Meet the staff

Q+A with Tigist Habtou, Assistant in Nursing at Georges Estate Health & Aged Care Community, NSW

Better known as TG, Tigist Habtou has been part of the Hall & Prior Group’s family since 2016 and now works at Georges Estate, and loves her role at this state-of-the-art home in Penshurst.

L&L: Can you tell us what made you want to become a care worker?

TG: When I thought about what I liked doing, I knew that I enjoyed helping people. I also enjoyed offering support to people that are in need of care and assistance, so this is a job that helps me to feel that I can make a real difference to their lives on a daily basis.

L&L: How long have you worked in aged care and when did you join Hall & Prior?

TG: I joined Hall & Prior in 2016 at the Menaville Aged Care Home in Rockdale. I started as an Assistant in Nursing and the staff at Menaville were amazing and very professional in what they do - they trained me well! I was happily working at Menaville for five years as an AIN before moving to another Hall & Prior home - Georges Estate - in September 2021. I am so happy to work here as it is a beautiful home for the residents.

L&L: Tell us what an average day might look like for you.

TG: I wake up in the morning and thank God for giving me another day to live and then I give thanks for my beautiful family and friends. Then it’s off to work, where I simply enjoy completing my tasks while chatting with my residents. As an Assistant in Nursing (AIN), I have a very varied role. I spend all day with the residents making sure they are comfortable, clean and happy.

L&L: Tell us about one part of your job that makes you feel really rewarded and connected to those you care for.

TG: Definitely the happy and positive greetings I get from my residents when I am on the floor. This is very rewarding for me, to see them happy with smiling faces makes me feel good and motivated!

ALWAYS SMILING

TG loves her role at Georges Estate, offering quality, compassionate care.

L&L: What is the best piece of advice you ever got about caring for others and from who?

TG: I get so much advice from our residents. My favourite is when they say ‘you are an angel’. One resident wrote to me to tell me ‘you always go above and beyond, are kind, caring and uplifting’ - beautiful words like this are better than any advice. It does also feel really great when the managers say ‘we are proud of you’!

L&L: What is the best thing about working at your aged care home?

TG: The goal of Georges Estate is to provide quality care; it is a five-star facility. It’s a big home with a beautiful heated swimming pool, cinema and lots of garden spaces which is for all of our residents to enjoy. I just love that we are able to offer all these wonderful things to the people who live here. A home this size also has lots of job opportunities to explore and work towards improving ourselves. Recently, I received the opportunity to work as a Lifestyle Officer, which I really enjoyed and valued the experience as it helps me understand another part of how an aged care home works with the different roles.

L&L: What have you learned about yourself and those you care for while you’ve worked for Hall & Prior?

TG: I have gained lots of confidence and have expanded my knowledge in how to provide a great care service. I was very lucky to have such special training in the beginning of my carer’s career which helped set me up for success. I learned never to give up; there is always a way to make people happy and comfortable. Now that I am experienced in my role, I enjoy training new staff that come in as AIN. I always go above and beyond to train our new recruits so they can deliver quality care.

L&L: How would others describe you?

TG I think they would say I always love and respect the residents. One of the registered nurses says that I am very dependable, reliable, caring, sincere and highly skilled (thanks, Grace!). My team also say I am a hard worker, and very friendly.

L&L: What qualities are required to make a great worker in your opinion?

TG: I think you have to love what you do, especially if you work in the care industry. This really shows in your everyday work, when you love something. I believe coming to work with a positive attitude is key to keeping things flowing in the workplace. Being organised, reliable and helping each other to work as a team is also very important.

FAST FACTS

If I wasn't a care worker I would -

work in the disability sector.

What is your favourite movie? The Story of Jesus.

What’s your favourite song?

Amazing Grace

When I’m not at work you’ll often

find me - heading off to church or spending time with my two daughters, son and husband. I also love to visit friends or do some cooking or baking!