Staff Spotlight: Maybanke Aged Care Centre's Lifestyle Coordinator, Yogi
Maybanke Aged Care Centre (“Maybanke”), a beautiful heritage-listed residential aged care centre in Sydney’s inner west suburb of Dulwich Hill, recently celebrated its 28th Anniversary. Over the last 28 years, residents have called the Centre home and there have been countless joyous times and memories made. The Centre’s Lifestyle Coordinator, Yogi Vai, is one of the long-serving staff, who has been at the Centre for over 25 years, since she commenced in 1997 at first as a casual employee. Yogi was originally an Assistant in Nursing, before progressing to the role of Lifestyle Coordinator for the Centre.
As the Lifestyle Coordinator, Yogi experiences great satisfaction in providing activities and weekly happenings that contribute to the lives of residents. In Yogi’s own words: “A Lifestyle Coordinator is the person who helps bring all the residents together for group activities. The activities we have are individually tailored and have been tried and tested amongst the residents. We have seen some vast improvements in some residents who have been reluctant to participate in some activities, thus having them, come out of their shells.”
Yogi notes her role largely “involves planning, organising and executing meaningful activities that our residents enjoy and to also enhance their quality of life.” Her role also saw changes in regard to COVID-19, largely in how she sought to ensure residents still felt connected to friends and family outside the Centre. “I support the residents by being available at all times and to help them day-to-day. I also have a lot of interaction with the families and often set up visits and also time for them to video chat.”
Yogi states she loves the that her job is varied, reiterating, “no two days are the same and the daily variety of activities that take place all stem for my passion for working with the aged. The resources I have available to me fulfil my role also help and I am very grateful that The Salvation Army have allowed me to grow and shine in something that I love.”
Her Lifestyle activities are also inspired not only by her own passion, but also influenced by the voices and opinions of the Centre’s valued residents themselves. “I pre-plan a month in advance and then see what was successful over the last few months. Also, from during our monthly residents’ meetings, we discuss what activities they enjoy and would like to see and have a suggestion box on what new activities they’d like to see in the monthly programs.”
The most recent Lifestyle activities which have proven to be a hit were the introduction of the ‘Maybanke Olympic Games. ’“From our Games’ Opening Ceremony, until the final medal ceremony, the residents all enjoyed the friendly competitiveness.. From balloon volleyball, darts and quoits, our residents all have a sport in which they excel and enjoy playing.”
It is evident that the residents not only experience much reward from the Lifestyle Coordinator, but Yogi herself finds her role incredibly rewarding an inspiring. “My inspiration for doing my job well is seeing that the residents are happy and are enjoying the activities that I have put together. There is no better feeling than seeing our residents smile and enjoying themselves,” she says.
