“Do it – you’ll love it.! That’s the simple advice of Grace Stewart to anyone thinking they’d like to try working in care.
Grace took a gamble when she moved into the role that would change her career trajectory forever.
It was 2001 and she had moved to the UK a year earlier with her Scottish husband from Zimbabwe. She was working in hospitality when someone had a word in her hear. “For whatever reason, a colleague said ‘Why not go into care?’ I said ‘I’ve never done it’ and she said ‘Try it, I think you would be good.'”
Acting on her colleague’s advice, and insight, Grace applied for a job in care. “And I never looked back.”
She works at Balhousie St Ronan’s care home in Dundee as a Care Assistant. She says she gets a huge reward out of helping people at an important time of their life. The residents are not able to look after themselves fully, and it’s a care home worker’s job to do that respectfully and kindly, says Grace.
“It’s important work because what you’re doing is assisting somebody all the way to the end [of their life].”
She adds: “It’s really rewarding. They’re always saying ‘When are you coming back to see me?'”
Being part of a close-knit team is another thing she values hugely. Balhousie St Ronan’s staff welcomed her with open arms, she says. “They didn’t know me and I didn’t know them but they welcome me. It was a special moment for me.”
