Join us as we meet some of our incredible team.
When you speak with Shireen, her care for others and love of life on the NSW Far North Coast really shine through.
An occupational therapist with more than 25 years’ experience, Shireen has been part of the BaptistCare at home allied health team for the past two years, providing comprehensive and holistic assessments to clients on aged care packages.
Her choice of career was inspired by her own family. “I first chose to work in this field to care for people like my grandmother who lived to 110, and now for people like my father, who is 98 and still living independently in his own home,” she says. “I want the best for my family and I hope I can provide that same standard of care for everyone’s grandparents and parents.”
Shireen’s role takes her from BaptistCare at home’s base in Ballina, north as far as Tweed Heads, south to New Italy and west to Kyogle. “My work spans three river catchments – the Tweed, Richmond and Brunswick – where the rhythm of the land and community is woven into daily life,” she says. “Beaches, farming and floods are a major part of people’s life stories here.”
With the introduction of the Support at Home aged care reforms, Shireen’s title has recently changed from health and well-living consultant to allied health consultant. “This role is unique to BaptistCare and shows the organisation’s commitment to quality clinical care and governance,” she says.
In fact, it is this commitment to allied health and making a difference in older people’s lives that helped Shireen decide to take on the role. “BaptistCare’s Christian values and its genuine care for each individual person’s needs played a very important part in that decision.”
Shireen’s focus is on helping older Australians continue to live independently, safely and meaningfully in their own homes. “I get to problem solve alongside clients, their families and care facilitators to find ways, including through allied health services, to stay living well at home,” she says.
What she loves most about the role is working with a great team and helping people understand that it is possible to regain function and improve health and quality of life.
Refresh Retreats
She also loves the work she does as a facilitator for BaptistCare at home’s Refresh Retreats, a three-day program that supports carers and their loved ones living with dementia. The retreats are held at peaceful venues across NSW, the ACT and WA. Shireen facilitates a retreat in a location surrounded by rainforest near Lismore.
“Being involved in Refresh Retreats has been a real privilege,” she says. “We have a great venue and a great team and it is incredible to see the building of positive relationships and improved confidence over the three days for both carers and their loved ones. We also have a lot of fun sharing meals together.”
She has run six retreats over the past two years. “It’s incredible to see the change over those few days. Couples can arrive feeling stressed and leave holding hands, smiling and more confident,” she says. It reinforces her belief that healthy ageing is about healthy relationships. “People need to feel that someone is there for them – and BaptistCare is.”
Tips for healthy ageing
Shireen’s number one tip for healthy ageing is to cultivate hope. “It gives life meaning and motivates us to keep persevering even when being healthy is compromised,” she says.
She also believes that everyone needs stable relationships in order to stay hopeful. “Our work roles and the relationships we cultivate are so important to the very vulnerable and lonely in our community.”
Her other advice is to stay socially connected and keep moving. “These help us to stay strong physically, cognitively and emotionally,” she says.
Life outside work
When she’s not working, Shireen takes full advantage of living on the coast. “I get to swim in the ocean every day and enjoy having the chance to snorkel and kayak,” she says. “I also have three grandchildren I love to spend time with – although they live several hours away in both directions. Fortunately, I live a 20-minute walk from the airport!”
Thinking of a Career in Aged Care?
Before joining BaptistCare, Shireen completed a master’s degree in dementia studies and worked in Armidale and on the Gold Coast in dementia OT roles. Her advice for anyone thinking about a career in aged care is to find an area of interest and study it. “There are so many exciting, evidence-based and innovative approaches to aged care,” she says. “Learning gives you the confidence to try new things and that’s how we grow.”
