For Personal Care and Activities Assistant Cheryl Rebeiro at Juniper Annesley, a great activities program is one that is always growing.
Every day she brings a fresh range of activities for residents to take part in, and every day she is paying attention to what is working and what could be better.
“It is not about what you or I would choose to do, it is about what the resident wants,” she said. “Our activities program is built around empowering them. They tell me what they like, they tell me what they want to see on the program, and we go from there.”
Cheryl has been working in aged care for nearly four decades, having come from a career in teaching, spending ten years at a Jesuit school and teaching in India before making the move to Australia. She spent around ten to fifteen years working as a carer before moving into the therapy space, and is always interested in expanding her skillset and staying up to date with best practice.
“I really like learning. I just keep updating myself, I am always looking for new approaches and ideas and trialling them here.”
Now working as a Personal Care and Activity Assistant, Cheryl designs and runs the lifestyle program at Annesley, and staying current with what residents actually want is something she prioritises.
“Most of the residents are familiar with new technology, so we have to keep updating ourselves all the time. At Annesley we have a resident with dementia who wants to listen to Ed Sheeran, they love the song Perfect. I find it so exciting because everyone is growing and learning as well.”
Cheryl pays close attention to who is in the room and what they actually want during activities and is always happy to change course mid-session when something is not working.
“Sometimes when you are running a session you will get halfway through and think, they are not engaging the way I thought they would.”
“Yesterday we were doing seated exercises and halfway through I could see them getting tired. So instead, I wrote a word up on the white board and asked them to make smaller words out of the letters, and boom, you could see the spark come back, everyone alert, everyone engaged.”
Resident feedback is how Cheryl measures the success of every activity, and she makes a point of asking the group how they felt after every session.
“After every activity, we have a quick feedback session, we ask them how was that? Did you like it? Did you not like it? And then I gauge from there how we can improve the next one.”
Welcoming new residents and helping them settle in is another important part of Cheryl’s role, making sure that from the moment they arrive they feel at home and supported.
“Every new resident gets a full week of one-on-one time with us, that week is purely orientation. We want them to know that this is not the end of anything, it is just a continuation of the life they were already living. Whatever they did at home, they can keep doing here, and we are here to support that.”
It is a part of the role that Cheryl really prioritises.
“It is such a powerful role because we are empowering people. We are helping them step into the next phase of their life with confidence, they keep living, keep connecting, keep growing. Nothing stops, it just changes.”
Some of the moments Cheryl is most proud of have come out of giving residents the opportunity to express themselves and perform for one another. Have-a-go day, a small showcase held every three months, has become one of the most popular events on the calendar.
“They just love to perform, to sing or recite. Everyone gets a little boost out of it because whatever you are strong in, that is what you bring. If you are good at narrating, you read out a poem or tell a story. It is a free, do-what-you-want thing.”
Away from Annesley, Cheryl stays connected to the people and places that matter most to her, catching up with friends from India every fortnight or so, and returning to Kolkata every year to spend time with her extended family.
“I am happy at home and I’m happy at work. I feel very blessed.”
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