Brantford health-care aide loves her work Caring for others, variety of work highlight 18-year career   Thursday April 1, 2010 -- Lisa Bailey After 18 years working as a health-care aide at Leisureworld Caregiving Centre Brantford, Debbie Leggett says she “can’t imagine” doing anything else. “I just love my job, I love coming in here. It makes me happy to be here. It’s just a good environment to be in,” she says. The most satisfying aspects of her profession are also the main reasons why she chose it in the first place ­— helping and caring for others, continually meeting new and interesting staff and residents and keeping busy. Variety is another spice of her job. “Every day is different. You don’t know what you’re going to walk into. You might have a quiet day or a chaotic day,” she says, noting she is caring for residents with a wide variety of challenges and needs. As a daytime health-care aide, which is now known as a personal support worker, Leggett says she’s responsible for helping residents with activities of daily living. For example, she helps residents rise from their beds, dress, tend to personal hygiene and eat. She and another team member care for about 20 of the 24 residents in one wing of the 122-bed home, with another staff member assisting with bathing. “Basically, all of the things that you would need to do for yourself but now we’re helping you with all of those things,” she says to describe her role. In addition to the physical tasks, Leggett must also complete paperwork. “Everything has to be documented,” she says, citing residents’ food and drink intake as an example. Spending eight hours a day caring for residents, Leggett says she gets to know these people, as well as their families. She realizes she’s part of a team making a difference in lives. “In general, when people come in here, it feels more like family and the families that come in here all know us by name. It’s a small home so it’s a close group of people, everybody knows the residents and the families.” Among changes she’s seen over the years is heightened awareness and solutions to health and safety issues. For example, she says, residents used to be lifted manually, which could exact a physical toll on health-care aides. “When I first started we didn’t have the mechanical lifts that we do now,” she says, adding the technology means longer careers. Leggett appreciates the training because it allows team members to improve their skills and knowledge. This, in turn, enhances the level of care provided to residents. If you have feedback on this article, please contact the newsroom at 800-295-0051, ext. 25, or e-mail lisa(at)axiomnews.ca.