Our team

Sandeep Kaur

Clinical Manager

Sandeep worked as a Clinical Instructor and Registered Nurse in ICU in India before moving to New Zealand.

Since obtaining her NZ Nursing Registration in 2019, Sandeep has consolidated her Clinical and Quality experience in leadership roles within her chosen field of Aged Care.

She enjoys working collaboratively to provide the best possible care and improve quality of life.

Her forte lies in bringing together her leadership and interpersonal skills, person-centred focus and team approach to achieve optimal outcomes for staff, residents and families alike.

Fitz Barluado

Operations Manager

Fitz brings qualifications and experience in both healthcare and business administration to his role at Avonlea. A qualified Registered Nurse back in the Philippines, his practical experience included an internship in primary care and two years as a Pandemic Response Community Health Volunteer. His subsequent role as Operations Manager of a national distribution company encompassed management, marketing, health and safety, compliance, quality control and maintenance.

Fitz has a passion for leading and mentoring multi-disciplinary and multicultural teams, and a commitment to outstanding service and personal excellence. His goal in his new role is to build, maintain and support a harmonious and productive team. He is excited to bring his healthcare and management skills together in a role that will make a positive difference to residents, families and staff.

Registered Nurses

Our Registered Nurses get to know each resident very well. They assess each person’s needs and then plan the care for each person. They lead the caregiver team, coaching them and ensuring they give the very best care possible. A Registered Nurse always rings family if a loved one is unwell, unhappy, or anything of concern has happened. They keep in close touch with family.

Activities team

Our activities team knows each resident very well and what works for each person, creating meaningful activities to support creativity, socialisation, stimulation and fun as well as assisting residents to be involved in the daily running of their home.

Care team

Each member of our team has been hand-picked with great care. Many are registered nurses in their own country, with the courage and initiative to start a new life far from home and family. Every staff member is chosen because they have what we call ‘knack’ in working with people with dementia, caring for and connecting with each person as they would a very best friend. This means that people feel loved and important. Our staff accept you as you are, really listen to you, love to hear you laugh, forgive your mistakes and have fun together.

Our caregivers are loving, capable and experienced. We are enormously proud to have such committed and professional people working with us. Their cultural diversity, energy and dedication enrich us all.

Our team includes:
• A Weekend Manager who leads and supports the staff team at weekends and public holidays.
• Home Managers who lead a small team to provide the best possible care in each home.
• Caregivers who have a genuine commitment to make a positive difference to the lives of people by caring for them with love and empathy.
• Home Assistants or Housekeepers who work alongside our caregiving staff maintaining an environment that is clean, bright, cosy and welcoming in our small homes.
• The podiatrist, physiotherapist and hairdresser make regular visits, ensuring the personal needs of our residents are met.
• The dietician oversees menu planning and is available to assist with any dietary or weight-related issues.

Staff education

We believe that every member of staff needs and deserves to be nurtured and developed, and encourage them to reach their potential and be the very best they can in their chosen field.

As a growing organisation, we are continually looking for current staff members or people in the community with potential to be a leader. Staff education and development is our passion. We love to provide opportunities for advancement within our organisation to staff who later become inspirational to other team members. We have an Education Coordinator who coordinates, supports, motivates and encourages staff to grow and develop as much as possible.

Our training programme includes:

• First Aid training
• Best Friends Approach to Care, which is the foundation of our philosophy of care.
• All caregiving staff working in dementia care study four Unit Standards about dementia care.
• We hold regular in-service staff education sessions, which cover topics such as Abuse and Neglect, Advocacy, Civil Defence, Communication Skills, Cultural Awareness, Documentation and Care Planning, Food Safety, Health and Safety, Infection Control, Restraint Minimisation, Safe Transferring, Stress and Grief, Falls Minimisation, Pressure Area Care, Cultural Safety, Fire Safety and Chemical Safety.
• A De-escalation Training Programme presents staff with skills and strategies to manage sensitive situations.
• A training programme encouraging staff to embrace diversity.
• Annual training days are held for Operations Managers, Diversional Therapists, Clinical Managers and Registered Nurses.
• A Health and Safety Award and Staff Member of the Week Award are made on a regular basis at each home throughout the year.
• A Representational Child Therapy programme is available for residents who would benefit from this therapeutic approach. Our staff are trained to support this programme.