By Estelle Griepink

The newest board member of Australia's leading aged-care body is a self-proclaimed country
girl who lives and works in Shepparton.

Shepparton Villages's executive care services manager Kerri Rivett was appointed to the Victorian board of Leading Aged Services Australia last week.

Ms Rivett has worked in aged care since she was 17, amounting to an impressive 34 years of industry experience at a clinical and administrative level.

Having grown up in the country, she said she was keen to give a voice to regional Victoria's aged-care workers and clients.

She said she knew what they went through because she saw it every day at work. 

"It's great for regional Victoria to have someone to represent their needs for residential and community care," she said.

"IASA has a lot to do with the government, and they pretty much represent the aged-care industry to the Commonwealth.''

Ms Rivett said the regional industry had different needs to metropolitan areas.

"We face different financial issues in regional Victoria and there's things like isolation and welfare issues that need to be addressed," she said.

Ms Rivett will serve on the LASA board while looking after the operational components of Shepparton Villages's 271 residential care beds in her role as executive care services manager.

As printed in the Shepparton News, Friday, May 3, 2013.