Loi and Son – aged care

LOI:
I came to Australia in 1991. Later on, I got a job at Toyota and worked in Port Melbourne until 2006 when the company closed down. After the company closed its doors, I felt very sad because I thought being over 50 years old and without many skills or any qualification, it would be difficult to find a suitable job. Then I heard that the government was encouraging people to work in the aged care sector.

My name is Loi. I’m 62 years old. I am from Vietnam. I have been Mr Ly’s helper and carer for the last three years. At first I felt the same way as what they (family and friends) had said, which was that this was a difficult job.

But after working for a while, I found that it's not like how they had described it. I also felt that by working with the seniors, I can learn a lot from their life experiences.

Three years ago I got the job of providing home care to Mr Ly. Initially we did not talk much to each other; I would just do my job and leave. After a while, he began to open up to me and I also shared stories with him so we got to understand each other.

MR LY:
I prefer to have a home care person who speaks the same language with me because it makes things easier for me.

Firstly, my English is not very good, so I can communicate more easily and comfortably with someone who comes from the same country. There’s more freedom at home.

LOI:
To encourage people to work with the aged, I think that in this sector it’s very easy to find work, the pay is good and the hours are flexible. In my opinion, people should understand that when we care for the aged, we help them to live independently, with dignity and in their own homes.