Right at Home, one of Australia's premium home care providers, values its caregivers highly. Every year, all caregivers are open for nomination to the Right at Home Caregiver of the Year Award, presented at Right at Home's national conference. The 2022 awardee comes from one of our Brisbane offices and has a wonderful story to share.

We interviewed our winning caregiver whose name we have shortened to B.

RAH: What drew you to a career in home care?

I grew up overseas where one of my family members needed support with activities of daily living. I ended up being one of his family carers and started to understand what it was like to be in a situation where you are responsible for someone's health and wellbeing. I was very happy and satisfied seeing my family member happy and cheerful as his needs were being met. The satisfaction that I get by seeing others happy, sharing these special moments, and the great feeling to be there when someone needs you, simply fulfills me and gives me happiness. So, this job allows me to make others happy and in so doing allows me to be self-happy.

RAH: What drew you to Right at Home?

My wife was already working with Right at Home, and she never wanted or talked about leaving this company or joining another company. My wife felt that working for Right at Home was very rewarding. My situation was different where I was working at different places, in different positions in different fields with less stability and satisfaction. My wife was the one who encouraged me to join Right at Home. Now I am happily working with a great support team and helping them to achieve their great mission of "improving the quality of life for those we serve".

RAH: What motivates you to do this work?

To be honest, it is all about being happy when you work. There are many people who cannot get up from bed, they need help with small things like turning on a light or a glass of water, scratching if itching, toilet transfers, transporting them to appointments or visiting their relatives or visiting the places they want to go. And some people are lonely and need someone to socialise with, so I will put myself in that situation and see what can I do to help them. Putting these people first, motivates me.

RAH: What do you think makes a good caregiver?

You obviously need the correct training and certification but anyone with a warm heart, who loves to help others and is happy and proud about this kind of job  can be a good caregiver. You need to observe and understand the situation, listen to the client and act wisely. Sometimes you need to talk, sometimes you only need to listen, sometimes you need to smile and sometimes you need to keep quiet. You just must be yourself and handle the situation in a professional way.

RAH: How did you feel being chosen as the winner of the Right at Home National Caregiver of the Year 2022?

I was happy and proud to be the winner of the Right at Home National Caregiver of the Year 2022. Thanks to Right at Home for this wonderful award, this is something that I can be proud of, and this is something that I can share with my family and friends. This is a great memory that I can be proud to be myself and I will be sharing it until I become old.

RAH: What opportunities has that opened for you at Right at Home?

Honestly speaking Right at Home has given me a secure good job with lots of flexibility and support, I have even been considered for a promotion to an office admin role and it has given me a chance to be renowned by being part of its advertisement which is on National Television in Australia. By being employed by Right at Home, this is supporting me to fulfill my dream of helping my parents to build a beautiful home. My parents were not wealthy, but they never let me down and they always gave me a great education and everything that I wanted. So, now I will be happy by giving them something in return and be proud about it.

RAH: What advice can you give to other people looking for a job and who perhaps haven’t thought about caregiving as a career?

Honestly speaking, I was not aware of caregiving as a career until I joined Right at Home. I used to take care of my family; they always tell me that I am essential like water. Now, I have a very big family under Right at Home that needs the same care, and the best part is I get paid just for helping people which makes me  happy. It’s that awesome feeling of being connected, being trusted, and just being there and you know someone can be happy with you around them. If you want to get paid for being happy and making others happy, then being a caregiver is awesome.

The Right at Home Care Giver of The Year is chosen for their exceptional commitment across many different categories such as teamwork, recognition by the client and their family, holding themselves and others to a high standard of care, and passion to provide extraordinary care to name a few.  

Right at Home have many support worker jobs available for people passionate about caregiving and helping to make a difference in the lives of those in their community. For a rewarding job that gives you great flexibility and great job satisfaction, look at our job board for the Right at Home support worker, care worker, personal care worker, admin roles, nurse vacancies, and other job listings nationally.

Keep up to date with COVID 19 information on the following links: 

Australian Government Department of Health 

Victorian Health and Human Services 

NSW Health 

Queensland Health 

ACT Health 

WA Department of Health 

Tasmanian Department of Health 

Northern Territory Department of Health 

SA Health 

Founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home companionship and personal care, and assistance to seniors (elderly and aged care), and any adult who needs our care at home including adults living with a disability who want to continue to live independently or age in their home. Right at Home is your local expert for issues related to caring for your loved ones and is dedicated to keeping you informed about home care. With no admin or subscription fees Right at Home allows you to get more care from your package or budget. 

Right at Home is a 'My Aged Care' government approved, home care provider for levels 1 – 4 and offers flexible in-home care services such as nursing care, after hospital care, post-operative care, respite care, dementia and Alzheimer's care. Right at Home also offers assistance with daily living and personal care such as grooming, hygiene, transport, shopping, meal prep, domestic services and social support, so your loved one can enjoy a more independent, vibrant life. Our nurses and caregivers are screened, highly trained, and insured prior to entering your home so you can trust us with the caregiving while you focus on your loved one. 

To find out more, please give us a call on 1300 363 802 or visit our website. 

Right at Home Offices in Australia: Adelaide Central; Brisbane Bayside; Brisbane North; Brisbane South; Brisbane West; Central Queensland & Wide Bay; Darling Downs; Far North Queensland; Gold Coast North; Gold Coast South; Greater Logan; Mackay; Moreton Bay Region; Noosa, Gympie & Hinterland; Sunshine Coast; Townsville; Central West New South Wales; Gosford; Hunter & Port Stephens; Macarthur Penrith; Newcastle; Northern Rivers; Padstow St George; Southern NSW; Sydney Central & Eastern Suburbs; Sydney Inner West; Sydney Liverpool; Sydney Lower North Shore; Sydney Norwest; Sydney Northern Beaches; Sydney Parramatta; Sydney Ryde; Sydney The Hills; Sydney Upper North Shore; Kalgoorlie Wheatbelt; Perth Como; Perth Midland; Perth Northern Suburbs; Perth West Coast; Southwest Victoria