Case Study: Sheila's Story

I was drawn into care work after the death of my first husband, I nursed him until his death, and after that I felt I had so much more to give.

My first motivation for going into care work was to care, and when I first began working for Bluebird Care York, I was very nervous, in fact it is probably true to say I was scared and unsure if I could actually do it. I had little confidence, and I was painfully shy.

But I truly wanted to work in care, I had a strong desire to make a difference, to care for people, make them feel valued, safe and to enable them to stay in their own homes for as long as possible.

When I began shadowing I just remember thinking, "how on earth am I ever going to be able to do this". Making small talk with people was a big deal for me, and not something I found easy.

My first week alone was daunting, but addictive, watching people change, gaining their trust and to see them begin to relax in my care was an amazing privilege.

Now I love my job, I am very passionate about what I do. My day starts at 6am I get up, ready and set off for my first call which is at 7am. Calls can vary from a half an hour to up to 3 hours depending on the individual needs of our customers.

I care for each person I visit in the same way I would a family member. As care worker's we go into people's homes, into their personal space and we must respect this, it's a great responsibility and an awesome privilege.

It's true that you can learn most things, but you need compassion, a love for people, and a desire to give your all, because these are the things that matter the most to those people in our care.

-Sheila Warris, Care Worker, Bluebird Care York