Life on the JCA

   Part Two...... Yes, we were moving to Scotland. I started looking for jobs..I had no real idea when or what or how this was going to pan out , but you have to start somewhere. We put our house on the market and started from there.  My mum lived in Edinburgh and since we were moving up there to keep an eye on her  Edinburgh  seemed like the obvious choice for setting up home.

    We visited Edinburgh and decided we couldnt live there. It was way too expensive for starters. Trev found a sister company in Dundee. However  ,  I wasnt keen on Dundee , where he could transfer to,  so  we settled on Perth .We jumped in our car and off we went.. and it was only 30 odd miles from Edinburgh. 

    I should just add that prior to looking at perth we both had Interviews in Edinburgh for jobs , Trev had to drive a bus around town for half a day only to be told they were only looking for trainee drivers. I had Interview in Western General , Oncology outpatients..They said that my Interview was one of the most enjoyable they had attended..I just needed to re apply . I was told to reapply , but decided it wasnt for me.

    When we visited perth we instantly fell in love with it. It kind of reminded us of when we lived in Andover , good memories.. We had made our mind up..Perth is where we would look for work and a house.

    Now, a move this size has its moments. Its not easy or stress free . Trev applied for a transfer and I looked for a job. We arranged a house viewing on the same day as my interview. Mad , that's all I'm saying.

    We travelled all through the night  ,8 hours to be precise. Arrived in perth on the morning of my interview,  popped into the tesco , washed ,changed and turned up on time for my interview at 10am. Came out of interview and went back to tesco , changed and went to view house..agreed we wanted the house and travelled home , to Dudley , in time for a sleep before my next shift at work..incidentally,  on the way home from perth I had a phone call , I had the job , it was mine. 

    Trevor had to travel to Dundee for his interview. The sister company was located there, it was a good 40 minute drive up the A9 all the way there. There are no more motorways after Perth..Anyway , Trev got a transfer to Dundee. Everything was moving fast and in the right direction.

    When we had our start dates for work we knew this was going to happen. thats when we really pulled out all the stops. We arranged for a van , storage , somewhere to live before moving into house , redirection of post ,change of address  , find new Drs , the list is endless.

   We sold our house pretty much straight away , but nothing seemed to be moving forwards , that's when i found out that our buyers buyer had vanished. Our house was put straight back on the market and out of courtesy we contacted perth estate agent to update them..mistake number one. Our seller put the house we were buying back on the market , i can see this now as the housing market wasnt good and they had their own investment to protect. We however had to find a new proprty.

    We sold our house after four days on the market , travelled all the way to perth to view another proprty and made an offer. We made an offer because , i had visited a medium and she said she saw a house unlike all the others , it was white and had a lean too , beside sheep and running water. Well...here was the house...white , neighbour had lean to , waterfall two streets away and surrounded by fields full of sheep lol.. besides , there werent that many for sale. It needed work and lots of it. Took tlc to a whole new level . But , we made an offer and they duly accepted.

    The problems arose here and there , stressful times selling , buying  transferring jobs ect.. Sarah had our cat pebbles while all this was going on,  she was old and had become unwell. We didnt want her to be stressed by a move. We wanted to get settled and comfortable so she could just relax in her old age.

    I couldnt believe i was leaving Dudley and my lovely job..I would miss everything and everyone so much , especially my daughter. Sarah and pebbles were my life , they were what mattered to me but my wee mum was in greater need and sarah understood this. Besides , sarah would inherit a Scottish second home.

    When the day of our move arrived we were so busy..loading our van about two weeks previous to our move and unloading it into storage had been a sensible desicion,  we crammed loads into our car and off we went , into the unknown ..x....

Life on the JCA...

If anyone had told me I would be out of work at the age of 57 I would have laughed at them,  straight in the face,  well that's exactly what has happened .

    I still cant believe it , I have worked in the NHS for eleven years . I worked my butt of trying to secure my first job in NHS , I did training course after training course , having no previous experience in care whatsoever  I set about attaining all the skills I would need for this.I had a goal and nothing was going to stop me.

    First I joined Dudley council as an employee , I was so proud of being a carer for the elderly , 50 nans and grandad all in the same building,  it was one of the best jobs Iv ever had , sad , lonely , vulnerable , the days were long , the days were hard , but the rewards were huge , smiling faces of gratitude and genuine thanks of heartfelt thanks..I used to go home knackered , mentally and physically..

   I loved my job though. I had no idea what a carer did.I suppose you could say I was ignorant really. The people I looked after lived in sheltered housing , one big building with lots of little flats inside , there were 5 of us staff in total , we did our own rotas , we started at 7am and worked until 7.30pm , not in the same day, some days I would work 7am till 1pm then back in at 5pm till 7pm..It all depended ..

