79-year-old reveals why he became a care worker in his seventies

Michael Rose became a home care worker at the age of 71, because he wanted to do "something worthwhile" and "different".

Michael spent his working life in the Merchant and Royal Navy and then as an airline executive before retiring.

However he soon found that living the quiet life was not for him.

“I’m still very active and able bodied and wanted to be able to do something different, something worthwhile with my time and abilities, so I thought about working as a care worker,” he revealed. Caring for his mother gave him a taste of the ‘caring role’ which he found he really enjoyed.

“I looked after my 94-year-old mother for a while which meant she could still live at home and I realised how important it was for people to have the choice to stay at home and be independent.” So when he saw an advert for care workers in the local paper, he applied.

For Michael, it was “the best thing”.

“Giving back something to society and helping people less fortunate than myself was really rewarding. I felt I was making a positive difference to other peoples’ lives and supporting them to regain their confidence and independence at home.

“As a family man with six grandchildren I have lots in common with my clients and a wealth of life experience and memories to share with others.”

Working as a home care worker for Caremark has enabled him to interact with all sorts of people from different walks of life.

Michael says: “I have fond memories of the people I care for, some who are no longer here now. Their lives are so interesting.

“I used to visit a retired sea captain and having been in the Royal Navy myself we had a great rapport and would address each other as if we were still on-board ship. When I arrived for his call, he would open the door and I would stand to attention, salute him and ask for permission to come aboard!

“We had many chats about his service during the War too– it was brilliant and so interesting.”

Michael's work consists of home care visits from early in the morning through to lunch time with the occasional evening visit.

“It’s hard work at times but I really enjoy what I do and I work with a fantastic team of people. I feel very fortunate to be able to do this job. At the end of the day you have a feeling you have done something really worthwhile.”

Harinder Dhami , care manager at Caremark (Pulborough) has found "older care workers often have a great connection with their older clients because of shared interests which means they have lots to talk about".

She added: "More years of life experience is also valuable and provides another link to a common understanding of different aspects of life in general.

"Another benefit is that they choose to work rather than having to work. This gives them a little more flexibility in their working hours as they are not limited by the demands of young children and family life."

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