Margaret is one of Care on Call’s longest standing caregivers. Having been with the company since before it became part of Care On Call group, we were honoured to get the chance to sit down with her to discuss the ups and downs of her many years of service, and find out what it is that keeps her coming back after all these years.

She says when she came to New Zealand twelve years ago, she wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to do. It all began over a conversation in a bar, when a friend suggested Care Work. Though she had studied nursing when she was 18, it had been a long time since she had worked in healthcare.

“I thought, “oh, I don’t know,” because it’s been a long time since I did it, you know? In between that I’d brought up a family, I did lots of other jobs, worked in cafes… All sorts of jobs. But I thought, “ah… hmm… yeah… yeah, I could actually,” and I seemed to get back into it straight away. Which is surprising; I’ve quite surprised myself.”

Despite the shift in careers coming later in life, and never having done in-home care before coming to New Zealand, she says it’s been one of the most rewarding jobs she’s ever had. I her own words:

 “I would hate to get up and feel like, “Ugh, I’ve got to go to work again,” you know what I mean? But, no, going out to see my client, it’s sometimes a relief on me.”

“It makes you feel needed. People do need you, they do need your help.”

Continuity of care is an important aspect of Care On Call services, and Margaret’s experience working with us reflects this:

“The lady I look after now she’s just suffered a stroke last week. She was quite mobile before, and now all of a sudden she’s going to need more cares. But I’ve been with this particular lady for seven years, and you do build up quite a good relationship with them as well. You become part of the family. You know, sometimes I don’t even think of it as going to work, I feel like I’m going to see a friend, for a talk and to keep her company. It’s quite a lovely thing going into somebody’s home and looking after them.”

No good thing is without its challenges, though, and Margaret reflects that the realities of being on call were sometimes difficult for her. Flexible working arrangements and ad-hoc shifts might work for some people, but others prefer routine. Whilst she is now working in a position where she has regular hours, it wasn’t always that way.

“When I used to work and nursing homes and they were short staffed they’d phone to get someone to cover, and you might get a call at like, 6 o’clock in the morning to go somewhere for 7 o’clock. That is a big challenge. But that was like, at the start when I very first started working. I feel fortunate that I know when I’m going to go into work and I know when I’m finishing work, I have a routine. But for some people it can be a challenge, which it was for me. If you’re single I think that’s fine, but if you’re married with family, it can be challenging.”

Through it all though, and in spite of the challenges, she insists that the rewards outweigh the – in her opinion, minor – difficulties.

“It’s a wonderful job, it’s a job where you feel when you come home from work you feel that you’ve been and done something to help somebody. You’ve made their day a better day, you’ve made them feel important, that somebody does care."