MULGRAVE aged-care worker Annie Tragin does not believe the elderly should be waited on hand and foot.
Mrs Tragin has won a state award for her unique approach to aged care, believing the more meaningful tasks nursing home residents were given, the better off they were.
The State Awards for Excellence in Aged Care were announced recently, with Mrs Tragin now up for the national awards in September.
Mrs Tragin works at BlueCross Hansworth aged-care residence in Mulgrave, and has been in the sector for more than 30 years. At her nursing home, residents help tidy dishes, write birthday cards, and organise the library - all things that help keep them young, she said.
“(Previously in aged care) the expectation was when they come into aged care, we do everything for them, but residents have the ability (to do things) just in the same way as before,” Mrs Tragin said.
“It’s the day-to-day stuff and finding ways they can do it.
“The residents feel they are more useful.
“They can still maintain a worthwhile existence rather than being waited on.”
The awards are organised by Aged and Community Care Victoria to recognise the dedication of Victoria’s aged-care industry to the care of older people.
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