But if you look just a little closer at the Glanville Village leisure and lifestyle co-ordinator you can also see just a little brittleness creeping in around the edges.
While it is not an issue in her place of employment, or any of the aged care complexes across the twin towns, her, and their, industry is under siege.
Out of control COVID-19 infections have cut a swathe across metropolitan Melbourne aged care centres and the second wave crisis sparked by the hotel quarantine scandal is seeping into regional Victoria.
Only a few weeks ago Echuca-Moama could look south and count its blessings there was no problem here.
Now our aged care facilities are in a self-imposed lockdown to minimise every possible risk for their residents, among our community’s most vulnerable.
“It is now a constant worry for all the staff; for making sure we do everything right to keep our residents — and ourselves — protected,” Brooke said.
“Even the lockdown changes the atmosphere because it has basically slashed the numbers of people able to come and visit and it blocks all children from coming — and not having access to grand- and great grandchildren is very disappointing for many of our people.
“We are all doing everything we can to keep up resident and staff morale — they go hand in hand and nothing is more upsetting than seeing our residents unhappy.
“Thank heavens for technology, it lets us help residents communicate in so many ways beyond talking through a window. It has included Skype and Zoom, phone calls, sending video messages and even writing letters with photos.”
A big part of the lifestyle team’s role is outings with residents, as well as bringing in entertainment and even animals, but that has all stopped. Brooke said an example was the historic car club, which visited with seven vehicles that were loaded up with residents who spent an hour being driven around the town and surrounding areas.
Brooke said staff were doing more indoor activities to help stimulate the minds and improve the physical wellbeing of residents.
At the end of 2019 the Victorian Health Care Association ran competitions across the industry. Brooke’s entry won $500, which her team has been using for a series of high teas with residents and staff.
“Keeping the staff upbeat is just as crucial, and it is a way residents have enjoyed being able to share with the people who work with them every day,” Brooke said.
“As we are now running without our amazing team of volunteers and very few visitors, while casual staff are being ordered to work at one site only, it is increasing the pressure on the full-time team.
“So we are working together to keep everyone’s wellbeing on the agenda — we even have a daily ‘huddle in the hub’ as an opportunity for all staff to review what we are doing, keep updated with any changes from ERH, the Health Department and the government, and they are proving very successful.
“It is also amazing the things you learn — when the hairdresser wasn’t able to come, two of the staff put their hands up because they had been hairdressers earlier in their careers.
“That’s the kind of team support and enthusiasm that makes it easier for everyone.”
After a long career in disability services, Brooke said she had found the change to aged care a revelation.
“It has been so much more than I expected, it has been fabulous, and the people here, the residents, are amazing. If you take the time they have fantastic stories to tell and they are great fun to be around,” she said.
“That’s why everyone has willingly picked up the extra load right now to keep it all going as well as we can.”
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