Debra Baxter

My entry into the aged care sector was, quite honestly, a happy accident. I found myself between roles when a former colleague reached out about a Finance Manager position opening at VincentCare Victoria. At the time, I didn't realise that saying "yes" would redefine my entire career path. Coming from the private sector, I stepped into a "whole new world." Not long after that, I was promoted to Executive Manager of Corporate Services, where I was responsible for the high-stakes balancing act of overseeing finance, IT, procurement, asset management, and HR. Aged care grew on me in a way I didn't expect. I became fascinated by the immense challenge of balancing tight budgets for residential and home care while never losing sight of the primary mission: taking care of vulnerable people. I loved the complexity of it. Every day was a puzzle of how to: Balance Care with Funding: Finding ways to make limited resources stretch further without compromising the quality of life for our clients. Solve Operational Friction: Navigating the constant challenges that required creative, immediate solutions. Bridge the Technology Gap: Seeing first-hand how a lack of specialised tools was making it hard to improve our bottom line. My time at VincentCare gave me a 360-degree view of the industry’s pain points. I realised that if we could solve the "business side" of care—specifically the heavy burden of compliance and the slow, manual sign-up processes—we could free up providers to focus entirely on the people. This realisation led me to start my own consultancy in 2014 and, ultimately, to develop Care Collaborator in 2015. I didn't just want to manage the challenges anymore; I wanted to build the solution. Today, I use everything I learned in those early, "accidental" days to help Home Care Providers deliver services more effectively, efficiently, and with the heart that the sector deserves.

I would have to say Gemini and NotebookLM as they help me write up all my blogs for LinkedIn & my website. I also love using Loom for my short training videos as most people don't want to read manuals these days so the short videos are perfect.