The Difference I Make - Clare
Published: 04/08/2018
Throughout the summer we are celebrating the difference that our team make by sharing their stories and recently spent some time with Clare, who not only is an excellent member of staff but has an incredible journey to working in care.
Throughout the summer we are celebrating the difference that our team make by sharing their stories and recently spent some time with Clare, who not only is an excellent member of staff but has an incredible journey to working in care.Clare lives in Feltham and joined our team about a month ago. She joined the Bluebird Care Hounslow & Chiswick team after being out of work for six months and has been inspired to work in care out of a passion to give something back..
Clare has shared her story with us and we would like to thank her for sharing what is such a personal and sensitive story.
Clare explained:
I have had a challenging few years and working as a Care Assistant has made a tremendous difference to me because it gives me a sense of purpose in life.
In 2014 my mother was diagnosed with cancer; this was made particularly challenging because the diagnosis came through on my sisters birthday. I cared for my mother for around 10 months whilst she had chemotherapy, however in May 2015 she sadly died.
My wonderful dog Rio provided real comfort to me during this time as he got me out of the house and this really helped me through what was a challenging time.
About 18 months later I got a call to say that my father was in intensive care at hospital with a bleeding ulcer and he was there for a month before I lost him as well.
Adding to these challenges, I sadly lost my father and mother in law too.
This was incredibly difficult for me and I took six months off work to get myself together. My neighbor Sam spent some time with me and encouraged me to get out of the house as she felt it would be very good for me.
I decided that this would be a good idea and got in touch with Bluebird Care who invited me for an interview and offered me a job!
I have a couple of regular customers who I love visiting and they seem to love me too. Thinking about it, even just talking with people is wonderful as there are a lot of older people who just need someone to talk to.
In particular, my role with Bluebird Care has made a tremendous difference to my recovery as it not only gets me out of the house but lifts me and reminds me of how lucky I am to be healthy.
Working in care is my remedy. I now do not need medication to lift my mood and am so very happy in my role!
In 2014 my mother was diagnosed with cancer; this was made particularly challenging because the diagnosis came through on my sisters birthday. I cared for my mother for around 10 months whilst she had chemotherapy, however in May 2015 she sadly died.
My wonderful dog Rio provided real comfort to me during this time as he got me out of the house and this really helped me through what was a challenging time.
About 18 months later I got a call to say that my father was in intensive care at hospital with a bleeding ulcer and he was there for a month before I lost him as well.
Adding to these challenges, I sadly lost my father and mother in law too.
This was incredibly difficult for me and I took six months off work to get myself together. My neighbor Sam spent some time with me and encouraged me to get out of the house as she felt it would be very good for me.
I decided that this would be a good idea and got in touch with Bluebird Care who invited me for an interview and offered me a job!
I have a couple of regular customers who I love visiting and they seem to love me too. Thinking about it, even just talking with people is wonderful as there are a lot of older people who just need someone to talk to.
In particular, my role with Bluebird Care has made a tremendous difference to my recovery as it not only gets me out of the house but lifts me and reminds me of how lucky I am to be healthy.
Working in care is my remedy. I now do not need medication to lift my mood and am so very happy in my role!
