Have you ever wondered what a disability care coordinator does at Afea? In this article, we discuss what this role is and how you can jumpstart a career in care coordination. We also share some insights from our Care Manager, Jesse!
What is a disability care coordinator?
Disability care coordinators are integral to supporting our clients and helping them meet their goals. At Afea, a care coordinator helps clients get the care and supports they need from Afea carers. They work with the clients to make sure they’ve got all the support they need when they need it.
Jesse spent three years as a Care Coordinator at Afea, and recently has been promoted to Care Manager. He shared that being a Care Coordinator is all about matching clients with the right support workers and helping organise their in-home and community services.
“We organise the services, such as personal care, shopping, meal preparation, transport and community access,” he explained. “My job then as Care Coordinator was to ensure that our clients always had a support worker when they needed one, and to ensure that those support workers were qualified to provide the support our clients need.”
In our previous interview with Jesse, he discussed how to find the right carers for a client with mobility challenges: “They need to have completed hoist training so they can move [the client] out of his bed or chair and transfer him into other rooms. They need experience with manual handling and using a pelican belt.”
Jesse added that he would also approach Afea’s Registered Nurses to train carers on certain specific complex care needs.
What makes a good care coordinator?
A good care coordinator is excellent at relationship building, both with their clients and the carers or support workers. Care coordinators work closely with carers and make sure they follow up on clients’ requests.
For Jesse, he likes to take the time to really understand his clients so he can best choose the support workers who will suit their needs.
“As a coordinator, I spend time with them and I visit them when I can. I build a rapport with them and hear about their goals and the challenges they face. From there we can talk about the kind of support they need in their daily life.”
What qualifications do you need for this role?
Although it’s not compulsory to have formal qualifications, it’s one way to develop the skills needed to work in the aged care or disability sector.
If you are interested in working in the industry, there are many courses you can look into, including certificates in Community Services or Individual Support (Disability). Jesse himself has a certificate in Individual Support.
At Afea, we’re on the lookout for compassionate people to join our growing team. If you are interested in joining one of Australian Financial Review’s (AFR) Best Places to Work in 2021, take a look at the opportunities we have available for you!
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