Therese answers the call. Pastoral Care at Loreto Home of Compassion

For Therese Swan, Pastoral Care work with an Aged Care provider is a natural fit.

Therese has been with The Forrest Centre since 2019, starting as a case worker with Forrest Community Services before moving into an Activities Coordinator role. In January of this year, she moved into Pastoral Care at Loreto Home of Compassion. It’s in Pastoral Care that Therese believes she has found her calling, and with her personal tendency toward kindness, empathy and faith, it’s a natural fit.

“It doesn't matter whether they're Catholic, Anglican, Buddhist, or Jehovah’s Witness, I visit every all residents living at Loreto. The main thing I offer is a listening ear. I let them chat about anything and everything.

“People will also ask me about prayers, holy communion, and whether they can speak to a priest. When someone is really sick or dying, family members will sometimes ask for a priest or minister to be called, so I will arrange this visit.”

The Forrest Centre is committed to supporting our residents in mind, body and soul, and Pastoral Care is a cornerstone of our service. As a uniquely ecumenical organisation, we offer religious support to those of Catholic and Anglican faith, as well as welcoming and supporting people of all faiths or no faith. At Loreto, Therese takes care of the Catholic side of things, and Dawn Clay Obst is an Anglican chaplain. According to Therese, it’s a recipe for success.

“This is the first nursing home I've actually been in that has two religions and it works very well. We have a Catholic mass on Tuesdays and some of the Anglican residents will join that, and some of the Catholic residents attend the Anglican service on Wednesdays, too. We have a chapel on site that is open to everyone. It’s somewhere residents can go with their families when they visit and many residents, both Catholic and Anglican, use it.”

Therese says Pastoral Care is not all about religion or faith.

“For some of our residents, faith is number one. When they first come to Loreto, we have care plans put in place that tell us exactly what they want in their faith – they may want to see the priest or go to church and receive the sacrament whenever possible. So, we try to fulfil their wishes.

“But there are some residents that don't want to talk about faith at all, so we visit them and give them as much time as possible. Often the older people are lonely, so just having someone to sit with them, holding their hand and just being there brings them comfort.”

It’s this type of attitude toward the elderly that Therese says is paramount when working in aged care.

“I believe everyone, especially the elderly deserve our respect. So, it's number one to give our residents respect and treat them with dignity. And I’ve always believed having a listening ear goes a long way.

“It brings me a lot of joy to see a smile on a resident’s face. And it doesn't matter how long it takes, I will be with them until they're happy and settled. I absolutely love my job, and I get much more than I give.”

“Something was calling me to do this. Pastoral Care is something I wanted to try very much, and I have always wanted to work with the elderly, the sick and the dying.

“Maybe because we grew up around elderly people. Back in Sri Lanka (where I was born), aged care homes are rare and most of the elderly live in their family homes. The community there shows special respect towards the elderly. As kids, my siblings and I were encouraged by our parents to show kindness to our elderly neighbours. From this experience, I think we just got used to showing care toward the elderly, irrespective of their race or religion.

Sadly, for the residents and staff of Loreto, Therese retired in September and will move to Canberra with her husband.

“I’ve loved my time with The Forrest Centre. It is a beautiful organisation. Everyone is very encouraging, friendly and helpful. I am sad to leave, but I really want to find a way to continue in this type of role when I retire. I’ve been called to do this.”