Leader Spotlight

Kate Koivu, Home Companion Lead

What did your journey to working at Emmaus Village look like?

“I started my career in the Australian Defence Force Army in the medical field, before moving to the emergency services industry with NSW Ambulance. Throughout my time with NSW Ambulance, 13 years of which was based on the Mid North Coast, I held a range of leadership and management roles such as Clinical Educator, Station Officer, and Intensive Care Paramedic. My time in these fields really honed my leadership and operational management skills, something with is vital in my role as Home Companion Lead.” 

What does your role as Home Companion Lead involve?

“My role as Home Companion Lead is a diverse one! I lead our team of dedicated Home Companions, who support and enable Villagers throughout the day. I am also responsible for the day-to-day management of operations at Emmaus Village. At its core, my role is to ensure Emmaus Village is a safe, nurturing, and engaging environment for our Villagers, staff and visitors.”

What excites you most about Emmaus Village?

“What excites me most about Emmaus Village is its innovative approach to dementia care, which, based on the world-leading The Hogeweyk® model, addresses a massive gap in aged care options for those living with dementia. I am also excited about using the skills I’ve developed over the years through my postgraduate dementia studies and previous roles to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people living with dementia.” 

We’ve heard you have your eyes on some beautiful totems that will be installed in the Village…

“Oh, absolutely! Emmaus Village has allowed me to get involved in so many things, from selecting furniture colours to organising virtual reality experiences for the residents currently living in our St Agnes’ Catholic Parish-operated residential aged care sites. Another exciting aspect of my role recently was arranging the creation of unique totem and sculpture pieces for different areas within Emmaus Village to assist our future Villagers with navigating their way through the Village. I engaged a local company to create some of these totems (which are currently sitting in my garden at home, waiting to take pride of place in the Village once construction wraps up) and was also inspired to create one myself as I thought this would be a nice way to leave a small part of me in Emmaus Village. I won’t tell you which one I made... You will just have to explore the amazing gardens to see it for yourself!”