We sat down with our aged care trainers and asked them about their experience in the industry. This time, really pulled at the heart-strings by asking “What’s the most touching story that’s stuck with you?”
“When one of my residents was extremely upset one day as she thought that her son had passed away (which he hadn’t). We arranged for to ring her son so she could speak to him. Once she heard his voice, she was so overwhelmed with excitement, she just kept saying amazing it was to hear his voice. This was very touching and remains with me as it shows how important family is and also that the small deeds for our older individuals has a great impact on their day or even just in that small moment.” Cheryl.
“The death of my ‘favourite’ resident; I still can’t think about him without getting a tear in my eye. I cared for this dear man for many years and we had an amazing bond – he would often refuse care from others if he knew I was in the building. He even knew my voice and would misbehave until I went in to attend him! His passing had a huge impact on me. I couldn’t go into his room for many months after his passing…he really touched my heart.” Sally.
“A man in his early fifties, younger than many residents in the nursing home. He stayed in his room all day, he was very lonely but did not want to be with the older people. He died at 54. It was a very sad story, yes, but also shows why it’s so important we provide individualised care.” Karen.
“I was looking after a gentleman that never smiled and had some problematic behaviours. We needed to change him in the middle of the night. To get him on his side, my colleague started singing and to our surprise, the gentlemen started singing with her and then was laughing with us. When we came back to work the next week that man had passed away, but we knew that we had given him some happiness in his last days and that’s something we are very proud of and will never forget.” Carol.
You can get more insights by reading “What two qualities do you think are essential for an aged care worker?”
