Mercy Health Shares Stories of Notable Nurses in its Aged Care Homes

At the heart of all Mercy Health residential aged care homes are the staff members who show tireless dedication to the residents they support every day.

At Mercy Health Bethlehem Home for the Aged, registered nurse Natasha Yarrick has spent the last 43 years serving the local Bendigo community with eight of those years as a nurse at Mercy.

“I have enjoyed my time at Bethlehem immensely and am very proud of being a part of this community – everyone here helps out when needed.” Natasha said.

As well as a nurse and personal care assistant, Natasha has been instrumental in assisting student nurses who come into the home for the iGen Program, a program which teaches the next generation of nurses how to be a leader in the community.

“It’s great to help the next generation of nurses understand how rewarding it can be working in aged care,” Natasha said.

Over at Mercy Place Colac, nurses Garpal Singh and Grace Kadatuan often reflect among themselves about their similar career trajectory. Both nurses travelled from overseas before finding a home in Colac.

Grace immigrated to Australia from the Philippines in 2019 where she studied a Diploma of Nursing.

“In the beginning I found studying a challenge, particularly with English being my second language. For a while I worked as a cleaning supervisor, but my passion has always been nursing so I had to go back,” Grace said.

“I am so thankful to the team at Mercy Place and love coming into work every day and seeing all of my residents.

Garpal immigrated from India to Australia just over two years ago. In India he worked in a small hospital but since coming to Mercy Place Colac, has found a love for the responsibility of caring for the aged.

“Being around so many positive attitudes make coming to work every day such a joy. The way the residents greet you in the morning is an immediate boost to my mood,” Garpal said.

Lastly, Mercy Place Mount St Joseph’s, in Young, New South Wales, is proud to celebrate its multicultural nursing staff with nurses from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and China.

The home’s service manager, Shelley Gledhill, spoke positively about the diverse experience their nurses bring to the home for the residents.

“Having a range of different backgrounds in our nursing staff means you’re always learning new things from new people. All of our residents and staff love that we get to have so many new experiences every day,” Shelley said.

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