Registered Nurse Ethel has worked at Enliven’s Kandahar Home for a year and has learned the importance of understanding different cultures.
“Knowing that different people do things differently really helps me to understand the residents that we are there to help,” she says.
“The important thing is that we respect the different places people come from.”
Ethel is originally from the Philippines and sought a job at Kandahar Home in Masterton after hearing from her friends about the opportunities provided there.
“We have a lot of training on the core development of our skills, and our Professional Development Recognition Programme. You don’t get that support everywhere.”
She also enjoys the difference between a nursing role at a hospital compared to working in aged care.
“Here I can get to know the residents better, and on a holistic level too.
“It’s important to them and to me that I learn about their family and their interests – we don’t just focus on their physical care.”
She says living far away from her own family, making those connections with residents and their loved ones is something she is grateful for.
Enliven has almost 160 nurses working in its rest homes across the lower North Island, including registered nurses, enrolled nurses, clinical nurse managers, clinical coordinators and managers.
