Types of jobs in aged care

Aged care encompasses a range of jobs that cater to the needs of elderly individuals, often in residences or in their homes. These roles can be deeply rewarding and satisfying. Caregivers, including personal care assistants and certified nursing assistants, provide hands-on assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing and general care. Registered nurses manage medical care and administer medications. Lifestyle Coordinators plan activities to enhance the residents' quality of life. Additionally, administrators and support team ensure the smooth operation of the home. Working in aged care requires patience, compassion, and excellent communication skills. It's a field where one can make a meaningful difference in the lives of older adults by providing the care and support they need in their later years.

Do you need qualifications to work in Aged Care

There are various roles for a professional to pursue in the aged care industry and each role may require certain qualifications. The qualifications and requirements for specific aged care workers ensure they can provide a certain level of care. Understanding the qualifications and requirements to be an aged care worker can help determine your career path in the industry.

Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing)

This course may be a requirement for aged care careers such as:

• Assistant in Nursing
• Aged Care Worker
• Community Care Worker
• Home Care Assistant / Worker
• Residential Support Worker
• Respite Care Worker
• Food Services Worker

 

Certificate IV in Ageing Support

This course may be a requirement for aged care careers such as:

• Aged Care Activity Worker (Lifestyle Coordinator)
• Care Service Team Leader
• Personal Care Support Worker
• Community Program Coordinator
• Care Supervisor
• Residential Care Officer

 

Certificate III (or similar) in Commercial Cookery. Food Safety Certification (highly desirable)

To work as a Chef in an aged care residence you will be executing all aspects of kitchen operations and food preparation in aged care.

Bachelor of Nursing

This course is a a requirement for a person who aspires to work as a registered nurse in an aged care residence or other facility such as:

• Respite care
• In an assisted living facility
• A retirement village

 

Additionally you will need this qualification to work as a Care Director, or any position in Nursing higher than a Registered Nurse.

What qualities do you need to work in aged care?

Requirements for an aged care worker often include specific soft skills. When pursuing an aged care career, you might consider whether you have these skills. These skills can help you offer a high level of care and consequently aid you in achieving your aged care worker career goals. You can engage in individual and group activities to develop and improve these skills where necessary. Here's a list of some relevant skills:

• Patience
• Dedication
• Respect
• Communication
• Empathy
• Adaptability

What are some the jobs in Aged Care?

At Estia Health we have a variety of roles within each home. These are just a sample:

Maintenance Officers

With a primary focus on the overall development and maintenance of each home, the grounds, plant and equipment as directed by the Residential Aged Care Manager, this position is an essential part of our team. Responsible for overseeing and actioning any required maintenance or improvements to keep our homes safe and welcoming and warm spaces for residents, their families, employees and visitors.

Our maintenance officers also ensure preventative maintenance, contribute to refurbishment, contract management of maintenance suppliers and focus on continuous improvement of the home.

Lifestyle Coordinators

This exciting role requires organisation in planning activities and experiences, working closely alongside other teams within the home to provide the best experience possible for residents. This can include themed cultural days or celebrations in the year and you need to be energetic and outgoing, leading and collaborating with others to bring your vision to life. You also have the ability to make even the smallest moments matter in a resident’s life, providing a friendly smile, compassionate ear and a trusted person they know they can rely on to make a positive difference to their day.

As a Lifestyle Coordinator you’ll be a key part of residents’ daily lives. You will have a national calendar with over 128 different experiences to work from, plus you’ll be responsible to build a unique calendar of activities that align with your resident’s interests and hobbies. Providing new and innovative ideas to engage residents and

(Personal Care Worker – Wellbeing) Lifestyle Assistants

Our Lifestyle Assistants play a very important role in assisting the team in providing innovative and quality personal, emotional care to residents. They are also responsible for implementing resident lifestyle programs, by planning, providing new and innovative ideas to engage residents and establishing goals. Lifestyle Assistants are empathetic, have effective written and verbal communication skills, experience in lifestyle programs and possess strong reasoning and thinking skills.

