Power cleaner Louise

For Louise, aged care works

When Louise Power relocated to Adelaide and the job, she had lined up with a friend fell through she thought her working career was over.

Seeing an advertisement for a cleaner position with ACH Group, Louise thought she might as well throw her hat in the ring.

“Looking back over the past three years, I truly believe that this is the best job I’ve ever had – not many people my age get to say that,” she said.

“By far and away the best part of being a cleaner is the people you support. I have built the most amazing rapport with my customers.

“When you walk through the door and people’s faces just light up to see you – that, for me, is 100 per cent job satisfaction.”

Louise supports about 30 regular customers across Adelaide and works three days a week.

“For me the independence of working in the community directly with customers really appealed to me,” she said.

“The thing that has made ACH Group so special though is that even though I do the job alone, I never feel alone.

“ACH Group has such an amazing support structure that they build around their community workers that makes you always feel supported.”

Louise singled out the team leaders, duty officers and schedulers who were always just a phone call away.

“I don’t see myself as just a cleaner, I am someone who is there to support the customer the best way I can,” she said.

“For me the most important part of my job is getting to know my customers and making sure the work that I am doing is what is going to best support them.

“By taking the time to know people, I have got to understand when someone may be a bit off or something might be wrong and there are clear pathways for me to make sure that those people get extra care and support.”

Louise is now being asked to support new cleaners entering the workforce by providing training and support during the early stages of their career.

“For me the thing I most try and instill isn’t about cleaning at all – it is about the privilege we are afforded by being welcomed into someone’s home and how important it is to be attentive to their needs and respectful of their space,” she said.

“If cleaners do those things they will get as much from their customers as we give to them.”