Jim, who is living with dementia, takes part in day centre programs through Hastings District Respite Care at Greenmeadows as well as receiving tailor-made support from support worker Daniel Riveros.

Daniel and Jim are planning a spot of fishing soon.

“I like being able to show him new things,” Jim, a retired engineer, said.

Jim loves fishing but hasn’t had the opportunity to pursue the hobby for some time, while Daniel is a newcomer to fishing.

That is all about to change.

Omnicare Alliance’s WISER approach to dementia care starts with understanding a client’s life story followed by building a relationship which recognises each client’s qualities, interests and abilities.

In Jim’s case, that includes nurturing his love of Australian poetry and reconnecting him to the pastime of fishing.

Susan said Jim had improved and they knew how to get the best out of life.

“It has given us back a lot of “us” as a couple rather than me strictly as his carer and the person that has to guide him,” she said.

“I don’t have to do that guiding like I did.

“I know that Jim is being nourished, that’s a word I don’t use loosely, into being an identity, his own identity again.”

Support worker Daniel Riveros enjoys the connections with his clients courtesy of the Montessori approach.

He sees the change in clients and enjoys spending time with them.

Daniel said: “I look forward to seeing Jim and go fishing, who wouldn’t?

“The way Montessori [approach] allows us to connect with a client is why we have these connections.”

Meanwhile, Susan completed carer training in 2017.

The WISER approach (wellness, innovation, support, enrichment and research), a Montessori-based program, was developed by a team of three within Omnicare with a Southern Cross University research component.

The carer training involves 10 hours of training over three weeks in a group setting.

Omnicare follows up by hosting monthly carer chat groups.

Omnicare began operating on July 1, 2017 following the merger of four not-for-profit community organisations – Hastings District Respite Care; Meals on Wheels Mid North Coast; Parklands Cottage; and Hastings Home Modifications & Maintenance.

Hastings Headway, which supports people living with an acquired brain injury and their carers, became the fifth service section in the Omnicare portfolio, as of July 1, 2018.

This integration helped bring the number of Omnicare employees to 188 from 112 a year ago.

Omnicare joint-CEO John Carroll, with responsibility for brand, marketing and people, said the organisation was progressive, aiming to shake up the sector and make the public reconsider what a not-for-profit could achieve.

“We are a community impact group, which operates under a profit-for-purpose remit,” he said.

“This means we must be commercially-minded for sustainability, but rather than returning profits to shareholders, we invest in people and in the communities we serve.”

The aged, disability and dementia services provider has increased its turnover by 25 per cent and has added 53 new employees to its payroll in the 2017-18 financial year.

A similar increase in turnover is forecast for 2018-19.

Raymond Gouck, joint-CEO for funding, compliance and social enterprise, said the organisation goes beyond service delivery.

“Omnicare Alliance is about finding ways in which we can help to meet community needs with the resources we have,” he said.

“We’re about sharing ideas, knowledge, facilities - anything that will help build more socially inclusive communities.”