Our Lifestyle Assistants also demonstrate visible and proactive leadership and commitment to achieving a safe and healthy workplace. They must all possess a respectful and compassionate communication style, excellent clinical documentation skills, proficient computer skills, be flexible to changing priorities, person centered, have a healthy respect for the elderly.

(Nursing Assistant) Assistant in Nursing

Our Assistants in Nursing are responsible for the delivery of person-centered care and services to residents in all areas of activities of daily living in accordance with the resident’s identified needs and preferences. Care team provide support which considers the residents’ physical, spiritual, social, and cultural needs and which enables residents to maintain their own wellbeing and independence for as long as possible.

Importantly, this includes supporting the residents to achieve personalised goals in accordance with care plan strategies and well-being activities. Listening to individual resident’s wishes and preferences. Communicating with residents in a respectful and compassionate manner, ensuring a tidy living environment and importantly escalating a change in the resident’s needs, preferences or goals of care to the Registered Nurse.

Enrolled Nurses

Our Enrolled Nurses provide and coordinate resident care and supervise team members to ensure an effective, efficient functioning team under the direct or indirect supervision of a Registered Nurse. High clinical standards are required along with a solution and resident outcome focus, delivered to support residents with compassion and understanding

Enrolled Nurses are important members of our health care team and their primary role is providing patient/resident care. In order to be an enrolled nurse you need to develop skills to communicate with people, have knowledge of contemporary nursing practice, law and ethics, anatomy and physiology, acute and chronic health disorders, clinical nursing skills and medication management.

To work as an EN you must be enrolled with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (also known as AHPRA) on completion of your studies. To enroll with AHPRA you must possess the ability to meet the physical demands of nursing work, in particular the requirements of manual handling and also meet AHPRA’s English language skills registration standard.

Care Directors

Our Care Directors work in close partnership with the home’s Residential Aged Care Manager and they are specifically responsible for the provision of advanced clinical and holistic care of residents. It is a critical role that ensures the clinical performance of the home is addressed and that residents care and families are supported as they make the difficult decision to move into residential aged care. When a resident first moves into a home, the Care Director gets to know each individual to understand their unique care need, their background, likes and dislikes in combination with their medical needs, to ensure a holistic approach that looks at all aspects of their wellbeing.

The role requires experienced clinicians, often with a broad background including working in the hospital sector, looking for a chance to build lasting and meaningful connections with people as they enter this incredibly important stage of their lives. They lead teams of nurses and carers to ensure they gain experience and develop their skills, mentoring the next generation of clinicians. Every day will bring its own challenges, requiring continued attention and an ability to multitask, while following all required aged care sector compliance and standards. Additionally, Care Directors provide direct supervision of health professionals within the home (including allied health and medical practitioners) to support the management of clinical care delivery which includes the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of care for each resident.

As our Care Director you will need to have strong personal leadership and influencing skills, strategic and commercial acumen, be able to lead change without ambiguity and operate with excellence and have the ability to problem solve quickly and efficiently.

(Home Manager) Residential Aged Care Managers

Residential Aged Care Managers are the pillars of each Estia Health home, creating a positive and lasting culture supporting all teams to deliver the best care possible to our residents, their families and our employees.

The role requires you to be passionate about caring for older Australians and motivated to always look at ways to progress and improve residents’ experiences while in our care. As a Residential Aged Care Manager you’re responsible for all operational aspects of the home, which requires strong business acumen. The role requires you to be a good communicator, always available, with patience and a compassionate ear to support residents and their families at an incredibly important time in their lives.

You will provide a safe environment for our team to interact with the residents whilst ensuring that we are meeting the Aged Care Quality Commission standards. In order to undertake this position, you need to be able to lead people well, fostering commitment and a team spirit. You will need a strategic and commercial outlook to ensure that the home is not only aligned with Estia Health’s strategic outcomes but also their commercial outcomes, you will also need to be a positive leader who can develop strong internal and external relationships, driving a culture of safety, who can coach and motivate employees to enrich and celebrate the lives of Estia Health residents.

If you would like to enquire about working for Estia Health, please visit our careers website.