Rose was lucky enough to grow up as a small-town, rural girl on a property that still has her parents ageing happily and healthily. Rose witnessed first-hand the golden threads of community that are strengthened by supporting older people to live their best lives, as long as possible, the way they want to, in the place they call home, supported by local people in meaningful and skilled employment.
Rose started her career in rural journalism, across NSW, Victoria, and WA, listening to and reflecting the stories of community. An almost lifelong quest to change the narrative around ageing in place and workforce attraction to the aged care sector has led Rose to now being the National Engagement Manager for the Rural, Regional and Remote Home Care Workforce Support Program (via Local Government, COTA Queensland and the infamous Mallee fish and chip shop).
Regional, Rural and Remote Home Care Workforce Support Program
Motherhood statements about attracting, training and retaining workforce are easy to say and harder to implement. Overlay the ‘thin market’ complexities of Regional, Rural and Remote areas and to many, this can seem best filed in the “too hard basket”. Three innovative organisations – Ageing Australia, Crest NT and Skills Generation/Skills Hubs are delivering the Regional, Rural and Remote Home Care Workforce Support Program, funded by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Rochelle (Ageing Australia), Renee (Crest NT) and Rose (Skills Hubs) will present an engaging, “out of the box” session on the stories and insights learnt from the Program rollout so far.
Rose, Renee and Rochelle all come from passionate positions in their work, life and community to support people into careers and training to join the aged care sector with a deep drive to change the face of aged care workforce attraction.
They will provide grass roots insights, case studies and approaches from the three-year program, having just entered the second year of operation. Starting and ending with community at the centre, the power of connection in an overwhelmed world of aged care, building local collaborative partnerships are just some of the themes emerging.
Leaving a sustainable legacy and adopting an approach that values lived experience, transferrable skills and mining for the right people in the right role at the right time are key shared goals across the program delivery.
The “Three Rs” (Rose, Renee and Rochelle) will provide some practical strategies from the other “Three Rs” (Regional, Rural and Remote) when it comes to local aged care workforce growth and development.
Rochelle delivers the program in eligible regions of Victoria and Tasmania, Renee delivers throughout the NT and Rose’s organisation has select regions throughout QLD, NSW, SA and WA.
This is isn’t your average conference presentation, this is guaranteed to engage the audience though the power of story, presenting a real life, in-progress funded program providers in eligible regions can immediately become involved in and shining a light on a few of the nutty issues – like alignment of training availability in the regions and the complex challenge of a largely part time workforce in a solo environment. This is about more than just re-affirming the already-known issues, it offers a chance for Providers to immediately link in and be a part of the solution the RRR HCWSP offers. Are you brave enough for this?