Caregiver Spotlight – Deborah Kennedy

Our Caregiver Spotlight for the Month of January 2022 is on our superhero Caregiver Deborah Kennedy.

Sheffield based family woman Deborah is always one to find happiness in service and making a difference in people’s lives. This was evident in her career – as prior to joining the care industry, Deborah had worked in hospitality for 17 years before being furloughed due to the pandemic.  She then decided to join the Care industry and put her values and people skills to use to make a bigger difference in the world. She has been with us for just over a year as we recently celebrated her 1 year anniversary at Visiting Angels.

When not working, Deborah likes to spend time with family and cares for her elderly parents. To unwind, she likes to take her dog Oscar for walks and loves travelling – Her recent pictures from the trip to Poland, tell it all!

We asked Deborah some questions to get to know her and her work better.

What does a caregiver do?

A caregiver provides person centred care to those needing it by tailoring it to their requirements and making it bespoke. This can include personal care like bathing, showering, washing, shaving etc as well as  preparation of meals and drinks , administration of medicines and grocery shopping. Sometimes if the client is more vulnerable , they might  need medical care including peg feeding, tracheostomy care, catheter care etc.

What is a typical day like for you?

Every day, I am out of the house by 6:30am. I have about 4 morning calls helping with morning routines like showering, preparing and feeding breakfast, providing medications, tidying up the house, walking their dog etc. Sometimes I might get  lunch time calls.

Some days I  do a long visit and provide complex care from 2pm to 10pm  for a gentleman who needs tracheostomy care and household help.

Twice a week 9-7 pm, I do a 10 hour visit looking after an elderly gentleman who recently lost his wife who I also cared for.

What do you enjoy most about being a caregiver?

Every single day, after every single call I  know that I  have made a difference to a person’s life and they are so grateful. It’s a lovely feeling to know that I have touched somebody’s life and made it a little better.

What are some of the challenges associated with your job

Some of the challenges that come with the job is the commute aspect of it- sometimes when there is traffic, there is not enough travel time to reach your client on time. Thankfully Visiting Angels does pay us for travel time and mileage, so these challenges don’t feel like big ones.

Every now and then you might have to face and handle a difficult family member, but that is rare as most of our clients and their families are lovely!

What advice would you give to somebody considering joining Visiting Angels as a Caregiver?

You should absolutely do it! However, you must have the will to make a difference and change a person’s life- not just for the money and benefits. It is a lovely career to have ! Also be prepared for being out on the roads.

 

 

We thank Deborah Kennedy for this candid interview and wish her a Happy Visiting Angels Anniversary!

 

If you see yourself as someone who wants to make a difference in a person’s life. If you want a fulfilling & rewarding job, JOIN US!
You can be our next Angel. Visit the website HERE to see the list of vacancies and apply today.