Above: See it and share it on youtube - A new short film about young people working in aged and community care

By Keryn Curtis

Aged and Community Services SA & NT has launched a new short film aimed at encouraging young people to consider a career in the aged and community care sector.

Entitled, Can’t do it without you – Careers in aged and community care, the short seven minute film explores the working lives and personal experiences of seven young people working in a diverse range of roles across the sector.  

The subjects include a staff education officer, a physiotherapist, a community support officer, a recruitment assistant, a personal care worker, a groundsman/gardener, a support leader and a guide dog mobility instructor.

The film has no narrator or overbearing message. Rather, it allows each subject to speak frankly about their background, their roles and what they enjoy about the jobs they do. One-on-one interviews with each of the young workers are interspersed with footage of them in their respective workplaces, doing their jobs. 

Above: Carol Mohan, HACC Service Support & Development Officer

The film project has been lead by Aged and Community Services SA & NT’s Carol Mohan.  As Home and Community Care (HACC) Service Support & Development Officer, a major part of Carol’s role is building and supporting the aged care workforce.

As a member of ACS SA & NT’s workforce committee, Mohan says they had been looking at a number challenges for the workforce in the sector.

“We’ve been looking at the challenge of recruiting and keeping mature workers; but at the same time, we’re also aware that we are not getting enough young people into the sector.” 

“When I go out to career expos, I have to say ours is not the stall they come to first. And often they give it a bit of a wide berth. [The committee] talked about a whole range of reasons for that and thought it might help to do a DVD where we talk to young people who actually do work in aged care and let them talk about they do,” says Mohan.

A brief was developed and a tender sought for the film’s production.  The ACS team selected TAV productions, a well established Adelaide based film and television production company.

“They were not only the most experienced and the most interested and keen to promote the issue, they were also the least expensive!

“They went out with us and met with all these young people and more or less put them in front of the cameras and asked them questions and let them talk. And they were so enthusiastic and genuine! Many really loved the work. Many said they were surprised to find that this sort of work existed.

“We wanted to dispel the myth that this work was all about old people but I guess I was personally astonished.  Because you can kind of take some things for granted as an older worker and I think a lot of older workers do.  But gee, these young people are a real asset – they just offer such a fabulous new dimension and enthusiasm.

“What I didn’t realise was that there were all these young people working in aged care who are contributing enormously, not just to the lives of those they care for but for those they work with as well  - because of their enjoyment of the job. They just bring joy to their workplaces, which is infectious.

“They’re not at all cynical.  They love what they do and I think these young people really expressed that in an enthusiastic way in the film,” she said.

“I think more people need to know about this, including people already working in the industry, because sometimes people forget.  If you are looking for a job where you can make a difference to people’s lives, we have plenty.”

The film can be viewed on youtube or downloaded from the ACS SA & NT website, while DVDs and education packages will be distributed to school counsellors, job networks, RTOs, career websites and anyone wanting to use the film for educational purposes.  ACS SA & NT is hoping individual aged and community care providers will link to the film on youtube through their own websites and help promote it via social networks and other channels.

The project was sponsored by City of Unley, ECH and Lifecare.  

For further information, contact Carol Mohan – HACC Service Support & Development Officer, ACS SA & NT on 08 8338 7111 or email: hacc@agedcommunity.asn.au