Baptistcare Workers Bucking the Job Swap Trend in Western Australia

In a day and age of instant gratification and an emphasis on job satisfaction, statistics show that the era of a job for life is over with the average Australian having more than 17 job changes in a lifetime.

Baptistcare employees are bucking this trend, with more than 100 employees across their residential aged care homes in Western Australia reaching between 10 and 19 years of continuous employment with the organisation.

Baptistcare recognise their long standing employees for the hard work that they do and the joy and happiness they bring to seniors in their local communities.

Baptistcare Gracewood Residential Care in Perth’s southern suburbs recently held a function to celebrate long term staff who have been with Baptistcare for 20, 10 and 15 years.

Baptistcare’s CEO Russell Bricknell says that long serving employees are a great asset to the organisation and he believes their dedication is reflected in the way they provide quality care for West Australian seniors. 

“Employees who are in the job for the long term create an added benefit in aged care because older residents sometimes find it challenging to cope with changes to their environment or their daily routines.” 

“Our staff combine their expert skills and experience to go above and beyond to keep the people in their care happy and healthy,” he said.

Nadia Downing has completed 20 years of service at Baptistcare Gracewood as a housekeeping partner and while some of her shift takes place in the laundry, she enjoys taking residents their meals, a task that gives her the opportunity to talk to and engage with the residents which is something she loves.

Enrolled Nurse, Anna Buckingham who has been at Baptistcare Gracewood for 15 years said her position offered plenty of social interaction and a family atmosphere. 

Smita Koirala, Residential Care Manager at Baptistcare Gracewood believes that long serving staff choose to stay because they love their jobs and workplace.

“Our employees stay with us because they enjoy what they do and we do our best to acknowledge their hard work and their contribution.”

“When a staff member feels valued and appreciated at work, the job becomes so much more enjoyable and this attitude has a direct effect on our residents,” she said.

There are more than 105 employees across Baptistcare’s 14 aged care residences who have been with the company for between 10 and 19 years, another 20 with between 19 and 29 years of work service, as well as 16 employees over the age of 70. 

At the function, each employee was presented with a framed certificate to celebrate their great service to Baptistcare Gracewood.

Baptistcare’s Gracewood is a 110-bed residential care facility offering permanent care, palliative care and specialised care for people living with dementia. 

 Find out more about Baptistcare in Western Australia. 

The following employees are celebrating work anniversaries at Baptistcare Gracewood:

20 Years
Nadia Downing, Housekeeping Partner

15 Years
Anna Buckingham, Enrolled Nurse Jan Delaney, Care Partner

10 Years
Mariela Ramirez, Care Partner
Teresa Hume, Care Partner
Grace Johnson, Care Partner
Tina Brunalli, Enrolled Nurse
Yukari Fleet, Care Partner
Janice Devereux, Business Support Officer
Gerard Francis, Care Partner
Morena Lombardo, Administration Assistant

Pictured: Baptistcare Gracewood carers Mariela Ramirez and Erika Ramirez with resident Thelma