Every connection makes a difference: Jose’s role at SSI 

“I follow the mantra that living is about giving. That’s the joy of this work. It can be as simple as playing music for an elderly person and seeing their face light up as their favourite song comes through the speaker,” said Jose Miranda Garcia.

This philosophy of putting people first is at the heart of Jose’s work as SSI’s Business Relationship Lead. He and his team are the bridge between 920 aged care providers across NSW, the ACT and the Home Care Workforce Support Program (HCWSP).

Jose migrated to Australia as a young refugee from El Salvador. Since then, he has been motivated by one simple question – how do I give back to the community and help people in need? 

“I’ve always wanted to work in the community sector and be able to make a difference in meaningful ways,” said Jose.

His role now allows him to direct his skills in IT, recruitment and business development towards impact within the aged care sector.

“The first three things I think about is how do we make something faster, more efficient and more effective for the people involved,” he said. 

Jose and his team recently led the development of a refined candidate matching algorithm – a CRM system that matches care workers to clients based on skills, needs, languages and backgrounds. Its aim? To make sure the right carers are placed with the right clients.

“The algorithm essentially gives providers a more tailored match of participants,” Jose said. “It cuts down processing time from 10 days to 72 hours, and more importantly, factors in cultural contexts.”

He continued, “For example, if we have an elderly person who speaks Arabic, we can now match them with a care worker from their local government area who speaks Arabic too. The worker will understand their culture and can make them feel respected, appreciated and acknowledged for their cultural norms and beliefs.”

For Jose, the new system is a win-win situation for the community, for the government, and for each person needing care. 

Leading its creation has been one of many rewarding aspects of his role with SSI. Beyond this, he continues to find fulfillment in seeing his team grow, flourish and realise the impact their work can have.

“Once you connect your work to your why and your purpose, that’s the most rewarding part,” said Jose.

“We’re helping to fill a lot of recruitment gaps, assisting with retention, and building the capabilities of people within the Aged Care Market which is urgently needed at the moment. We also are supporting aged care providers and new people who are interested in joining the Aged Care Workforce. We essentially do the groundwork in the recruitment process to make the recruitment process as smooth and seamless as possible for new entrants and Aged Care Providers.”

Beyond getting people into aged care roles, a key focus of the HCWSP is removing barriers to joining the workforce. Jose and his team are constantly looking for the best ways to open more opportunities within the aged care sector.

“Everyone has had an elderly person in their life at some point. There’s a heartwarming experience in being able to take care of someone who needs that help,” Jose said.

As his role grows, Jose hopes he can continue supporting the aged care sector across a whole range of initiatives. 

“It’s a growing industry that’s only going to get bigger, and within that, every connection is making a difference.”