Trusted Home Care in Bayside Peninsula

At Simply Helping Bayside Peninsula, care is built around connection and understanding what matters to each person. For owner Dihan Dewage, good care starts with listening and removing barriers that make daily life harder. His background in the care industry has given him insight into how the system works and the changes he would like to make to ensure it focuses on those he provides care for.

Dihan shared that his decision to work in the care sector began with his own experience navigating the system while looking for support for his son. That experience shaped the way he approaches care and the changes he wanted to see.

“I realised early on that the system doesn’t always work the way it should,” Dihan said. “People who needed support weren’t always getting the help they needed, and many families didn’t know what was available to them.”

“That was very similar to what I faced with my own son,” he said. “I found it really meaningful to work alongside people and help them work towards their own goals.”

Before owning Simply Helping Bayside Peninsula, Dihan spent several years working in leadership roles as a Service Manager and Facilities Manager. During this time, he found that he was most comfortable when working directly with people and solving problems.

“We’re not working with numbers,” he said. “We’re working with people. If someone needed something done a certain way, I would follow it through myself, rather than leaving the issue unresolved.”

Later, Dihan trained as a support worker. Initially, he supported children and teenagers with disability, which gave him a clearer picture of the gap between office processes and what actually happens in day-to-day care.

“I could see the difference between what was planned in the office and what the staff needed in the field,” Dihan explained. “That’s where support can fall short if it’s not practical. We can have procedures in place, but if they don’t work on the ground, we need to stop and fix that.”

Dihan also reflected on how his background shaped his views on disability and community awareness. “Where I come from, disability wasn’t always openly acknowledged,” he continued. “I think it’s important to help people understand what support is available and who they can connect with. Everyone’s needs are different, and care shouldn’t be one-size-fits-all.”

His experiences as a support worker also highlighted the importance of consistent, participant-focused care. In some situations, he saw how changes in their routine could increase anxiety for the person receiving support. “Our role is to support the participant. Their wellbeing comes first,” Dihan explained further. “That’s why I go the extra step. Making someone’s day easier is why I’m here.”

One experience that stayed with Dihan involved supporting a man living with MS. Together, they set achievable goals over time. “When we first met, he hadn’t been going out and was feeling quite low,” Dihan said. “I asked him to tell me one short-term goal we could work towards together.”

“He told me he wanted to go to Oktoberfest. So, we planned for it, and we made it happen,” he said. “After that, he started setting more goals for himself.”

For Dihan, this reinforced the importance of building confidence gradually and working at a pace that feels right for the person.

Becoming the owner of Simply Helping Bayside Peninsula was a natural step for Dihan, driven by his connection to the local community and his desire to make care more personal.

“I want to be involved,” he explained. “I want to meet participants myself, so they know who they are working with. I do the same with carers. I take the time to meet them and make sure they genuinely care about the people they support.”

If you or someone close to you in the Bayside Peninsula area could use some extra support around the home, Simply Helping is here.

Click here to contact Dihan and the Simply Helping Bayside Peninsula team.