Residential Aged Care Worker
What the work is
Provides general assistance, emotional support and direct person-centred care for older people residing in an aged care home.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Supports residents with daily activities, such as mobility and personal care
- Monitors medication administration to ensure it is used correctly and effectively
- Negotiates with individuals and families regarding the acceptance of care provided
- Provides community engagement and social support to residents
- Supports a multidisciplinary team to adhere to health plans as directed by health care professionals
- Provides emotional support and assists residents in managing depression, confusion and grief
- Complies with standards within an aged care facility
- May perform specialised personal care, such as palliative care and dementia support
- May facilitate basic medical procedures, such as catheterisation and peg feeding
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a memory support wing of a residential aged care home, on an afternoon shift. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A resident who has been low all week has a good afternoon and tells you a story
- A family sits with their mum at dinner and the whole table laughs
- A new colleague asks you to show them how you settle someone who is anxious
Hard days
- A resident you have cared for over years passes away and the room feels empty
- A tough afternoon when several residents need you at once and you cannot be in two places
- Gentle days of repeated questions, while your own energy runs down
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 421331, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.