Renate & Sonia

Arcare communities across Australia are committed to establishing, supporting, and maintaining deep, meaningful, and consistent relationships between clients and team members.

The Dedicated Assignments model is the most important way that Arcare communities create and maintain these close relationships.

Our Dedicated Assignment is the most important way we support the development and deepening of consistent and committed relationships, with the Dedicated Assignments model requiring all team members to commit to work regular shifts with exactly the same small group of clients every time they come to work.

At Arcare Cheltenham, Sonia is one of the dedicated carers, and Renate is one of her clients.

Renate moved into the Cheltenham community in December 2017 and is originally from Germany. Renate speaks a mixture of English and German and enjoys gardening, painting and generally being outside. Although there is sometimes a language barrier between the pair, Sonia and Renate have still managed formed a close relationship.

Sonia is always encouraging Renate to get outside, be active and once again, enjoy her passion for gardening.

If Renate is unable to understand Sonia’s words of encouragement or is unsure about her mobility, Sonia will always encourage Renate to engage in these activities by offering and showing Renate that she will participate alongside her. This support provides Renate with some much-needed moments of comfort and reassurance, as Sonia is committed to being always be by her side.

Renate can often be heard praising her dedicated carer, Sonia to other clients and team members in her native German tongue, saying the equivalent of “She is so good.”