Finally!! Doing the work I have been trained for..

I started working for our council in my present job 5 years ago, doing home care in people's homes. Home Care consists of vaccuming, mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms, washing, ironing, and shopping. Not all my clients have all of these things done for them! Our work depends on the needs of each individual. Three years ago, my employer offered a dozen of the Home carers the opportunity to do a year's course in Personal Care, which would normally cost several hundred dollars, but the government subsidised us, which meant we only had to pay $40 each. I took up their offer, as I had previous experience in nursing homes, and was interested in gaining qualifications to further my career in aged care.

After we qualified, we expected to receive more personal care work and less home care. Some girls didn't want to do personal care after doing the course; they found it too challenging. But I was looking forward to it. Time went by, and no PC work came my way, despite me asking about it time and time again. I have my theories as to why this was, and I am not going to go into that here, but after several staff changes in the office, I now have one roster clerk who is looking out for me, and has found me a new client who requires me to shower her twice a week. I went there for the first time on Monday, and we took an instant liking to each other. She is a stroke victim, and as my Mum was the same, I can strongly relate to her problems. There was evidence around her home that she had once been a prolific embroiderer, so of course we had something to chat about while I was attending to her.

While I know that the housework I do for my other clients is greatly appreciated, I find personal care more rewarding, so I am looking forward to doing more of this kind of work. It is also less physically demanding - cleaning three houses a day makes this nearly 60-year-old lady VERY tired!