Jenny Hubbard goes above and beyond

RSL LifeCare at Home’s Jenny Hubbard might pull out some weeds and fill a birdbath on one of her visits to elderly residents in the Woolgoolga community.

Not to mention, occasionally bringing some lunch and having a cuppa with people whose social networks have diminished almost entirely.

For some of these people I am their only visitor,
Especially if they can’t drive – you become their lifeline.

Not standard community care duties but it is why her manager Sue Wills described Mrs Hubbard as a carer who goes “above and beyond”.

“For some of these people I am their only visitor,” Mrs Hubbard said. “Especially if they can’t drive – you become their lifeline.”

Carer’s Week is October 13-19 and people like Mrs Hubbard are being recognised for their tireless work in the community.

She does personal care such as showering and dressing. She also delivers medicine in Webster Packs.

“I like to let people do what they can themselves and not take away that independence,” she said.

We want people to stay in their homes for as long as possible.

She has worked as a community nurse for RSL LifeCare at Home in Coffs Harbour for five years. Prior to this she was a domestic cleaner.

Mrs Hubbard has been in the care industry since 2002.

She covers mostly Woolgoolga, in northern NSW, extending to Sandy Beach and north to Red Rock.

But sometimes things hit her hard.

“Recently a gentleman I’ve been working with for five years passed away,” she said. “We knew he was close (to dying) and when I visited he had just gone. I sat with him.”

Mrs Hubbard said she was a mess and completely broke down immediately after the loss. She was thankful for the offer of time-off and for counselling. “I think I get too close to the clients,” she said.

In the end, she did not require either. “I went to funeral and that was my closure,” she said.

She said being a carer was a rewarding vocation, helped if you are in the job for the right reasons.

“It gives me so much enjoyment to make them a cuppa and sit down and have a chat,” she said. “I might not understand everything they tell me but my ears are listening.

“We want people to stay in their homes for as long as possible.”

Story by Rod Bennett

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