Lifestyle Assistant Opportunities – Join Our Caring and Supportive Team in Div RAP at SALHN!

We’re excited to offer rewarding opportunities for Lifestyle Assistants within the Division of Rehabilitation, Aged care and Palliative Care (Div RAP), in the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network (SALHN), across our Geriatric Evaluation and Management (GEM) and Acute Geriatric Care Units.

In this role, you’ll create meaningful and engaging experiences for older patients, particularly those living with dementia or other cognitive changes, during their hospital stay. By supporting a variety of activities, you’ll play an important part in enhancing patients’ social, emotional, and overall wellbeing.

Please note that this is not a healthcare clinical support role, with no clinically based tasks, workflows or expectations.  All aspects of this position are psychosocial, diversional and interactive.

As a Lifestyle Assistant, you’ll support patients—particularly those living with dementia—by delivering engaging individual and group activities that promote connection, comfort, and wellbeing, whilst they are inpatients in one of our Geriatric wards.

Working closely with our healthcare teams, you’ll help create positive, person-centred experiences for patients, including those experiencing changes in behaviour. You may be involved in activities such as:

• Music and singing
• Reminiscence sessions
• Multisensory activities
• Art and creative expression
• Life story work
• Diversional and general interest conversations
• Personalised activities tailored to each patients’ interests
• Games, puzzles, cards, reading books / magazines

Please note: This role will consist of 8-hour shifts over a 7-day roster, between the hours of 10:00AM and 8:30PM

We’re looking for people who are compassionate, enthusiastic, and enjoy working with older adults. You’ll ideally bring:

• Experience and enjoyment engaging with older people, especially in diversional, lifestyle or activity-based roles
• A Cert III / IV in a relevant field OR a current enrolment in a nursing diploma or degree
  • Basic Health Care, Aged Care, Health Services Assistance, Individual Support, Allied Health Assistant), 
• Confidence working within a multidisciplinary team
• Strong communication skills and a caring, patient-focused approach
• An ability to “think outside the box” when it comes to creativity and activities
• Flexibility in relation to ever changing environments
• A desire to “make your mark” and help embed patient focussed cares, long term.

If you’re passionate about making a positive impact and helping older people feel valued and connected, we’d love to hear from you!

Want To Know More? Contact: Emma Pitkin -  Adv Nurse Unit Manager - Recruitment and Retention: emma.pitkin@sa.gov.au

Application Closing Date: 11.55 pm Sunday 14th June 2026

Attachments:

• AIN GEM - Role Description
• AHA2 GEM - Role Description
• Australian applicant guidelines
• International applicant guidelines

Applicant Information:

• We also offer salary sacrifice benefits which provide the opportunity to save money by paying for some of your everyday expenses from your salary before it is taxed. Click here to find out more about salary packaging.
• The South Australian public sector promotes diversity and flexible ways of working including part-time. Applicants are encouraged to discuss the flexible working arrangements for this role.
• Appointment will be subject to a satisfactory Criminal History Check and Immunisation compliance as indicated on the Role description.
• SA Health Services are required to implement the Addressing vaccine preventable disease: Occupational assessment, screening and vaccination policy in the workplace..
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants are encouraged to apply.  Job ref: 926410