Providing consistent personalised care and support is what Just Better Care prides itself on. We speak with our longest-serving customer and staff member to find out what they enjoy most about being a part of the Just Better Care team.

Lyndall and Olivia’s story

The Customer-Support Worker relationship is one that, to be successful, requires both people to be understanding, consistent and adaptable. 

And few have been as trusted or endured as long as the one between Just Better Care customer Lyndall and her primary Support Worker, Olivia.

 

Despite Lyndall undergoing significant physical changes over the time the two have worked together, the pair have been in each other’s lives for well over a decade, boasting the title of Just Better Care’s longest serving Customer-Support Worker relationship.

“Just Better Care has been good to me for a very long time and one of my [Support Workers] I’ve now had for 17 years. I’ve had the same lady all that time. She’s been fantastic.”

Lyndall says Olivia, her primary Support Worker, has had a profound positive impact on her life, stating it provides her with confidence and a sense of security.

She says not only does the pair enjoy shared interests, but they are also connected to each other’s lives. 

Lyndall says the pair’s bond was almost instant.    

“When Olivia turns up, I love it. When she comes I always feel confident. She’s like family and she’s really professional.” 

Lyndall says Olivia, who is Tongan, is very family-oriented and is mum to eight children and 27 grandchildren.

“I love kids and we always had that in common. Every day she came, we’d have something to talk about and it's never stopped really. We always had something to gossip about. She’s got [a lot of] grandchildren too so we’re always talking about one of them.”

Lyndall says she was introduced to Just Better Care services 20 years ago, after being let down by a previous provider. 

At the time she was adjusting to life in a wheelchair and had no idea what to expect from a professional in-home aged care and disability provider. It was then that Olivia entered into her life and from that point on she has never looked back.

“Each time she comes in the morning I have a shower, and we have breakfast and she helps me with my make-up , nails and stuff – she’s saved me a lot over the years,” Lyndall says.

Lyndall says while she’s spoiled by the relationship she enjoys with Olivia, and another long-term Support Worker, Belinda, experience has taught her never to take such unique relationships for granted. 

“Olivia is 65 this year so you don’t know how long it will go on for… so I don’t look to the future, but I just try to enjoy each day as it comes.”

Katrina’s journey

A competitor’s loss was Just Better Care’s gain after Support Worker and Enrolled Nurse Katrina became dissatisfied with her previous employment conditions and opted to leave.

Seeking a role that offered more flexibility and a team that valued its members, Katrina eagerly took up the opportunity to join Just Better Care.

Clearly, she liked what she found, with Katrina recently celebrating two decades of continued service making her the business’s longest serving employee.

Katrina says the supportive team environment at Just Better Care and the ample opportunity for further education and training have played a key role in her long-term success. She also credits the easily accessible advice from colleagues at Just Better Care Northern Beaches and Northern Suburbs.

What’s more, the ability to choose her own hours and utilise weekend work, have all contributed to a healthier work-life balance, she says.

As with Lyndall and Olivia, Katrina says what she likes most about her work is the experiences she has enjoyed with customers over the years. Of key significance is the chance to improve the daily wellbeing of those she cares for.

With a particular interest in aged care support work, stemming from her earlier experiences in a nursing home, Katrina says her time working with Nancy, a customer living with dementia, is a great example of what she loves about her work.

“Just because they’ve got dementia doesn’t mean they should have to walk around their home in tracksuit pants if they don’t want to. I genuinely care for my clients and hope that they are better off after seeing me each day.” 

This year marks Just Better Care’s 20-year anniversary, and we are incredibly proud of our track record of customer care and our amazing team. 

If you would like to experience our quality service or join our growing team, we would love to hear from you.