Ainslie Low Head

Above- Maree Youl, Julie Sutton, Mandy Bishop, Janet Reed, Sally Youd, Angelina Brown, Chantel Brown, Heather Currant, Bishnu Tamang, Michelle Gee, Nicole Raj, Shelley Garebarski, Stevie Carr and Alicia Hinds celebrate Sally Youd's retirement.

The warmer months and sunny days have brightened the spirits of residents and staff at Ainslie Low Head.

The picturesque views over Bass Strait and the Tamar River on a sunny day would make anybody smile.

November and December were filled with plenty of (COVID-safe) events and activities to end a turbulent year on a high note. In November, Saint Andrew's Day was celebrated with Scottish Trivia, a Melbourne Cup Luncheon was held as well as a Remembrance Day Service, and NAIDOC Week was recognised with dream-time stories and bark art.

November also saw the retirement of Sally Youd. Sally's last day at Ainslie Low Head was November 12. She has worked at the Home for 21 years, simultaneously in Administration and in Home and Community Service. Staff celebrated Sally and her dedication to the Home with flowers and a morning tea.

December saw a different type of Christmas at Ainslie Low Head this year. Due to COVID-19 restrictions only two visitors per resident were allowed in at a time to see their loved one. There was no shortage of activities however; the Leisure and Lifestyle team held Christmas craft, stories, cooking and poetry activities, a Christmas Concert, and the Residents Hamper Day event.

All staff went above and beyond to make it a special festive season for residents. Each team member chose a resident they were especially close to, and bought them a personal Christmas gift. During the last week of Christmas, afternoon tea was held in the dining room with a special appearance from Santa who handed out all the gifts to residents.

Looking ahead to 2021, there has been a big focus on the implementation of the new iCare software. It was launched at Ainslie Low Head on December 3 and is a work-in-progress as the team get used to the new software.

Leisure and Lifestyle Coordinator Maree Youl recently completed her Pastoral Care training and will be stepping into this position as part-Pastoral Carer and part-Leisure and Lifestyle Officer. In turn, a new Leisure and Lifestyle Officer will be joining the team. Congratulations Maree, we can't wait to see these exciting changes come to fruition.

Staff spotlight: Julie Sutton, Clinical Care Coordinator, Ainslie Nursing Home and Hostel.

Hailing from Scotland, Julie moved to Australia in 2011 and now lives in George Town with a beautiful view of the Tamar River.

Julie started her nursing career a little later in life. After working at an insurance company for 14 years she was ready for a new adventure. Julie left to start her own childminding business, but fell pregnant a year into running the business. So, she began training to be a nurse in 2003 and qualified in 2006.

In her first nursing role Julie cared for ex-servicemen and women who had returned from duty, which she says was incredible rewarding. While still in Edenborough, Julie had a Skype interview with Southern Cross Care and, after moving to Australia, commenced work as a Registered Nurse at Mount Esk before transferring to Ainslie Low Head. Now a George Town local, she was thrilled to work closer to home and from Ainslie Low Head’s beautiful location.

Julie has now stepped up to be Clinical Care Coordinator at the Home. She loves the varied work that the aged care industry offers to nurses, as opposed to in a hospital setting where nurses specialise in a specific area.

‘You get to do a bit of everything and no two days are the same.’

We are Maureen & Graeme Potter, Ainslie Nursing Home and Hostel is our home and this is our story.

Two words that best describe Maureen and Graeme Porter's life might be "hard work." After meeting as teenagers, Maureen and Graeme married young and raised four children – and have been married for 66 years since! Venturing into share farming in his 20's, Graeme sowed a wheat and barley crop by himself, including almost 3,000 bags of wheat – weighing in at 180 pounds a bag!

Maureen worked just as hard. As well as raising children, Maureen milked three cows, fed the calves, made her own butter, and did all their washing by hand in the house's copper (thank goodness we now have washing machines). This saw them purchase and pay off their own home in Campbelltown before Graeme was 30, where they would spend 50 years of their lives together.

Maureen and Graeme moved into Ainslie Low Head almost five years ago. At first they found it hard to put their feet up, but are much more comfortable now.

After their life of hard work, they certainly deserve to relax now!