Elen Hagos

During my time as a TCP Support Worker, I fulfilled:

• Provided transportation to appointments, i.e., medical appointments, family contact, Centrelink, job interviews, Youth Justice, NA, and AA meetings.
• Encourage school attendance, as well as transportation to school/tafe.
• Encouraging and assisting the client in exploring community-based activities, i.e., gym, sports classes, counselling.
• Encouraging the client to build their life skills, i.e., booking their own doctors' appointments and identifying community-based services in times of need, such as food banks.
• Encouraged, modelled, and assisted clients to budget, meal plan, and grocery shop.
• Assessed the clients home and encouraged them to complete daily home tasks, where necessary.
• Attended house inspections to record the maintenance of the clients property.
• Supported the client during recovery and relapse.
• Observed the client for any changes in their physical, emotional, mental, or behavioural state and reported this to the relevant professionals, i.e., Child Protection, Case Manager, Emergency Services.
• Liaised with Case Managers on a daily basis in order to provide the best care.
• Liaised with AOD workers and Mental Health Clinicians to seek best practice for the clients.
• Developed professional relationships with the clients by providing companionship, understanding, and empathy.
• Provided emotional support to clients during difficult times.
• Administered and documented medications.
• Case Management shadowing with Lighthouse Foundation: Participated in Care Team meetings with Child Protection and other services, assisted in the allocation of TCP funding, kept a record of TCP funding, shadowed the update of a safety planning document, shadowed case notes being sent to Child Protection, assisted the client with attending house inspections.

In addition to this, I have worked with various organisations in both the TCP and Residential Care Work setting, such as Allambi Care, Anglicare Victoria, Uniting, Junction Support Services, Mackillop Family Services, and Lighthouse Foundation.

During my time working as a Residential Care Worker, I fulfilled:

• Educated clients on personal hygiene tasks, such as bathing, grooming, and dental care.
• Facilitated weekly house meetings, including feedback from the clients.
• Completed grocery shopping for the clients.
• Created nutritional weekly breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus with the clients.
• Prepared healthy meals to support the client's overall health and well-being.
• Provided the client emotional support where appropriate.
• Implemented positive reinforcement strategies when interacting with the client to build confidence.
• Maintained an environment that offered safety and security for the clients.
• Effectively built strong rapport and a trustworthy relationship with the clients.
• Displayed positive role modelling to the clients.
• Maintaining strong boundaries by using consistency.
• Collaborated with co-workers, Case Managers, and Allied Health to address the needs of each client. Discussed what could be changed or what is working well for the client.
• Transported and accompanied the clients on leisure activities to enhance their well-being and support positive community engagement.
• Transported the clients to appointments, i.e., medical appointments, court, and job interviews.
• Attended housekeeping duties within the home.
• Prepared residential facility for audits.
• Attended and supervised family contact with the clients.
• Administered and documented medications.
• Documented thorough shift notes.
• Completed incident reports.
• Followed all policies and procedures of each CSO.
• Attended secure welfare to visit clients on a circuit breaker.
• Responded promptly to emergency situations involving the clients, carers, or visitors.
• Contacted relevant professionals when required, i.e., Child Protection, Case Managers, On-call After Hours, Emergency Services.
• Prepared clients who were transitioning into Independent Living.

Throughout my time working as a Residential Care Worker, I have worked in both high-risk and therapeutic homes. I have worked with numerous clients over the past 3 years, with ages ranging from 10 to 17 years old. I have experience working with clients managing substance use, in recovery, mental health illnesses, ADHD, disabilities, and involvement in criminal activities. I have gained valuable insights into the complexities of these situations, and how each client requires an individualised approach. I have learned how crucial empathy and patience is, and working collaboratively as a team to provide the best care for the clients. Through good and tough times, I believe my ability to create a strong rapport with clients and earn their trust has given me the opportunity to excel in this field and use my skills to benefit the client.

During the duration of working in an aged care facility I have obtained the following skills:

• Assistance with ADL's; feeding those with dysphagia and/or a high risk of aspiration.
• Completing observations.
• Catheter care - male and female.
• Stoma care.
• Psychiatric and dementia secure units.
• Simple and complex wound dressings.
• Peg feed administration and care.
• Monitoring and assessing neurological observations post falls.
• Completing all relevant paperwork including incident reporting.
• Mentoring student nurses on their placement.
• Diabetes administration, management and education.
• Liaising with Doctors, Registered Nurses, and Allied Health to provide the best care.
• Administration of medications, including DD drugs, SC, and IM injections.
• Providing therapeutic support to family members and residents in all aspects.
• Assistance in palliative care.

Being a freshly graduated nurse, I decided to jump straight into an agency. I believe this was the best decision I made to start off my nursing career. Working for Belmore Nurses built up my confidence, my clinical skills, and time management skills. During this time, I worked in rehabilitation facilities, various aged care facilities, in conjunction with disability support, subacute and acute hospitals. Throughout my employment with Belmore Nurses, I was introduced to various settings that tested how quickly I could adapt to new surroundings. By being put in a different facility upon every shift, this quickly helped me grow into nursing with a broad knowledge and skill set.