Alyssa Jenkins loves her job at NewDirection Care, Bellmere, where she works as a qualified physiotherapist. She also manages the Allied Health services from the Wellness Centre onsite.

Working at one of Australia’s most innovative and successful aged and dementia care facilities is a role Alyssa has come to cherish.

“I’ve loved it from the moment I walked in,” says Alyssa, who has worked at NDC for the past 4 years. “Even on challenging days, I find it rewarding because of the freedom that we have here to be able to create better outcomes for our residents. We are not tied into a single way of working. We aren’t constrained and are very ‘outside the box’ in the way we operate services. Our focus is to provide an experience for our residents through a holistic approach to care.”

“Our objective is to help people find meaning in their day because if people have meaning and purpose then they are engaged. Our role is really to help residents live the best quality life they can, for as long as they can. It is a very rewarding experience to be a part of.

”Alyssa says that those who live with dementia often face difficult challenges from day to day. That is when relationships can be extremely important in providing continuity for people.

“Our role as the Wellness Team (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and other allied health workers) is to keep people doing what they love to do for as long as possible. Even when that might no longer be possible, we adapt and change our approach to accommodate the individual.”

“Part of the philosophy is that if people are engaged with what is happening around them then movement and exercise will follow as a natural progression. Fostering good relationships is an important aspect of what we do.”

“Yes, we are responsible for physiotherapy, movement, and rehabilitation but also responsible for keeping residents engaged with what is happening around them. Meaningful relationships between the residents and staff, and residents and other residents is at the core of our operations.”

“We spend a lot of time with our residents, and we always have an eye out for people who have common interests. If we think that they might strike up a friendship or share another part of their lives, then we try to bring them together to facilitate that. It’s a lovely aspect of the work here, to create, develop and continue meaningful relationships.”