Residential nursing creates families
What Shupi Maduveko loves most about aged-care nursing is the connection she has to her patients.
“We are creating families here,” says Shupi.
“The people in our Feros Care residential homes may not be living with natural family, but we are a family here in this village and we treat each other as such.”
It’s this notion that made the Registered Nurse choose aged-care nursing over hospitals.
Having worked across both sectors, she believes she has more to offer as a nurse when she has the time to really get to know her patients and their families.
“In a hospital, patients are like travellers – you make them better then they are gone,” says Shupi.
“I have worked in both settings and I feel a far greater sense of connectedness with my aged-care residents as they are here to stay.
HOME-LIKE AGED CARE VILLAGES
“We are here to make this village feel like home as much as possible; to make their stay as happy and as comfortable as we can.
“This goes on right until their last breath, where we sit with them and watch them depart this world.
“We’re here to get them through that transition. It’s a beautiful privilege and one we don’t take for granted.”
BRINGING HAPPINESS TO PATIENTS
Shupi says while some people prefer the fast-paced nature of a hospital, she relishes the routine and challenges of aged-care.
“We may not save lives everyday, but we bring happiness to residents and their families,” she says.
“I get to know my patients inside-out – their likes and dislikes, their issues, their quirks their medication.
“I can answer questions about them from the top of my head without referring to charts because I have an intimate relationship with them.”
HOLISTIC CARE
As the Registered Nurse at Feros Village Byron Bay, Shupi embraces the Feros Care ethos of living boldly.
“It resonates with me,” says Shupi.
“At Feros Care we support people to ‘grow bold’ in whatever way that means to them.
“We do it by really listening to what they want, by taking that on board, and by involving their family in their care.
“Our residents have very different needs – we’ve got artists, movie directors, dancers, horse riders and people with a range of other interests.
“We find ways to keep those interests alive – like our director puts on a weekly movie night and we’ve just organised for our horse rider to spend a day at a farm.”
While aged-care has been largely about making people comfortable, Feros Care aims to help people thrive.
Through nursing, Shupi has been able to play a big role in achieving this goal by caring for her residents holistically and ensuring their physical, emotional and social needs are met.
“In an aged-care facility, there’s more to nursing than just medications and temperature checks,” says Shupi.
“I work with the residents and their families to create individual, holistic care plans so they can still enjoy the things they’ve always loved and feel supported to live happy, healthy lives.”
