Alex is the dietetics team’s newest member! Alex started at Rocky Bay in June, in his role as a Dietitian.
Prior to Rocky Bay, he worked full-time as an aged care dietitian and has experience working in a hospital. Alex runs clinics at the Mandurah, Rockingham and Gosnells hubs. Read on below to find out more about Alex!
Are there any areas you have a particular interest in?
I have huge passion in gastrointestinal and paediatric areas such paediatric oral and enteral feeding.
What interested you in this career?
I have always been interested in food because I love eating. When I learnt about nutrition in high school, I realised how food and nutrition are so important in our daily lives. Therefore, I decided to help people with my knowledge of nutrition.
What made you want to work at Rocky Bay?
My interest in working in the disability sector started when I had my placement at a disability Non-Governmental organisation. I used to focus on how to improve people’s health with the help of nutrition, but after the placement, I realised nutritional adequacy is also important to help people with disability achieve their life goals to have a better quality of life. Since then, I have wanted to be a part of the team to support this.
What is something that you enjoy about this role?
I enjoy the variety of caseloads and the challenges in this role. I have learnt about so many different kinds of disabilities and the common nutritional issues among different disabilities. I am learning new things every day!
What are some common misconceptions about the role?
A lot of people think all we do is make meal plans and teach people to eat more fruits and vegetables. We do a lot more than that! Making meal plans and encouraging healthy eating are essential parts of our roles, but we also provide person-centred care and lots of dietary counselling is involved to explore the barriers to achieving nutritional goals. There is never a “one size fit all” approach. Our work also involves PEG feeding (feeding tube), nutritional deficiency in adults and children, limited diet variety, malnutrition and overweight/obesity.
What are you looking forward to in your role?
I look forward to working with the amazing team at Rocky Bay and help our customers achieve their goals
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I love exploring new cafes around the suburbs. I also love animals, especially marine animals.
To read more about our dietetics team, click here.