Nursing home on the lookout for caring staff
Oaklodge Nursing Home in Cloyne has put a call out for caring healthcare workers, especially those who answered Ireland’s call to return home in March, to consider a career in caring for older people.
The nursing home, which specialises in care for those living with dementia, is currently recruiting for nurses, health care assistants/multitask attendants (HCAs), kitchen staff and a cook/chef.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Oaklodge is offering staff numerous additional benefits, including free dinners, digital thermometer sensors, training in the competent use of PPE. The nursing home has also staggered rosters and breaks to ensure the safety of their team.
There is an experienced management team at Oaklodge Nursing Home, including a director of nursing, two clinical nurse managers and a clinical nurse specialist. As the care home continues to expand, there will be plenty of opportunities for those that wish to develop their nursing and caring skills to further their career.
There have been no cases of Covid-19 in residents at Oaklodge, which management say is a combination of stringent measures in place and rigorous testing of staff and visitors.
The nursing home was the first in Ireland to pilot innovative remote temperature checking software that can detect early Covid-19 warning symptoms in staff. The Covid-19 Remote Early Warning System (CREW) was developed by software development company 8 West Consulting, with the College of Medicine and Health at UCC, the ASSERT centre and Tyndall Institute at UCC.
Oaklodge plans to double in size in the coming year. Construction is expected to start on the home’s new multi-million euro memory care village in 2021. Located on the 10 acre grounds in East Cork adjacent to the current nursing home, the innovative village will double the bed capacity at Oaklodge and will include a spa, gym, hair salon, post office and art studio for those with dementia and Alzheimers. When it opens, it will create an additional 55 jobs.
Diarmuid Ó Dálaigh, owner of Oaklodge Nursing Home, said: “Covid-19 presents unparalleled challenges for nursing home staffing throughout the country. We hope that some of the people that answered Ireland’s home to come home during the height of the crisis will consider staying and embarking on a career in the care of the elderly.
“Thankfully we have not seen any Covid-19 cases present in our residents to date as a result of the stringent measures we have put in place, but we cannot be complacent and must forward-plan to ensure the safety and best quality care possible for our residents should it infiltrate into our home.
“We are therefore putting a call out for registered nurses, HCAs, and other ancillary staff, in addition to interested caring and compassionate people that may want a career change or find themselves out of work following the outbreak of Covid-19.
“In addition to these current positions, we will also be doubling our workforce next year when our new Memory Care Centre opens, so we hope to create a panel for future positions.”
For more see www.oaklodgenursinghome.ie or contact info@oaklodgenursinghome.ie.