ACU features O’Mara House facility manager Dayolen Kistnen

Dayolen Kistnen

With his caring, giving nature and strong leadership skills, Dayolen is an excellent guardian of our aged care home in Traralgon.

When Dayolen Kristnen was a teenager his auntie was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

“In Mauritius, when an elder is unwell, we look after them at home because [residential] aged care isn’t really a thing there,” says Dayolen.

“It came naturally to me to nurse her, to look after her. It was quite a delicate situation, and I remember making it my job to take care of her, and just to be with her.”

Dayolen realised he wanted to become a nurse and moved to Melbourne as a 22-year-old.

In 2018, he graduated with a Master of Clinical Nursing at ACU, which led him to take on several managerial roles in the aged care sector.

Today, Dayolen is the facility manager of mecwacare’s O’Mara House in Traralgon, a city in the Gippsland region of Victoria.

“It’s complex and you have to be meticulous and to think outside the box, but I really love my job,” he says.

Dayolen’s style of empathetic leadership is a good fit at mecwacare. Chief Executive Michele Lewis says he “embodies the mecwacare spirit”.

“With his caring, giving nature and strong leadership skills, [Dayolen] is an excellent guardian of our aged care home in Traralgon,” she says.

Athough he’s come a long way, Dayolen hasn’t forgotten his roots.

“Sometimes those memories do come back,” he says. “If (my auntie) were alive, and she had a chance to see what I was doing with my life, I think she would be proud. Definitely, she would be very, very proud.”

 

Aged Care Homes

As one of the longest-serving care providers in Melbourne, mecwacare has a proud history of providing residents with an aged care experience tailored to their individual needs.  We have 14 attractive, safe and secure facilities located across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Whether you need a nursing home for a short time after a hospital stay, while your primary carer takes a break or to live there permanently for ongoing care and support, it’s important to choose a home that provides the kind of care that’s best for you.

If you are weighing up the pros and cons of aged care living, click here to learn the nine reasons why you should consider a mecwacare nursing home.

 

 

 

 

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