First Nations Telegraph

If you are kind, patient and want a rewarding, person-centred job, the care and support sector has lots of opportunities for people just like you.

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According to disability support worker Lisa, these are the most important qualities needed to be a support worker for people with disability.

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For the past six years she has been supporting Greg to achieve his personal goals and lead the life he wants.

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Greg, who has cerebral palsy, is a talented artist; his work is featured in the Koorie National Trust and in a number of exhibitions. He has a studio space conveniently located a couple of doors down from his home.

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Greg is also part of a Melbourne theatre group, plays balloon football, enjoys getting out and about, COVID permitting, and loves to introduce his support workers to his Aboriginal culture.

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‘Supporting Greg in all his activities brings me joy and satisfaction, and I feel good because I know I am helping him,’ Lisa said.

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‘Each time I see him, it’s more like catching up with a friend than doing a job.’

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Both Greg and Lisa agree that it’s vital to take the time to build the relationship and rapport between the worker and the person they support.

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‘When I first started in this role I had to really listen to Greg and tune in to who he is, what is important to him and what he hoped to achieve with my support,’ Lisa said.

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‘Every person you support is different and taking the time to get to know them makes all the difference between being able to adopt a genuine person-centred approach to the role or simply being task focussed.’

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It’s important to Greg that his support workers take an interest in the same things as him and that they want to learn about Aboriginal culture.

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‘I think it’s important to get to know each other and that your support worker enjoys what they do otherwise the relationship won’t be good,’ Greg said.

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‘Lisa is a good support worker because she has the right nature and loves the job. She is kind, helpful and very patient, and she understands me and what I need to help reach my goals.’

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Apart from helping Greg with day-to-day personal care and his creative pursuits, Lisa supports him to visit family in Echuca and Geelong.

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‘Without Lisa and my other support workers I would feel isolated and helpless,’ Greg said.

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‘But with their support I feel calm, relaxed, understood and good inside.’

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‘I think it would be great to have more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as support workers because our culture encourages us to care for family, community and other people.’

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Greg and Lisa agree that the best relationships come from matching the right support worker with each person, and where there is a commitment to the relationship over the long-term to build the necessary trust and understanding so that the experience is mutually rewarding and fulfilling.