The nature of care finder work is rewarding but often immensely challenging and intense for care finders' as they caringly navigate the aged care sector and other services alongside the vulnerable people they support. Country SA PHN heard from care finders on the impact this takes over the weeks and months they help a care finder client. Care finders assist with a diverse range of areas, including negotiating a lack of aged care service availability, navigating a stretched housing sector, facilitating the interface between health and aged care for the older person, and considering innovative options to reconnect isolated people to their community, and attending my aged care assessments.
To support the care finder workforce, Country SA PHN partnered with MindFitatWork to deliver an online training session offered to all care finders across country South Australia. Learnings focused on compassion fatigue and boundaries, resilient thinking, building mental muscle and optimism for resilience. Feedback from the care finders included:
"I can take away all the information and use it to improve how I work and in my life in general, it made me reflect on my own practise and behaviours and learning how to be more optimistic."
"A learning for the PHN from the feedback was while the day was appreciated, an all-day online training is a busy day!"
"It has been pleasing to see other PHN’s we relate to, including interstate, provide the same training to their care finder workforce."
To find out more about the care finder program in country SA, click here or contact Helen Morley, care finder lead, Country SA PHN via email hmorley@countrysaphn.com.au or call 08 8202 7710.
