Career Switch: Age Is Just a Number
If you asked her younger self what she would be working as when she grew up, professional caregiver would probably be one of the last things on Christina’s mind. Starting her career as a well-respected auditor, she left it all behind when motherhood came by, and devoted herself to caring for her two beautiful children as a full-time housewife.
As her children grew up and became increasingly independent, she found herself with a lot of spare time on her hands. She decided that instead of idling around in the day while her children were at school, she wanted to make productive use of her time by getting a part-time job, so that she can stay occupied and earn some income at the same time.
As she sat on the couch in her living room, browsing through various job options, she chanced upon Homage’s job opening as a Care Pro – a job with a flexible schedule, attractive income and an opportunity to deliver a social impact. That was when she decided to do a career switch, and started a new chapter in her life as a professional caregiver one fateful day on 20 February 2018.
Stepping Out of Her Comfort Zone
Christina had informal caregiving experience when she took care of her father-in-law and her Mum (bottom row, right).
Becoming a professional caregiver was something that had never crossed her mind before, but Christina was willing to step out of her comfort zone to give it a try. Despite having been the main caregiver for her mum and father-in-law, she still felt nervous for her first care visit as a professional caregiver.
Looking back, Christina laughs at her past unfounded worries and shares her thoughts:
“Taking such a drastic change in career path, I felt as if I was starting my first job all over again. While the compulsory caregiving training that Homage provides helped me be more confident in my caregiving skills, I still could not help but feel nervous because of my limited professional experience in this field. My personal caregiving experience at home did help me ease into this job, what I did not expect was the skills that I picked up as an auditor and a mother also contributed significantly in this new journey of mine.
As an auditor, I was trained to be an active listener to understand what my clients want. There is an art when it comes to listening. You have to listen with your mind and understand with your heart. As a mother, I learned the art of patience, which comes from truly understanding the person you are with.
The secret recipe to becoming a good caregiver is: Listen to understand and understand to be patient.
The skills that I picked up from my previous experiences, which had seemed unrelated initially, actually helped me tremendously as a caregiver when I was trying to build rapport with the seniors under my care.”
Both Christina and Mdm Ganesiah, one of the seniors with dementia under Christina’s care, are all smiles during their care visits, which takes place twice a week.
Indeed, today, Christina is one of our most active Care Pros, who is not just loved by seniors under her care, but also their family members. She has won over many hearts through her patient nature and active listening skills. In fact, to date, she has positively impacted the lives of more than 100 seniors.
Achieving Work-Life Balance
With a flexible schedule, Christina is able to be present at important milestones in her children’s lives as they grow up.
When asked about what drives her to join and stay with Homage, she shares:
“As a mum to my two lovely sons, my priority is to be able to spend quality time with my family and be present in their lives as they grow up. The flexibility in schedule as a Care Pro is great as it allows me to plan my time around my family commitments. Furthermore, the extra income I earn can be used to go on family vacations during the school holidays and also save up for retirement.”
Most importantly, what I really love about being a Care Pro is being able to make an impact on the lives of these seniors. Witnessing their condition improve every visit and seeing the smiles on their faces motivate me to keep doing my best to help as many seniors as I can.
If you, like Christina, are looking for a meaningful and well-paying career in caregiving on a flexible schedule, join us as a Care Pro today!
