Hayley's loving life at Currie Park

Hayley Stokes has learned a lot about people since she began as a support worker at OCAV’s Currie Park village in Euroa over a year ago. Along the way she has made friends and settled into work in the small village community where everyone, residents and staff, does ‘a bit of this and that’ to support one another.

Hayley has recently taken over as supervisor while Pauline Walters takes a well-earned break. The change of roles means she gets to work more closely with a lot of the residents supporting them if they need to access community or health services, or have other needs.

An 18-year career in hospitality is a good background for working in aged care, according to Hayley. In that line of work you meet every possible personality type and you learn how to get on with all sorts of people.

“I’ve always loved working with people and that’s what I do here every day. I love working with older people, hearing their stories and learning a bit of history,” she said. Currie Park has eight residents in assisted accommodation and 20 living independently.

“I work closely with the residents in the apartments and sometimes I am the only outside person who might visit them that day. So I consider this sort of work a real privilege.”

Hayley said the challenge of working with some residents is to help them recognise when they need extra support and then working out how to access the necessary services.

“Some people don’t want to accept help because they think it puts their independence at risk. But accepting support can often make it possible for people to stay in their units longer. I do understand how hard it is for lot of older people to acknowledge they can no longer manage doing what was once a fairly easy part of their daily routine.”

Hayley moved to Euroa from Port Lincoln in South Australia over five years ago and loves the area. Working at Currie Park means her network of friends and acquaintances has expanded. She now works closely with the pharmacist, medical services and other providers to ensure things run smoothly at Currie Park.

Staff recently kicked off a Friday afternoon barbecue and raffle which most residents attended. “It’s a fun way for people to come together over food so we will try to do it once a month.”

Caption: Hayley (far right) with her son Jayden, daughter Alyssa and partner Patrina.