's something that I look forward to at the end of the day. My family know that's a non-negotiable

Heidi believes shifting our focus from the mandatories of care, to prioritising the activities and choices that bring joy to our lives, has the potential to be the biggest achievement in aged care reform in a generation.

It's an exciting opportunity to reconnect back with the heart of caring for others, and one the whole Carinity aged care team is looking to embrace with joy.

Heidi Weibe outside the Carinity Brookfield Green aged care community
Heidi Weibe outside the Carinity Brookfield Green aged care community.
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