  On a morning you would go into the clients on your rota , there were usually 2 staff on every morning . If there was any hoisting then you phoned the other carer to come help. You would go in to their flat and let them know by gently knocking their door and introducing yourself , you didnt want to alarm them..

    Your morning started by helping them out of bed , assisting them to wash , make breakfast , make bed , wash up fix their hair and while all this is going on you chatter away and start them on their day in a cheery way , sometimes they had medication and creams applied . Sometimes depending on a million different factors you would be visiting a few at the same time , depending on the level of care and the time allocated for that care for each individual. Sometimes we fetched the pensions and took them shopping and did housework and laundry. 

   Each resident had their own character , some cheery and some not so cheery, that didnt affect the care they received,  everyone was treated with respect , dignity and compassion. This could be your nan or grandad or mum or dad...

   All those little flats had bits of their character in them , furniture they cherished , photos of loved ones ect. It always made me feel a little bit sad as I was on my way home from work , you see , sometimes we were the only contact they ever had outside those flats.

   Anyway , one day a resident went into "respite" , I thought this must be a holiday for them . It was in some ways I suppose,  more like a rest for family . Well I looked into it and found a place nearby that had jobs going so thought I would take a look. 

    As I was going round the "care home" I noticed it was alot busier than my place of work , and there was a job going so I thought I would apply,  why not. I had an Interview and was very nervous , I didnt have alot of experience but in for a penny I thought.. Four  members of staff sat in a room with me, the manager  two seniors and a carer, my mouth was so dry , I stopped thinking and went blank...

    On leaving the interview I remember feeling deflated , I had no real experience .

Sitting on the bus going home my phone rang , the job was mine if I wanted it , fantastic , I was on the next rung of the ladder and I wouldnt waste it..

    The days were long and the work load was heavy. The staff did care though .someone else did the meds , you didnt have time for that..we organised chip suppers , bingo , entertainment ,stripped beds and made them sorted through washing,  hoisted , mobilised, escorted on trips out , served meals assisted feeding .The list is to long , endless ..

     I started training for small things here and there  , I did NVQ ,Demetia care , Nutrition and Hygiene and many more training courses..sign me up I told the manager . I would toddle of home , settle down and start learning.

    About Two years into my job I overheard someone mention funds and closure and that was enough for me. It was time for my next rung on the ladder. I was on my way home from work and as always as you get near russells hall,  I could see the Hospital , why couldnt I work in there I thought..

     I saw a job advertised ,had absolutely no idea what maxiofacial meant full stop , it was a job and I was going to apply for it..It wasnt until I was given an interview date and time that I became anxious, what was I doing. Trevor thought I had gone mad, he said I couldn't find my way round the Asda and we had been shopping there for almost 30 years,  how was I going to find my way around that massive hospital. 

    My Interview day came and as I walked into the main reception area I was scared, I went up to the large desk in reception and asked the lovely lady behind the desk " can you tell me what maxiofacial is please". Well , I thought , still couldnt imagine what I could possibly know about that.

    I went up to the first floor and waited for my turn to go in for my interview, I had made my mind up sitting there waiting , this job had to be mine.I couldnt go home and tell trev I was useless and scared and let myself down. My interview was perfect, the Two people interviewing me made me feel at ease and I found my confidence,  all I needed was a chance...

    My phone rang that night ...the job was mine if I wanted it..It took me a while to believe it , trevor was speechless .

   I was the proudest person you could ever possibly hope to meet. I worked at the Hospital I was a " Clinical Support Worker "

    The people I met , the things I have seen and done , me . Some days i would be sent to work in the Out patients Dept. Some days i worked on the ward. The perfect job had arrived . What fantastic people I worked with . My training continued,  i was still eager to learn more. 

    People used to say to me " What's a health carer" ..I used to say we were the people that did all the Gory without the Glory , i couldnt even begin to list the jobs we fill and roles we play..it is far more than most people imagine ,we dont need gratitude or acknowledgement , it's our role , we are employed to do so whatever is asked of us within our capability and training . But theres things we do that are not in the training like , were compassionate and caring and spend hours reassuring your loved ones they will be ok and settling their fears in their darkest moments . We are there at the end of life , showing love and kindness to otherwise strangers weve known such a short time . We are are the eyes and the ears of what's going on around us , always discreet and passionate about our role.

   After Seven fantastic years in this job I had a strange thing happen in my life..I knew this was about to change my direction and so made plans ...

    I spoke to trevor and we both decided , what we did next had to happen no matter what ..We sold our house and relocated in Scotland.