Nothing beats community nursing

For Helen, aged care works

ACH Group Clinical Nurse Consultant Helen Banh’s love for community nursing is a mix of the practical and the cliché.

Helen leads a team of 11 nurses across Adelaide who provide general nursing support for older people in their homes.

The support includes wound care, cognitive testing, medication support, holistic cognitive assessments, monitoring of vital signs, weight and appetite, and any other general nursing requirements.

She said the cliché part of her love for the job is borne from a lifelong desire to help people.

“I think just about every nurse, no matter the setting, would say that you only get into this profession because you want to help people,” she said.

“The great thing about community nursing is that it focuses on improving and maintaining health in the long-term rather than focusing on a short-term fix after something has gone wrong.

“There is a huge amount of satisfaction to be given the trust to go into someone’s home and support them to live the life they want to live.”

The practical element is more tongue-in-cheek: “you don’t have to do night shifts,” she laughed.

“Having done the monthly 9pm to 7.30am shifts and the rotating rosters, I am glad that is a thing of my past.

“Community nursing is so flexible.

“We have quite a few nurses with families who do six-hour shifts so they can do the school drop-off and pick-up.”

Helen said the most rewarding part of being a primary care nurse is seeing the impact the work has on people.

“There is nothing quite like the feeling that you get when you know the care and support you have provided has made a positive difference in someone’s life,” she said.

“Some of our customers we work with three times a week for a year, so we have the privilege of really getting to know people and building meaningful trust and connection.

“When you have those wins and you are able to put everything in place so that someone can continue to live in their own home safely – it really is a special feeling.”

Helen has worked for ACH Group since 2021 and has previously worked as a Renal Nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and a Registered Nurse at a general practice.