On August 7 we celebrate Aged Care Employee Day, a day where recognise the vital contribution of our aged care workforce and offer them our heartfelt thanks for all they do to improve the lives of older Australians.
To mark the day, we caught up with LiveBetter aged care employee Margaret Dunnachie. Known to many of us at LiveBetter as ‘Margaret from Mudgee’, Margaret, as the name suggests, lives and works in the Central West NSW town of Mudgee, and her capacity for kindness, humility and joy endears her to both colleagues and customers alike.
“There is no doubt in my mind that this is what I was put on this earth to do!”
Early years
Margaret was born in Granville, Western Sydney. Her school days weren’t easy, and Margaret often found herself on the wrong side of the playground bullies. These early experiences left her determined to support those, who like her, felt unloved and alone.
“When I was bullied at school, there was no one to help me. No one to help me feel better about myself. And I said to myself that if I ever had a chance, I’d try to change that for other people.”
“I really have no time for bullies. They are just cowards who have to belittle and degrade others to make themselves feel good.”
The Tree Change
In the year 2000, Margaret and her husband John, a cooper (barrel maker) decided it was time for a tree change and moved from Sydney to a property in Cooks Gap, near Mudgee. Life was good until John was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.
John was Margaret’s soulmate – her best friend. By the time he was diagnosed, his cancer was untreatable, and his death left her devastated, depressed, and not sure how to go on.
But go on she did, and today she dedicates herself to helping others…and to a mischievous Maltese Cross called Pickles.
On LiveBetter
Some years back, Margaret heard a news story about an elderly woman who died alone and was not discovered for some time afterwards. The story served to both horrify and inspire her. It is a story she never forgot.
Margaret was going to make a difference – but she wasn’t sure how.
“The thought never occurred to me that I would be working in the community sector, ever. But, after going through some difficult circumstances myself, I secured a position as a Home Care Worker at Baptist Care. I loved the work, but there wasn’t enough of it, and I was retrenched. The very next day I saw an ad in the local paper for a Home Care Worker at a company called CareWest (now known as LiveBetter). I applied for and subsequently got the job – and the rest, as they say, is history.”
Margaret has since completed her Certificates 3 and 4 in Aged Care and a Diploma of Community Services Work. She has now been caring for LiveBetter’s aging customers in Mudgee for nearly ten years.
“Helping those who are lonely, who feel as though they’re a burden. Listening to them, letting them know they are worthy of care and respect. That’s what makes it so worthwhile. At the end of the day, the most rewarding thing I can ever hope for is that I’ve helped someone feel better about themselves – less lonely and less depressed.”
On Palliative Care
Margaret’s passion for palliative care, a passion that began as she cared for her husband in his final weeks and days, has grown.
Today, ensuring that those at the end of life are not alone is Margaret’s life mission.
“I have an enormous passion for palliative care. It is such an honour to be able to tend to and care for people who are at the end of life – and their families. I think this is because I can empathise with them. After all, I have been through this.”
“I am about to begin a Specialist Palliative Care Course through Flinders University. I would love to further my studies and devote myself to this line of work because there is no doubt in my mind that this is what I was put on this earth to do!”
Quick questions:
- What is the best thing about your work?
“Helping those who are lonely, those who feel like they are burdens. Helping them to know that they are loved, worthy human beings who absolutely deserve the best possible care and respect. If I can put a smile on their face and help them feel better about themselves, then I think that is the best thing about my work.”
- What is the most challenging thing about your work?
“I get anxiety, and the hardest thing for me is meeting a new client for the first time, and not knowing what to expect. What is the environment going to be like? What is the person going to be like? That, for me, is the hardest thing.”
- Top tip to manage work-life balance?
“Have boundaries and prioritise your own health – if you don’t look after yourself, you can’t expect to be able to look after others to the best of your ability.”
- What keeps you going, getting up and doing it all again, each day?
“I love my vocation and as they say, if you love your work, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
- Hopes for in the future? Where do you see yourself in five years?
“Still working for LiveBetter, hopefully providing palliative care for those who need it!”
- If there was one piece of advice you could give to others who are starting in the community sector, what would it be?
“If you have the aspiration and the compassion to help others, if you really want to be there, then go for it!”
