David Knight

Walking the talk

In the 15 years David has been with ASL, a lot has changed.

The number of residents entering our retirement living villages has doubled, and we introduced home care in 2015. With more residents comes more responsibility to provide great care, and to David, the only way that’s possible is through our people. “What matters most, without a doubt, is providing great care to our residents and we’ve got to have good people to do that. And we do have good people. There’s a difference between doing things right and doing the right thing, and we always try to do the right thing. That means we sometimes have to make tough decisions but we always do our best to make sure that care is never sacrificed.”

In between his responsibilities as a CEO, David likes to walk around the facilities, catching up with our teams to see if there’s anything they need. He interacts with all our residents, knows them by name, and even has inside jokes with them. “There’s a resident up on Level 1 who has been with us for many years. Her name is Barb, and she always refers to me as Brother David. So, whenever I meet her in the hallway, she says, ‘Hello, Brother David,’ and I always respond, ‘Hello, Sister Barb.’ Those small interactions are the best part of my day, so I try to prioritise them.”

Early on in David’s time at ASL, he realised that as important as facilitating these moments of connection are, they sometimes aren’t enough. “I had gotten to know most of the business pretty well, but just didn’t understand the impact of working at the coal face. I’d hear stories about the challenges, but also the blessings it can bring to both residents and staff members. It’s such a big chunk of the business. You can’t just do one shift and understand it; you really have to spend time there. So, I thought the best way to do that was to become a qualified nurse.”

David completed his Certificate 3 in Aged Care in 2018. It allowed him to see and experience things that not only deeply challenged him, but also gave him a new appreciation of the work our care staff do at ASL. Becoming a qualified nurse has afforded David the opportunity to work the floor with his team when they are short-staffed, leading to outcomes he never anticipated.

“I found it really puzzling that what I’d done had the unintended consequence of really helping the staff. I’m just a dude. I don’t see myself as anything special, but the staff really seem to appreciate it. I genuinely enjoy taking the time to work on the floors with them, and I’d love to do it more often.”

Making a difference

As David continues to lead ASL, he does so with the fervent hope that the Federal Government honours its commitment to improve funding for aged care, so wages for care workers better reflect the persistence and passion he sees in his team.

David also hopes to see ASL continue to grow, and grow well, so that the great quality care we provide to our residents is never sacrificed. For the team who have stuck with him at ASL, David is awed by their grit and determination. It inspires him as he continues to push through the tough challenges the industry faces.

“At the moment, the whole sector is getting kicked around the park. It’s just so hard because you know that what you hear in the media isn’t the case at all. The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety painted a challenging picture of the sector as a whole, despite less than 1% of facilities being visited by the commissioners. What they didn’t see, and what I do see on an almost daily basis, was what the overwhelming majority of residents experience – a genuine desire by our staff to provide the best care possible.”

“They didn’t see staff bringing in flowers from their own gardens to give to the residents. Coming in on days off to dress the residents in their best clothes to go to church. Staying back hours after their shift ends to ensure that when a resident comes back from an offsite appointment, someone’s there to welcome them home. Our staff go above and beyond every day – they’re just amazing. I wish they’d show stories like that in the media.”

To David, it’s the small, everyday moments that make the biggest difference – for the people in our care, and for our team. The challenges aren’t over, but David is confident we’ll face them together, and knowing we’ve made a real difference to people who truly need us makes it all worth it.

“It’s a real challenge to work in aged care, but there are incredible benefits and rewards for the right people. That’s why I love the headline we use when talking about people and culture, ‘For them, with you’. Because it’s not easy, but it’s such a privilege. What an awesome privilege it is to care for people at a time where they’re often looking back on their life and wondering if they’ve made a difference. We can assure them they have, and that they’re valuable.”