I, like the author, am a Registered Nurse who has dedicated my life to managing in the Aged Care system. 

Every single day I worry about the stress my staff are under, whether I will be able to provide sufficient resources for them to do their jobs safely and to a standard I would want for my loved one. I worry about the residents in my care…. That there are sufficient numbers of qualified staff to meet their needs.

I worry about compliance….. Constantly trying to take in the litany of directions, reports, policy changes and guidelines sent to me daily. I’m terrified I might miss ONE legislative change, or instruction forwarded to me by local, state and federal government. 

I am the one who responds to complaints from aggrieved family members, and tries to ensure open and transparent communication with everyone involved! 

I valiantly try to hold my head up in a system that is constantly being barraged in the media and incessantly under scrutiny both  because of COVID and the horror stories revealed by the Royal Commission into Aged Care safety and quality.

I want to scream “NOT ALL AGED CARE FACILITIES ARE BAD!!” ….  

For me there is no paid overtime, no bonuses, no weekend or after hours penalties…. I certainly DON’T do what I do for the money…. I am on-call most nights… even after working a 10* hour day…. Just so my (often unqualified) staff can have someone to call if there is a crisis. 

So spare a thought for “management” within our Health and Aged Care systems…. For we are human, and we are struggling too!