Bringing smiles to Liverpool

Sharmila Bastakoti has always loved giving people a helping hand.

The former pharmacist migrated from Nepal to Australia in 2007, worked hard to achieve a Master of Accounting, then worked in admin for NSW Transport. It was Sharmila’s next stage in life, though, that led her to her true passions: raising two beautiful children with her husband, and helping people in the community.

While living in Sydney’s south west, Sharmila started volunteering as an executive member of the Macarthur Region Nepalese Community in Campbelltown, helping the group connect with others through social activities, cultural events, fundraising for charity and support groups.

Through her work there, Sharmila met Claire Zhang, owner of Home Caring Campbelltown. “I was helping her out by promoting HomeCaring’s support services and handing out brochures to the community,” she says. “Claire suggested that I might want to start my own business with HomeCaring, given my love of helping people.”

As Sharmila researched the HomeCaring franchise model, she was drawn to the company’s philosophy of care – in particular its focus on excellent client service, compassionate support and a ‘person first’ approach. Providing care to seniors and people living with a disability was also a natural fit for Sharmila’s healthcare background, organisational skills and empathetic nature. With support from her husband, Sharmila opened Liverpool HomeCaring and started providing in home care to people in the community.

Meeting the care needs of south west Sydney

Liverpool Home Caring currently offers home care for NDIS and Aged Care participants, including personal care, domestic assistance, community engagement, capacity building activities, help with transport and much more. Each care plan is uniquely tailored to the client’s needs, as Sharmila strongly believes that support should never be a ‘cookie cutter’ service, but based on the individual.

“Support means different things to different people, depending on their needs,” she says. “For some, it’s community support – some may want to go out and engage with the community. For other people, support means being able to do their activities of daily living. To be able to help people, in any way, is a privilege.”

Compassion is also another important value for Sharmila and her team. While all the care is provided by qualified workers who have an eye for detail and excellent service, each client is also treated with respect. The end result? Happy clients whose lives are enhanced.

“One of our first clients was a husband of a person who needed support for their disability.  He was really happy we were offering them help that he didn’t even know that he was entitled to from the NDIS,” says Sharmila.

“I have been volunteering in the community for a long time, so for me, I’m happy and thankful to be a part of Home Caring. Giving service to people who need it and bringing smiles on their faces … that’s what counts in the end.”