Local resident, Genie McMullen, has been appointed as the new Facility Manager of the Lilliane Brady Village (LBV) retirement home.
Genie began nursing more than 30 years ago and for the past 18 years has lived and worked in Cobar.
She began working at the LBV as a consultant in October last year to look at implementing some solutions for accreditation gaps identified by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
“It wasn’t on my agenda last September, October,” Genie told The Cobar Weekly.
However when the LBV’s critical care manager and facility manager both resigned around the same time in December, she was asked to step in as the acting clinical care manager, pending recruitment to both roles.
Genie said it was the acting facility manager, Janice Stokes, who encouraged her to apply for the position of facility manager.
“The role is huge. It’s very, very broad and it’s very, very deep, so it definitely needs to have a focus on the finances and the oversight of a lot of the financial side of running the aged care facility,” Genie said.
“Facility management wasn’t something that I thought I would be interested in, but my experience here at the Village has been that you can have a really big impact on a person’s life in a very significant and very real way, by being a facility manager.
“It’s improving literally the facilities that the person lives in, improving access to healthcare, access to services and systems that improve quality of life.
“So while you’re not at the bedside, you’re still in the realm of impacting somebody’s quality of life.
“And for me to be able to do that for Cobar locals is a huge thing.
“Cobar has been my home for 18 years.
“My children have grown up here, this is their home, and it’s a huge honor to be able to give back to the community in a very significant way.”
Genie said having a “local” in the role was an advantage.
“I know most of these residents here and certainly know their families as well.”
When asked if she planned on making any changes, Genie said in terms of a future direction for the Lilliane Brady Village, she would like to open up the facility more and strengthen their links with the community.
“I feel like there is a feeling amongst community members, and even some residents and some visitors who’ve come to the facility, that when their person comes here to live, that that’s it, the door is closed.
“You’re at the Village now and there’s no going back.
“That’s not the case and I’d like to open the doors to make sure that people have freedom of movement in and out of the facility,” Genie said.
She also plans to utilize the outdoor spaces more and would like to introduce more of a “party vibe” into the retirement home.
“For these people, this is where they live.
“I want to bring a bit of life to the place.”
Genie said the role comes with a number of challenges including compliance with the new Aged Care Standards which will come into effect from July along with recruiting and retaining staff.
“We’re very fortunate though at the moment, we’ve got a fantastic staff group, so that really makes life that little bit easier.”
