Cathy Lawson is like a light switch. Her clients’ eyes beam whenever they see her.
As one of our aged care workers, Cathy divides her time between clients experiencing dementia – whereby she offers respite to carers – and clients who need help with their shopping and daily tasks.
“I take people out for a walk in their wheelchair or by foot, down to places like La Perouse – it’s so lovely to stroll near the water,” she says.
“As soon as they see me I see their eyes light up, and some clients cry when I leave because they don’t want me to go.
“But then the next time they see me they’ve forgotten all about it and all is well, because in most cases they’re going home to loving families and they’re well looked-after.”
Cathy Lawson is one of our aged care workers, helping people with dementia, as well as other clients who need shopping assistance.
Just call me Barbara
For some of her clients there’s a lot of confusion – but even the ones who have dementia are happy to see her, even if they call her by a different name each time.
“What I enjoy is the pleasure they get from the visits and the comfort they receive,” Cathy says.
Battling isolation
Cathy’s job partly involves assisting clients with their groceries.
Many of the people she helps have no one willing or able to help them with their daily tasks.
“In some cases the clients have two or three kids, but they haven’t got the time to take them,” she says.
“It’s an eye-opener when you realise how alone some people are.”
Retail therapy
Cathy and her clients have fun with the groceries, making quite an event out of it.
“We keep it light, and we talk about all the different foods – and they teach me a thing or two,” she says.
“Then afterwards we might get a cup of coffee. It’s a lot of fun, and many of them have a real sense of humour.
“It’s nice just to be there for them with a bit of positivity and support.
“Every client is different and no two days are the same. I simply love my job.”
If you’re interested in a role as one of our aged care workers, head to our employment page and apply now.