Love for aged care residents, but providing care is hard grind

Aged care bosses say looking after elderly people is a trial due to staff shortages. And things won’t improve until pay rates do.

Ursula ­Samulski, 91, is more than aware how hard the staff in her aged-care home work.

An 11-year resident of the Brother Albert’s Home in Sydney’s west, Ms Samulski has watched the needs of her fellow residents become more ­intense.

“It’s such a hard job, with the residents in different states of health and needing special care. More need to be fed now, and bathed,” she said.

The difficulties of finding time to do the job properly and the low pay of workers were recognised by Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese in his budget reply speech on Thursday when he promised a Labor government would support the case n the Fair Work Commission for a pay rise for workers, and fund the decision, as well as bringing forward the time frame by which all nursing homes will be required to have a qualified nurse on duty at all times.

He also pledged to ensure aged care facilities would be required to provide 215 minutes of care per resident, including 44 minutes of nursing care.

Alexandra Davis, CEO of Holy Family Services, the owner of Brother Albert’s Home, said more staff and more hours of care were welcome.

“Our staff need to be better compensated for what they do, that’s forsure,” she said.

Ursula Samulski with nurse Sonia Ghising at Brother Albert's Home. Picture: John Feder

But Ms Davis warned there was a supply problem for nursing, and carers in general.

“The main reason most facilities don’t have enough nursing staff now is access to qualified nurses,” she said. “There’s an issue of quality staff across the board in aged care.

“So any commitment of government to increase care staff hours and care staff wages would be supported by us because it can only lead to better care.

“My HR department had seven people lined up to be interviewed last week, and only one has turned up, such is the supply shortage. And it’s worse in regional areas.”

Like many of the 146 residents in Brother Albert’s Home, Ms Samulski is of Polish descent, having arrived as a 19-year-old in 1949 after her parents left Europe in search of a better life.

A marriage, three children, 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren later, she says she is blessed both by family that stay in constant contact with her and carers “there for me day and night.”

“I had an accident a couple of months ago and they have been a great support to me,” she said.

The home’s acting manager of clinical care, registered nurse Sonia Ghising, says she loves working in the sector.

“It’s almost like a history lesson listening to the residents. They’ve given so much to Australia, whether they were born here or came here later,” she said.

Unfortunately Ms Ghising doesn’t have as many opportunities to just sit and be with the residents as she’d like.

“I’m like other carers. There’s too much paperwork and too many responsibilities, when listening is one of the most important things,” she said.

Wojtek Falecki, 85, says he now feels more Australian than Polish after arriving from Warsaw 40 years ago.

Mr Falecki worked in the catering office at Qantas for many years, but when living alone became too much he was glad to come to a place “where Polish is always in the air”.

“There’s always someone I can talk to, other residents or staff. I really like the community,” he said.