Local nurse Chris Dawson found himself tired of working in a sterile hospital setting and, following several years working in the in-home care sector, founded his own in-home nursing Practice, Yarra Nursing.
The team currently service clients in the Yarra Valley, but also neighboring towns, including Yea, Alexandra, Seville, Warburton and the eastern suburbs.
Yarra Nursing mostly assists NDIS, Aged Care and private clients with daily living activities such as gardening and ironing, house-keeping, companionship, meal preparation, as well as general nursing, including health assessments; wound management; post-surgical, catheter and stomal care.
One of Chris’ first clients, David, is the son of a former Anglican Vicar from St Johns but left town when he was just 12. Upon retirement, he and his wife Val moved back to Healesville to be closer to the hills and the bush that he loves. Although he enjoys being back in Healesville, David misses working and has found some elements of retirement challenging, such as the reduction in income and the general decline in
health. When it became apparent that he and Val weren’t coping with simple tasks, like changing a light bulb, he reached out for help and applied for an Aged Care Package with local provider Just HCP, who engaged Yarra Nursing.
David describes the service he receives from Yarra Nursing as “excellent” and likes having someone that is competent and that knows what they’re doing.
“It’s fantastic to have a trained and confident nurse, and secondly, someone who makes an effort to do things to make it all work,” he said.
Elaine also supports David, she takes him to visit Val who recently moved into permanent care. David describes Elaine as ‘a great gift who can turn her hand to most things.’
Elaine has been with the business since its inception, and loves having a laugh and joke with David, while still managing to get what is needed done.
“It’s really rewarding work that makes me feel that I’m doing something worthwhile, supporting others and giving back to our community,” she said.
She finds the team she works with friendly, caring and flexible.
Chris also enjoys his time with David.
“He’s really easy going, has some great stories, and he’s a great gardener with an amazing range of hydrangeas, so I’m frequently asking him for advice. He has such a positive attitude and positive outlook on life,” he said.
David has some final words of wisdom to those unsure about whether they need assistance.
“Why struggle when there’s someone who’ll come and do it for you. I just recommend to people who need help, get it, and Yarra Nursing is a good place to go,” he said.
