Tim Corry and Alex Duncan are learning fast as they emerge from behind the scenes to on-the-ground training. This month, as they’ve got out and about, they’ve discovered that the world is full of remarkable people, if we take the time to care, and that the real art behind great caring is doing the job you love. Tim Corry shares their tales from what feels familiarly like ‘ground school’:

Month 2: Getting Our Care Stripes

Last month I wrote about what attracted Alex and me to the Home Care industry and how we’re taking new steps as new Guardian Angel Carers franchise owners. This month, Alex, my Wingman, and I have hit the ground running to learn and earn our caring stripes.

If we thought the New Year started with a bang, February offered no let-up. We completed two weeks of accelerated business training, going through systems, rota planning, marketing and recruitment. Our minds full, we then took part in three intensive days of care training and shadowing shifts with some amazing CareAngels.

I was lucky enough to spend those few days in the calm company of Richard Fairbrass. He came to care from looking after his wife when she was diagnosed with cancer. His generous nature and steadfast optimism, like so many carers, is inspiring. I am continually blown away whenever I ask any carer if they enjoy their job. Without exception, the reply is: ‘It’s the best job in the world’.

Ground School

Training felt very familiar, almost like being back at ground school when Alex and I first started our RAF flying training. The information came thick and fast, and on more than one occasion, it felt like drinking through a fire hose! We had so much to learn and absorb, and it kept coming. It is a process that all CareAngels go through at the beginning of their Guardian Angel career, and it needs to be completed before ‘flying’ solo.

First Flight

Next came our shadowing shifts. The preparation and apprehensions were similar to my first flight, as was the excitement and buzz of completing my first care visit. I have written a diary to record my journey that day. It simply reads: ‘Immensely rewarding’. It truly was – far beyond my expectations.

Remarkable People

The people we visited were incredible. Each had a unique story to tell. It really made me appreciate the lives that people have lived and how we must see beyond the ‘elderly’ person in front of us.

One gentleman we visited was an RAF Air Engineer on the Halifax bomber aircraft during WWII. Incredibly, he trained at the same place that Alex and I completed some of our flying training, at RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire.

It reminded me what so many in this older generation has done and how they’ve experienced so much, often at a very young age. With each conversation, I was left with a deeper admiration than before. It was a humbling experience and spurred me on again in my commitment to giving something back through our Home Care franchise.

With all those we visited that first day, we would be the only people they saw that day, and for some, that week. The sense of loneliness is incredible. Of course, the pandemic has not helped, but for many, this was also the reality before.

The chance to be that care in action, and see first hand how we can make a positive difference to peoples daily lives is the real reward, and well, now I too can say: “it’s the best job in the world.”