WITH the growth of the Aged Care Program at Wyndham House Clinic (WHC), we spoke with their new team member, Magentha Powell, about their work and what’s changing in aged care this year.
Q. Tell us about yourself, Magentha?
I am a Shepp local, partnered with four kids. I have just started at WHC after 16 years in retail. I’m really enjoying my new position with the Aged Care Program. In my day-to-day life, I love to challenge myself to achieve my highest potential, putting my organisational and communication skills to work. I love that I get to share my ideas being in the growth stage of this project.
Q. What is your role in the team?
I’m the Administration Support Officer for WHC’s Aged Care Program. I support our team by managing correspondence between Residential Aged Care Homes and doctors, handling billing, scheduling visits, setting up new patients, and liaising with families. I also coordinate program data for quarterly reporting.
Q. What’s new with the Wyndham House Aged Care Program?
As you can tell we are growing and as such, we have also recruited a new RN to the service, Bec Olle. Bec is going to commence her Nurse Practitioner training, this will be a great resource to our clinic, for both GPs and patients. Not only are our staff numbers increasing, but the number of people we care for is now over 230 patients in Residential Aged Care as well as our continued support of our older patients in the clinic.
The program has caught some national attention with an invitation to present at the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses conference in Brisbane in July to showcase the success of the project.
Q. And I believe there are changes afoot in Aged Care in Australia generally, what’s going on there?
A new Aged Care Act 2024 and Support at Home program that was due to start on 1 July it has been briefly deferred to 1 November 2025
The Support at Home program will replace the existing Home Care Packages Program and Short-Term Restorative Care Programme, aimed at helping older people live independently at home longer.
The new Aged Care Act will focus on the rights of older Australians and set the framework for how the aged care system operates. It aims to improve care for older people at home, in the community, and in residential facilities, and to promote high-quality care from providers.
As always, we will assist our patients in any way we can as we adjust to these changes, so if you need any help, feel free to contact out team at Wyndham House Clinic.
