Michelle Day, the new manager of Enliven’s Levin Home for War Veterans and Reevedon Home and Retirement Village, always knew her calling lay in aged care.
“When I left school I was a caregiver in a home in Rotorua,” she says. “I always knew that’s where my path lay. I loved the interaction with people and the care we were able to provide.”
Michelle chose to take the nursing path and has previously held roles at Hutt Hospital, been a practice nurse manager in Waikanae and worked in a home in Whitianga as its clinical nurse manager.
“I had taken a five-year break from this kind of work but I returned to it because I really missed it,” she says.
“We’re given the opportunity to look after the residents, and it’s a real pleasure for us to be part of their lives and let us into their home.
“The residents don’t live in our workplace – we’re in their home. I repeat that to my staff every day and it really resonates with them.”
Michelle began working for Enliven in August last year as a roaming clinical nurse manager – mainly working at the Levin homes.
This August she took the opportunity to step into the management role of the two homes. She has also appointed Margaret Thomason as the homes’ new clinical nurse manager.
With the new senior team members on board, Michelle says they have been working with the rest of the team on shared values and creating a positive working environment.
“It’s been a really great journey with the staff and we’re telling them that it’s theirs – these are the values they’ve worked together on.”
In Levin, Enliven offers a full range of positive ageing services, from independent retirement living, to rest home, hospital and dementia care, short-term respite, recovery care and an engaging day programme. If there comes a time village residents need extra support, they will have priority entry to our Levin War Veterans Home when there is availability. To learn more about Enliven’s philosophy and services, call 06 368 7900 (Reevedon Home) or 06 366 0052 (Levin Home).
