Member Article

Older people used in care recruitment campaign

Two pensioners are being used as the ‘poster girls’ for a Yorkshire care company’s campaign to recruit more older carers.

Lynn Exall and Hilary Rowledge both work as carers for Prestige Nursing+Care in Doncaster and Wakefield.

At 68, Lynn Excall is the oldest carer working for Prestige, but at 66 Hilary is not far behind.

Lynn, who moved with her family from their homeland South Africa in 2008 due to the high crime rate in the country, says she loves working in care.

She says: “I applied for a job with Prestige and have never looked back. I only look after a few clients, but it keeps me active and I get tremendous satisfaction from what I do; the job really gets under your skin.

“My age is irrelevant, in fact I think it is an advantage because I have the life experience which people I care for can relate to. I also think I notice small things that perhaps a younger carer wouldn’t such as flowers that need changing or a bit of dust that needs to be cleaned up.

“It’s certainly a job I would recommend to other people my age. I certainly have no plans to give it up just yet.”

Hilary, who lost her father William to a mining accident when she was only six, says she “stumbled” into care, but now would not do anything else.

She says: “My mum suffered a serious stroke and I ended up caring for her in our home for 12 years before she died, so this experience led to me becoming a full-time carer.

“I look after a number of clients all over Doncaster, ranging from a 12-year-old girl with cerebral palsy through too much older people who require end of life care.

“I feel so privileged to be able to go into someone’s home to help them, whether that is helping them to get dressed in the morning or even just providing some companionship. It is such a rewarding job.”

Mike Dooley, Managing Director of Prestige Nursing+Care Wakefield and Doncaster, said: “Lynn and Hilary are role model employees, never calling in sick and always going the extra mile for the people they care for; they are a real inspiration.

“Recruiting to the care sector can be difficult but we hope that by reading Lynn and Hilary’s stories it will encourage even more older people to become carers.

“Life experience can be just as important as formal qualifications, and like Hilary and Lynn, people can choose exactly how much work they would like to do.”

People interested in working for Prestige Nursing+Care Wakefield can contact 01904 200218. Those based in the Doncaster area can contact 01302 883300.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Neil Shaefer .