IN AN era where growth and profit are often celebrated above all else, managing director and founder of Country to Coast Home Care Services, Lucy Lincoln, is inviting the Surf Coast community to reflect on a different measure of success.<\/p>\n
Working in an industry where women make up the majority of the workforce, Lucy has long been a passionate advocate for both quality community care and meaningful employment pathways for women.<\/p>\n
But more recently, Lucy has also been reflecting more deeply on the idea of ’empire building’ in aged care \u2013 and how sharply it contrasts with the concept of quality, community-based care.<\/p>\n
For Lucy, the answer is clear.<\/p>\n
“Quality community care is built on connection, accountability and genuine human relationships,” Lucy said. “It’s about staff who are invested not just in their roles, but in the people they support.”<\/p>\n
The aged care sector is increasingly shaped by consolidation and corporate acquisition, but Lucy believes the conversation can be broadened.<\/p>\n
Success in aged care, she said, doesn’t have to be measured purely by revenue, growth or market dominance, but by the strength of human relationships.<\/p>\n
“This approach represents a sustainable and mutually beneficial path forward for our community because when care is grounded in trust, respect, and community connection \u2013 everyone benefits,” Lucy said.<\/p>\n
As a female founder and regional employer, Lucy also understands the layered responsibilities many women carry \u2013 both in the workplace and at home.<\/p>\n
In an industry historically undervalued despite its profound social impact, she is committed to building a workplace culture that reflects the significant worth of care work.<\/p>\n
“Businesses can support women by offering equal or above award wages, mentorship and fostering an inclusive, respectful workplace culture every day,” she said. “We need to question what we truly value and make meaningful choices that support people.”<\/p>\n
At its heart, Lucy’s leadership is about resisting the pressure to grow for growth’s sake. Instead, she is focused on strengthening local networks, investing in staff and ensuring older residents on the Surf Coast receive care from people who genuinely know them.<\/p>\n
Country to Coast Home Care was a multi-category finalist two years in a row at the Geelong Business Excellence Awards, has been nominated in the 2026 HESTA Awards and was the recipient of the national ACCPA Excellence Award for ‘Consumer Focus and Care’ in 2024.<\/p>\n
The Ottawa Charter says health is created and lived by people within the settings of their everyday life; where they learn, work, play and love.<\/p>\n
“As a society, we need to ask ourselves an important question,” Lucy said. “When the time comes, when we are most vulnerable, do we want to be looked after by a distant corporation, or by someone in our own community?”<\/p>\n
For Country to Coast Home Care Services, the answer lies in delivering a home care service that is unwavering in its quality, and building trust \u2013 one home, one family and one relationship at a time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
IN AN era where growth and profit are often celebrated above all else, managing director and founder of Country to Coast Home Care Services, Lucy Lincoln, is inviting the Surf Coast community to reflect on a different measure of success. Working in an industry where women make up the majority of the workforce, Lucy has […]<\/p>\n