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.