National Carers Week 2020

Carers make an enormous contribution to our communities as well as our national economy.

11-17 October 2020 marks National Carers Week, an opportunity to celebrate and raise awareness among all Australians about the diversity of carers and their caring roles.

As an organisation, we recognise that carers are an important part of Australia’s health system and are the foundation of our aged, disability, palliative and community care systems.

Rural Lifestyle Options Australia values and supports the contribution that carers make both to the people they care for and to the community as a whole which is why tomorrow we will be hosting a raffle as a small token of appreciation for the important and vital work that they do.

Tomorrow, one Carer from our community will win a $150 RLOA Gift Card, which can be used at a variety of major retailers, both instore and online.

Keep an eye on our Social Media to see if you are the lucky winner.

To all our Carers, thank you for the valuable work that you do.

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#ThankYou #Carers2020 #WhyWeCare

Congratulations Celena!

Drumroll, please 🥁

And the latest recipient of the prestigious Above and Beyond Award is…

Celena Bolton!

Today, Celena was presented with an Above and Beyond Award by Michelle Latailakepa, Chief Executive Officer.

Celena was nominated for her teamwork, performance excellence, infectious positive attitude, commitment, flexibility and leadership.

Earlier this year, Celena stepped up into the position of Service Manager and has ensured high quality service continuity for not only her team of Team Leaders and Lifestyle Support Workers but also for families and participants ever since. She constantly asks questions, visits our SIL arrangements on a weekly basis, is a master problem solver and takes ownership in everything she does. She is a strong advocate for quality services and ensures all of her team instils the same values.

This has been recognised as extending Rural Lifestyle Options Australia’s mission of “Supporting a life of choice”.

Please join us in congratulating Celena!

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To learn more about how we recognise the amazing achievements and milestones of our team, please visit www.rloa.org.au/careers

#EmployerOfChoice #RewardAndRecognition #Congratulations

10 Minutes With Sheryl Colton

This month we sat down with Sheryl Colton, who recently celebrated her 17.5 Years of Service with the organisation! Sheryl provided a glimpse into her life and her role at Rural Lifestyle Options Australia as a Lifestyle Support Worker.

What are you responsible for? As a Lifestyle Support Worker, I am responsible for following RLOA’s mission of ‘Supporting a life of choice’. I am responsible for keeping up to date with relevant training, with the intent to gain the knowledge to be able to support the participants better; advocate for the participants; and support the participants to achieve their goals and what they would like to do. My favourite aspect of this role is seeing the participants exercise ‘choice’ and ‘control’. I love showing the participants options, which may be as simple as picking out what to wear for the day or what they would like for breakfast and letting them decide. I love it. What do you consider to be your strengths? Advocacy. With the knowledge I have gained over the past 40 years in this industry, I have the confidence to advocate for our participants with higher powers. When you advocate, my rule is if you don’t win, at least you’ve tried. I love doing it. For the participants. What is an unknown fact about you? An unknown fact about me is that I really like watching movies. I like comedy movies, they are my favourite. What drives you nuts? Nothing really. Well, sometimes my partner, Garry. What are your interests? My interests are watching movies and spending time with my friends. I also like going shopping, but I have been a bit reluctant to go shopping since COVID-19 hit.

What is your favourite food?

My favourite cuisine is Chinese food. My favourite dish is curried prawns.

What was the last song you listened to?

‘Take it to the limit’ by The Eagles.

What was the last TV show you binge watched?

Inspector Morse. I was watching it just last night.

What is your favourite work tip?  When it comes to work, make sure you enjoy what you do, enjoy the learning, enjoy everything. How do you like to receive feedback?  By email. However really.

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#10MinutesWith