Staff Spotlight: Margaret Hayward, Gill Waminda, Lifestyle Coordinator

“For some of the residents, being in a nursing home is one of the hardest things that they’re going to do… if we can make them feel welcomed, loved and cared for, then they will feel like this is home and we’ve done our job,” says Margaret (“Marg”) Hayward, the Lifestyle Coordinator at Gill Waminda Aged Care Centre (“Gill Waminda”).  

Marg has been working at Gill Waminda for just over seventeen years as the Lifestyle Coordinator, but notes she originally started in the disability sector as a carer. It wasn’t however, until her former boss noted she had the “perfect” job for Marg, suggesting she become a Lifestyle Coordinator. Marg thoroughly enjoys this role and believes it suits her as a “bubbly person” as she enjoys the social aspect of her role.   

As the Lifestyle Coordinator, Marg seeks to implement programs that excite residents and connect them with each other and the staff socially. The activities Marg plans are often varied according to the unique needs of residents, as is reflected in the specialised memory support activities. One of their favourite pastimes is cooking, where Marg says, “the residents make their own morning and afternoon tea… they go from prep right through to the clean-up.” Whilst the cleaning up is often re-done by the kitchen team, this is a rewarding activity for the residents and most useful in helping them feel a great sense of achievement following their activity.  

Other ‘fan favourites’ at Gill Waminda include the ladies quilting and knitting groups and of course the foot spa pampering sessions. Subsequently, the men love gardening, with Marg noting the Centre is looking to “get some usable gardens… to give [the men] ownership” of the project. But the most beloved, longstanding activity has to be bingo. Marg states, “they love bingo,” jokingly noting that it always produces a “competitive attitude” amongst the residents. 

The social activities are a key priority of Marg’s especially as social connection is so important for older persons. In fact, many residents already have pre-existing connections in which Marg seeks to maintain remarking, “you’d be surprised how many people know each other. There will be some that will say to others in the corridor, ‘I haven’t seen you for over 40 years!”  

One common way social connection is maintained is through the barbeque breakfast the Lifestyle team prepares. This provides an opportunity for residents to connect with each other, as well as share their feedback for what they want from the Centre itself. Diligent as ever and arriving at 6 o’clock in the morning, Marg and her Lifestyle team prepare a barbeque for the residents and seek to cater to, “whatever requests they have” be it “pineapple fritters, hash browns, sausages, bacon and tomatoes.”  

It is clear that Marg always goes above and beyond for her residents, but she notes it is all done as a labour of love, as she is inspired by her residents daily. “They teach me so much. If I can become half of what some of these people are, I would just be so proud of myself,” with every day, residents providing her a lesson. “They teach me all the time. Not just who I want to be, but how I’d like to act. It’s their teachings, their stories, their methods of doing things… They offer so much of their mountain of wisdom to me.”