Julie McDonald, Envigor’s community business partner for Bundaberg, combines years of experience in community services to offer Envigor clients a ‘can do’ approach to their care needs.
After working in community services for a number of years, Julie saw that bringing her skills to Envigor would help her make a real difference to people in her community.
“I have worked in community services for some time and jumped at the opportunity to use the skills and experience I have acquired to provide an honest, transparent and efficient service to some of the most vulnerable people in the community,” says Julie.
“Prior to joining Envigor, I realised I wanted the opportunity to truly make a difference in the lives of others. For me, it is about being part of a team that has a philosophy and values closely aligned with my own which allows me to support people to be the best they can be.”
Julie says that working for Envigor allows her to provide elders with dignity, respect, and choice around how they’d like to live.
“I believe that our elders deserve to be treated with respect and should be able to make the choices about their lives that they have been making quite well on their own for a long time.
“Being old should not be a barrier to knowing what is right for a person. Older people are entitled to dignity and to make their own choices without being judged.”
It’s just this approach to care that keeps Julie loving what she does and delivering services that help her clients live life their way.
“A few years ago, I was introduced to a man (let’s call him Bill). I was Bill’s care coordinator and I spent a fair bit of time working with Bill and his family to find out what services he wanted and what would really make a difference to his life,” says Julie.
“What Bill wanted and what Bill needed were quite different but there was one thing everyone agreed on, especially Bill. He wanted to be able to do what he did when he was younger which was to cruise around Crows Nest, where he lived, in the sidecar of a motorbike.
“So, this is exactly what we did which was no mean feat, especially considering Bill was 89 years old and had quite limited mobility. But we persevered, and Bill got his ride! The look on his face was one that I will never forget. It was like all the years had melted away and he was once again the twenty-something man about town. These are the kind of outcomes that make you get up in the morning.”