Jobs

Jim Lawrence, St Michael’s House, Welwyn Garden City

Sailing and surfing the Internet are two of the spare time activities that Jim Lawrence enjoys.

In fact, it was surfing the Internet that led him to his new job at St Michael’s House, Welwyn Garden City, a Hertfordshire County Council residential care service for physically disabled people. He found it through looking on www.hertsdirect.org/jobs and applied for it online.

After 30 years working in administrative jobs in travel, finance and local government Jim, now in his mid fifties, had been unemployed for two years when he decided on a change of direction.

He had some experience of caring, from helping to look after disabled relatives and as a hospital voluntary worker, which prompted him to apply for a vacancy at St Michael’s House. That job wasn’t right for him but the manager got in touch with him later and suggested he apply for a post as a residential support worker.

Working either 7.30am to 3.30pm or 2.30pm to 10.30pm, Jim’s new job sees him helping residents with things they can’t manage and encouraging them to do as much as they can for themselves – from getting up, washing, shaving and getting dressed and preparing for bed, to getting out and about and following their own hobbies and interests.

Five weeks into the job, he says: “So far, so good. It’s not like nursing, which I probably would have gone into if I’d been 15 years younger. It’s about encouraging people to do what they can unaided and assisting them when they need it. You have to respect their privacy and the choices they make about how they spend their time and show an interest in what they do.

I’m learning to do things I never thought I would, from changing a stoma bag to helping someone with model making - something I never liked when I was a boy, and I’m really enjoying it.”