Following her passion

SHELL French knows the importance of following her passion.

At the age of 40 she embarked on a career in aged care and has finally found her ‘happy place’.

Shell is Uniting AgeWell’s Barwon Home Care Advisor and gets huge joy in helping older people on home care packages in Greater Geelong, Golden Plains and Surf Coast live their best lives at home.

“I love what I do,” said Shell. “I am passionate about working with older people, I love hearing their stories and sharing their lives. When I’m helping them, I’m in my happy place.”

It has also proved a good career move with her rise through Uniting AgeWell over the last six years has been rapid.

She studied a Certificate III in Aged Care and Disability and completed her placement at Uniting AgeWell Kalkee Community Nangatta before moving into community care.

Shell became a care organiser and after completing studies in case management, took up her current role.

“Uniting AgeWell certainly supports me to be the best version of myself,” Shell said.

And her happy place is not just at work but in Geelong where she has grown up and loves.

“It’s home,” Shell said. “And it’s special.”

And she thinks that Uniting AgeWell is pretty special too.

“The values of the organisation mirror my own. It’s difficult to explain this thread of kindness that runs through the organisation, but it’s there,” Shell said.

One of her many clients, Geelong couple Kathleen and Peter O’Connor, know Shell’s kindness only too well.

They opt to receive domestic help and assisted shopping on their home care package, and Shell is there to offer them advice and support every step of the way.

And it’s working, the couple are purposeful and happy.

Shell also loves the work/life balance that working in her local community for Uniting AgeWell offers – enjoying time with her husband, two grown-up children, two dogs, a cat and a pet jungle python.

Uniting AgeWell General Manager People and Culture, Gen Toop said with 78 per cent of the workforce identifying as female, Uniting AgeWell offers flexible work arrangements to enable staff to work around their family commitments.

There are a significant number of women in senior and leadership positions with a host of opportunities for further growth and education available.

And there are subsidies for further education, leadership programs and scholarships for professional development.

Uniting AgeWell is also a partner with WomenCAN, a vocational organisation that empowers women.

“Our commitment to our work force and our clients is in our blue print,” said Gen. “We’re proudly an inclusive organisation championing diversity in all its forms.

But we’re different in one sense. One of our prerequisites in hiring people is that they share our values of kindness, respect, integrity, innovation and inclusion.”

For career opportunities visit unitingagewell.org/careers or call 1300 783 435.