How to turn passion for aged care into a business

Aged care is a challenging and complex field that requires passion and dedication. Sonya Smart, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of for-purpose organisation Villa Maria Catholic Homes (VMCH), shares her inspiring journey and insights into the industry.

Starting her career as a volunteer for a community care organisation in Perth, Western Australia, Ms Smart discovered her passion for working with older people. 

She eventually worked her way up to become a home and community care coordinator and, later, the CEO of VMCH. Her journey is a testament to the fact that with hard work, perseverance and a passion for the work you do, you can achieve great things.

According to Ms Smart, the key to success in aged care is passion. “You need to be passionate about older people and be a leader. Remind leaders out there that you can get bogged down in budgets, HR, etc. But you have to remember why you’re there,” she says. 

“Go out, go to sites, chat to residents and remember why we do the job we do.”

Holistic approach

VMCH provides a range of services, including residential aged care, retirement living, in-home aged care, disability services, and affordable housing for people over the age of 55. The organisation also has a social enterprise arm that includes cafés and op shops, as well as a job skills arm in their disability program.

Ms Smart believes that aged care requires a holistic approach, which goes beyond just meeting the basic needs of residents. “It’s about recognising that people are individuals, and they have specific needs, likes, and dislikes,” she says. 

“We need to ensure that we provide person-centred care, where we put the individual at the centre of everything we do.”

In terms of leadership, she emphasises the importance of having a diverse and representative executive team. 

In the aged care industry specifically, Ms. Smart observes that traditional perceptions have often centred on property development rather than care itself, creating a male-dominated environment that limits opportunities for women. 

“A lot of boards are male focused. You will sometimes notice that someone will go for a promotion and if they’re a woman we will start talking about all the things that would stop them from having a promotion such as being a mother of three.”

Ms Smart’s perspective underscores the significance of promoting gender diversity and equality within the workplace and VMCH is a prime example of a workplace where women are well represented at all levels. 

“Approximately 87% of the workforce here at VMCH is female. On our executive team, we have a large female component as well.” 

In her opinion executives have to be representative of the body of people that work in an organisation. “The majority of our executives, of which we’ve got 10, all but three are females. The men here are a little bit more of a minority,” she says.

Opportunities for development

Having had a mentor herself Ms Smart knows how important it is to learn from other people’s experience and get guidance when developing as a leader.

Throughout her career, Ms Smart has gained valuable insights and experiences. She highlights the importance of choosing battles wisely and allowing her team members to work in their own unique ways, understanding that not everyone approaches tasks in the same manner. 

Ms Smart also stresses the need to channel passion effectively and find alternative approaches to overcome obstacles, acknowledging that youthful enthusiasm must be balanced with practicality.

Reflecting on her mentor Wendy Silver, who recently passed away, Ms Smart says “She really taught me some really good business skills as well about how to turn passion into a business.” 

She emphasises VMCH’s commitment to providing opportunities for employees to upskill themselves and says, “We offer a lot of opportunities for people to have training and upskill themselves if that’s what they choose to do.”

“Our caring workforce is women, so women who have come to us and have trained as enrolled nurses.”

Within VMCH, employees have many opportunities for development and Ms Smart feels strongly about supporting her staff and giving them support and confidence in their abilities.

“It’s about recognising and promoting people. Sometimes people would be doing a job in an interacting role, and I’ll say to them, ‘Why don’t you go for it? You’re already doing it’. It’s about telling them that they’ll be great at it and valuing them for their skills, giving them the confidence to go for those roles.” 

She emphasises the importance of providing support to make individuals successful in their new positions and mentions the leadership programs offered to executives and senior leaders as part of building a supportive organisational culture.

With her journey in aged care testament to the fact that passion, hard work, and dedication are crucial to success in this field, Ms Smart says it’s about recognising the individual needs of residents, promoting and valuing frontline workers, and having a diverse and representative executive team. As she says, “Don’t come into it unless you’re really passionate about it.”