Doll therapy fills buckets of residents and carers alike

Louisa is one of Blue Care’s extraordinary human beings. Like many healthcare workers she has found the pandemic to be challenging, and the PPE hot in the Queensland heat. She loves her work at Lawnton Pine Woods Aged Care Facility because she feels she makes a difference in the lives of the older people for whom she cares.

“COVID lockdowns have been a big challenge for all of us,” Louisa says. “It’s so hard to be separated from your family. I love helping our residents feel happy, safe and cared for. I try to give comfort and spend as much one-on-one time as possible. Instead of giving my residents a hug at the end of my shift, I now blow kisses, which they send back to me.” 

Louisa started working as an assistant in nursing (AIN) when she was 15 and her career spans nearly five decades. After caring for her father, who was diagnosed with dementia, she has found her passion as a carer in the memory support unit, starting first at Pilgrim Aged Care before moving to Lawnton. 

She was introduced to the dolls at work, but her interest was taken to the next level when her husband gave her a doll-making kit. She finds making the dolls is great for her own wellbeing, and the comfort her handmade dolls give to people living with dementia is very rewarding. Happily, she has been able to bring her two passions together. 

“I love seeing how our residents react to the dolls, I have seen a lot of improvement in their wellbeing. The families love it too. As well as coming to work with me, my dolls have found new home, throughout Australia in different memory support unit doll nurseries.” 

During COVID, pressure on healthcare workers has been extraordinary. Our people have been supporting those in their care with dignity and expertise, often working long hours, in full PPE, with a smile behind the masks.