Do you need a bit more money and have 3 hours a week spare? Esperance Home Care (EHC) are looking for a guardian angel army and need your help!
EHC provides in home care to 400 seniors and people with disabilities, allowing them to live independently at home for as long as possible. Delivering a wide range of services in our region is vital, and EHC has focused on attracting and retaining great staff since the worker shortage started to bite. The current casual staff tell us the results are a fantastic place to work.
“It’s very flexible” Debbie, one of the Casual Community Support Workers said. “It’s like working for yourself but you’ve got the backup of the Home Care staff if you need it, which is a major thing for me. I just love my job and love being able to help clients.”
Monica Greatrex, Manager at ECC, is part of the team working to bring angels into our senior’s lives, helping them to stay at home as long as possible. “We looked at a few issues, and put improvements in place to make it easier and more enjoyable to work with us”, she said. “The system to schedule shifts has been changed and we’re now using the award winning Sandwai app. Our workers have the app on their phones, so super easy for them to keep track of their work times. We can see where they have gaps in their appointments, and we slot training into those times. Training itself is more accessible since we signed up to Universal Care Training, and much of the training required is now done online, as each staff member requires. And of course we still have our in-person training as well.”
“Most importantly, we now offer paid traineeships to eligible staff, offering a Certificate III in Individual Support – a great start in the Aged Care industry.”
Anyone with a few hours spare – as little as three a week – and an interest in helping other people is encouraged to apply for work as a Casual Community Support Worker. If you’re studying, looking for work during school hours, or just retired with more to give, the hours are flexible and EHC will work with you. Those who love connecting and chatting to people, helping out with transport, shopping and appointments, need some spare cash or just want to put headphones on and get cleaning will find this work appealing.
Casual staff members are offered permanency a year after starting at the latest, although many choose to remain on a casual basis. When you sign up with EHC your first week will be spent in induction, with three days training and two days with a buddy before heading out to your own clients, and then always with the support of staff on the phone and back at the office.
“We really do work around whatever hours our staff have available,” said Monica. “They can choose as many or as few hours as they want, and we’re very family friendly and flexible if unforeseen circumstances arise.”
Anita, another Casual Community Support Worker, agrees. “You can tailor the job and times to what you want. I’m a cleaner and I drive my clients to shopping and doctor appointments – I just do the fun parts! You get trained for everything and there’s no out of pocket expenses. I get asked about every six months to a year if I want to become permanent, I just like casual because I can get my time off. I like giving back to my oldies, we keep them in their homes as long as we can.”
Debbie also enjoys helping our seniors stay independent. “I love hearing them talk about when they were younger, we’re sort of the first people they see in the morning and the last at night, and you make their day. I love helping them to stay at home so they don’t have to go to a nursing home, that means a lot to me and a lot to our clients.”
If you would like to choose your own hours in a supportive environment, give back to the community and receive training in the Home Care industry, visit the Shire website here or call Monica on 9083 1800 for a chat.