Brenda Fry was recognised for plugging a huge gap in the health care system. Photo: Canberra Women in Business/Facebook.
A woman who established Canberra’s first ever private mobile dental service for aged care residents and people with a disability has won a social impact award for her innovation.
Brenda Fry was working as a dental hygienist when she noticed a peculiar gap in the health care system that was causing distress for many elderly people and their families.
“When people put their elderly parents into aged care, they often don’t realise that oral health isn’t covered by Medicare, in the way you might get coverage for a podiatrist and physiotherapist,” she said.
“Somebody lying in bed dying of cancer can get everything else done for them, they can get a gardener paid for, but they can’t get dental care.
“We have the ACT dental bus, which is a wonderful service, but the funding is limited … the reality is that many aged care residents will have passed away before the bus ever gets to where they are.”
This motivated her to quit her day job and start her own business – Bright Smiles Mobile Dental.
“It was a big risk,” she said.
“I probably underestimated the cost of running a small business. The equipment is very expensive. But I felt I couldn’t turn away from this challenge when I saw people living with severely decayed teeth and abscesses, which is all preventable; I couldn’t bear to not do anything about it.”
Her initiative saw her win the annual Canberra Women in Business social impact award, which goes to someone who demonstrates leadership, tenacity and compassion in the field of non-for-profit business, public or community service or social enterprise.
“I felt I’m making a positive impact in the community; we have 700 patients who are having a more comfortable life and have less risk of serious diseases, so it’s nice to be recognised for it,” Ms Fry said.
Brenda Fry receives her award. Photo: Canberra Women in Business.
While her service is much needed in the ACT, the 48-year-old mother of three said it took a while for business to take off.
“It was a challenge at the beginning. I approached the aged care service … I was met with a lot of curiosity; people weren’t sure about it. It was initially quite difficult to get aged care patients, which was not what I anticipated. I met with the regional manager of Southern Cross [aged care], she was very supportive as she’d been a nurse,” Ms Fry said.
“I was able to talk to families and let them know that the service was here and they were very happy to hear about it … people would say they’d have to get a wheelchair and take a day off work to get my mum to a dentist, and their mum might get distressed when she has to leave her environment, so it’s great to have someone who’ll come to her.”
Ms Fry said she’d encourage women who dreamt of starting their own business to take the plunge.
“You have to take a risk to get the benefits. I would say take that chance. For me, I gave up full-time employment and did this full-time. But there are other ways to dip your toes in; get a provider number and have a part-time job while giving it a go.”
More information on Bright Smiles Mobile Dental can be found on their website.
Loading ...
