Sep-Oct 2016 Issue | Business View Oceania

208 Business View Oceania - September/October 2016 gethers. Both types have proven popu- lar with the residents as most of them want to stay active and be involved in daily activities. To that end, an activi- ties coordinator is also on-site to sup- port and aid in their activities. Overall, the residents always have ac- cess to the things they require. On the medical side of things, a doctor visits Fitzroy at least once every Thursday and looks after most of the residents. Moreover, a physical therapist comes in on a weekly basis while a podiatrist visits one per month. However, if a res- ident requires a different medical ser- vice, Vanessa and her husband will gladly arrange for a doctor to visit on- site. Of course, the rest home also em- ploys nurses who are always there to assist in the day-to-day medial needs of the residents. In fact, Vanessa her- self had been nursing for 25 years, mostly in aged care, before moving on to Fitzroy of Merivale. An approach tailored to residents Importantly, Vanessa maintains an open-door policy which means that whenever a resident has an issue or a complaint, they are always free to come and talk with her or her husband. “We’ve managed to gain the trust of the residents. It was quite an ordeal for them knowing that new owners were coming and they didn’t know us. They were afraid of changes and what was