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Brandon’s story – Just Better Care Mid North Coast Thirty-five-year-old Brandon recognised early on he didn’t belong in a classroom.
Undiagnosed neurodiversity, together with what he calls a “heart to rebel” saw him struggling to find a career path to follow.
Originally from Canada, Brandon and his family moved
to Australia when he was 17, and it was while he was still at high school that he was introduced to the joys and rewards of care work as a work experience student.
“I have always enjoyed making people smile. I feel like if I can get a smile out of someone it makes the day better for everyone,” he says of care work.
In fact, he enjoyed it so much that he took a full-time position in the sector. However, after six years working in an aged care facility, he wanted to support young people working as a youth pastor.
When his grandparents fell ill, Brandon and his wife decided to prioritise their ongoing care, putting their careers on hold to move to Canada to put his nursing skills back to work and
care for them. After 12 months he returned to Australia.
“My passion for caring was
still there, but I wanted to make
a direct impact in my local community and not in a traditional hospital setting.”
In 2018 he met with Leah, the Franchise Owner of Just Better Care Mid North Coast and soon after enjoyed his first day as a Support Worker.
Brandon says while he is “not a big fan of learning in a classroom setting”, he is grateful that since joining the Just Better Care team he has been able to participate
in many online learning and development experiences.
“There is so much information available. When I take on a new client with different needs, I’m able to learn more about a specific disability by taking on another subject at my own pace,” he says.
Sarah’s story –
Just Better Care Geelong
Nursing is clearly in 35-year-old Sarah’s DNA. Now a Registered Nurse Care Manager at Just Better Care Geelong, each day Sarah carries out her duties alongside her
twin sister Kate, who is also a nurse at the same franchise.
On leaving high school after year 12, Sarah graduated with
a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Ballarat in 2010. She went on to work at Geelong Hospital in various wards before working as a Unit Manager in an aged care facility.
Sarah, who made the switch to community nursing nearly three years ago, says she was drawn to the in-home care sector after working through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I grew this passion to want
to assist people in their homes
to keep them happy and safe
at home for as long as possible, rather than them having multiple hospital admissions or having to be admitted to an aged care home prematurely,” she says.
Sarah, who is married with a five-year-old son, says working as a Care Manager is a very rewarding area of nursing and believes
her previous work enabled her
to develop a great rapport with patients and their families.
Since joining Just Better Care Geelong as a Care Manager in 2020, Sarah says her organisational and planning skills have developed even further.
“It’s just so nice to be able to take that pressure off customers and reassure them we’re here to help. I also love that I can work as a nurse Monday to Friday between the hours of 9-5 pm. I have previously worked many years of shift work, so being able to work ‘normal’ hours and have a really positive work-life family balance has been amazing,” she says.
Sarah believes making the shift into in-home support work was the best move of her career.
“It challenges and fulfils me more than I could have imagined. It is such a great and rewarding job, being able to do everything you can to keep a client safe and happy at home.”
8 2024 You