It makes me happy every day to come to work

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“I work with seniors. Every morning at 6:45, we have a meeting with the nurses about what’s new with the residents, and what needs to be done that day.

In the morning, we get people up, get them dressed, help them look good, get ready for breakfast, and we feed them properly. If seniors have an appointment, we help them get ready for it.

Most of our residents have dementia. We have people who don’t talk anymore, but we are there for them. We speak for them, if they need it. We are their voice.

A big part of my job is the relationship I have with residents. You really do know them and what they need. Sometimes, we communicate just by looking at each other, especially for those with dementia.

But because we know them, we can tell if they are sick, depressed or in a good space, even without using words. The longer you work with seniors, the more you know them.

It can be really hard with the seniors right now, not having people coming to visit. Some residents would have people coming every day to help feed them, and suddenly they don’t see them. And talking on the phone, Zoom or FaceTime is great, but it’s very different from an actual visit.

When the lockdown started, we were really worried and stressed about bringing COVID into the care home or taking something home with us.

As a care worker, I didn’t visit friends or go out anywhere right now because I want to protect the seniors I care for. I just went to the garden store recently.

Working in long-term care is a heavy job, but I love it. I care too much. It makes me happy every day to come to work.”

- Mary Grace, Care Aide, part of the health care team