Join us as we meet some of our amazing aged care team members.
Working as a care worker at BaptistCare Niola Aged Care Home in Parkes NSW, Natasha Zonino embraces the challenge of no two days being the same in her job.
Entering her Aged Care Era
Working as a care worker at BaptistCare Niola Aged Care Home in Parkes NSW, Natasha Zonino embraces the challenge of no two days being the same in her job.
After being at home caring for kids, she was ready to re-enter the workforce and started looking around her hometown of Parkes, in regional NSW, to see what was around.
“I was looking for something that I could enjoy, that would work around the kids and that would be rewarding,” Natasha said.
“Aged Care was an obvious choice and something I was really excited about.”
“I was able to undertake a traineeship with BaptistCare for my Certificate 3 and Certificate 4. Something that was really helpful for me as I went back to work,” she explained.
While it might have been the first time Natasha worked in aged care, she was already familiar with Niola because of a family connection.
A family affair
“When I was a teenager my mum worked at Niola,” she explained.
“It looked much different then. There’s been a big refurbishment since Mum was there, but I have memories of Mum being at work and hearing the stories of the job, so it wasn’t completely unknown as I started.”
It’s a family tradition that is continuing.
Two of Natasha’s children now work alongside her, and her sister and sister-in-law, at Niola Aged Care Home.
‘We’re at three generations to work here,” Natasha laughed.
“My daughters are such caring people that it was quite natural for them to go from working in the kitchen to training as care workers themselves.”
“It’s also really great to have people in your life who understand all the elements of the job, so they understand the highs and the lows that you go through,” she said.
Privileges of the position
No two days in aged care are the same, and this is something Natasha loves about the job.
To be able to do the essential care elements of the jobs and be able to bring joy through events, like when the staff turned the home into a cruise ship for a day to bring the holiday vibes to residents, keeps the job interesting.
“It’s such a privilege to do this job and to care for our residents,” she said.
“There’s so many elements to what we do each day, but you really do become an important part of the lives of the residents and so when you can care for them and make them happy and smile, it’s pretty special.”
When asked how she would describe her job in one sentence, Natasha needs just one word.
“Rewarding!”
Mum’s the word
Natasha has quickly found her feet, starting her career in aged care, and it might not be surprising because caring for people has been a thread throughout her whole life.
“It often surprises people when they find out, but I have seven kids!”
“It can sometimes mean going to work is the peace and quiet and ‘me time’ that I really need,” she laughed.
Getting into the great outdoors
When not at work, you can often find Natasha and the family enjoying the wonderful campgrounds and waterways of the Central West in NSW.
“I don’t always have a lot of time between work and the kids, but I love going camping and fishing,” she said.
“I love getting out around the waterways here and spending time fishing and enjoying time outdoors.”
No fishing trip is complete without a picture of your camp and Natasha has a great collection of very impressive photos of her successful fishing missions.
Loving the little moments
As she reflects on the last five years of her work at Niola aged care home and what she does in her job, Natasha said it’s the little moments that stand out most.
“You become more than just a carer to the residents,” she said.
“You become a friend, a confident and a part of their family.”
“They care about you as much as you care about them and often start sharing the stories of their life. Once I had a resident say they’d swim across oceans to be able to spend some of their day with me. It’s really lovely,” Natasha said.
As she goes about her work, she loves hearing the stories of the lives the residents have had.
“Everyone has such a different story and it’s great to be able to hear what they’ve done before they called Niola home,” she said.
“To be a part of our residents’ story now, the memories they are making and the memories they want to share, it’s something really, really special.”
