Before joining this industry 7 years ago I was caught up in Management, OHS and auditing roles in hospitality. There were a lot of fulfilling things. But it was never quite the right fit.
Something I love about this industry is that every day my office looks different, and so does my “uniform”.
Today was book week costume day for some of the children I currently support. They wanted to make sure I was going to come in a costume like everyone else. I could not disappoint, and face paint and inflatable tentacles certainly turned heads on the drive over.
Love the dedication to Book Week! That costume is amazing. Definitely no disappointment there. It’s great to see someone who’s so passionate about what they do, and it’s awesome that you’ve found a role where you can bring that kind of energy every day. Also, I totally get what you mean about the “uniform” keeps things interesting, right?
On an unrelated note, I’m guessing you’re a bit of a night owl Lauren? You seem to up late when you post.
It is as much fun for me as it is for them. It was always hard to be a creative person in a conforming world. Now I get to be in a world where everyone gets to be unique (including me) and still achieve goals and get things done.
Night time is my free time. I tend to stack clients during the day most days of the week. Its also when I do my best work when it comes to paperwork unfortunately. Luckily my accountant has the same issue so she doesn’t mind the odd 10pm brainstorm.
I totally get the whole night owl thing. Sometimes the best ideas come when the world’s quiet. When I lay in bed, I have my best thoughts . Speaking of creativity, how do you go about about bringing more creative activities into your sessions with clients? You seem to have with it all, so i guess you’d have some good activities you’d do.
It really depends on the clients needs and goals. I have a lot of things I like to dabble in so I sort of try to match skills and physical abilities where I can.
Some examples:
I had one client who just wanted a hobby. They worked their whole life and didn’t actually know what they liked to do. We had a great time discovering a lot of things they didn’t like (they didn’t take me up on the sky diving suggestion thankfully). Turns out archery was the one so right now we are building shoulder strength so that they can better support the bow and participate longer.
The students I work with have different issues ranging from autism to ABI but they all have the same thing in common. They hate writing. Lucky for them I hated writing as a kid too. We have been working on making comic books with a program called Comica. They write a whole lot of dialogue because they can print their comics and show people.
I tried and failed to teach a client to sew (I only received 8 needle point injuries in the attempt) but they did learn to at least put a button back on their own shirt which they took as a win.
I like to craft so I have helped some clients try different craft skills to see where their fine motor skills are at and also give them more ways to express themselves. Quilling is one of my favourite things as well as making memory boxes.
I am still working on getting more people into yodeling. Not because I am good at it, but just because its hilarious to try and teach it.
It’s really cool to hear how you make your work so fun. As someone on the receiving end of support, I can say it makes a huge difference when the person is actually keen to have some fun. You can feel the difference instantly.
It benefits me as much as the clients. Especially when it opens up conversations.
I had a period of time where I needed carers myself years ago due to illness. Sometimes it was work just to get some to crack a smile. What I remember most is that I don’t remember being unwell when the ones with the good senses of humour came through.
There are times when we need to be serious, empathetic and sensitive to situations. But bringing the right energy leads to better outcomes.
My daughter LOVES the little mermaid, so she would have loved to have seen your costume. I showed her on the computer and she instantly knew who you were. She only turned 3 a few days ago.
For book week my wife had her dress up as Thelma the unicorn, Thing 1 & 2 from cat in the hat (her cousin and friend go to the same daycare and they were all matching) and… something else haha. There was 3 different costumes for the 3 different days she went to daycare.
Haha… 100% agree! Omg, you HAVE TO show us a video of you teaching someone to Yodel. I’m sure that there’s lots of people here that would love to get in on that. You could totally start a Yodeling comp or something. I could see that being so much fun and getting some attention.
I would have been relieved too. I hate heights, but wanted to face my fear and go skydiving years ago… It was a horrible experience haha. Did not assist me in my fear of heights whatsoever. I’d probably have to do it 100 times before feeling any kind of desensitization.
Very cool. I’ve always thought that sewing would be such a practical life skill to have. So you know how to sew or were you teaching yourself along the way too?
Thats such good way to assess fine motor skills without making it feel like a test. Really nifty.
Sounds like you’d be such a good carer. Lots of good ideas. Some people are just brilliant at this sort of thing. Do you have kids of your own. You sound like you’d be a good mum too.
That’s quite the costume. It’s clear you’re really dedicated to making things enjoyable for the kids you support. It’s always nice to see someone bringing their own style to the job. Thanks for sharing this.
It’s a nice reminder of how impactful the little things can be.
Last year I went as snow white so I definitely had to up my game this year. We definitely need more costume days as adults. I have so many and rarely get to use them.
Once something is on the internet it is forever. I am not sure if I am ready for that level of yodeling notoriety.
I know how to hand sew, especially basic clothing maintenance like buttons, hemming, hole repair and additional items like belt loops. I also do minor plushie repairs and I made a quilt once but I think one is enough because of the amount of work that went into it. I can’t machine sew, mostly because of a weird phobia of having the needle go through my finger as I run things through. No idea how that started but I list it as one of lifes mysteries.
I don’t have kids of my own but I have several pets. My partner rescues dogs and I rescue cats. We currently have 3 cats and a dog with various disabilities and issues that could not be rehomed. We did have 4 cats but my oldest April passed away from dementia this year a little after her 19th birthday.
Aww poor April. Its crazy how the same diseases get them too. I used to have a cat like April as a kid, her name was Milo. Shadow’s name definitely suits him/her. Pretty cat.
@Emily Well they are all odd balls so they sort of suit each other.
Lily is 12 and has been battling cancer for 3 years.
Gina has a condition called Pica.
Ninja has such an extreme phobia of people that without photos I cannot prove she exists.
Shadow was rescued from a hoarder house when she was a kitten where 40 cats lived in cages. When I brought her home she decided she was a dog and stayed with Lily. She eats dog food, barks and growls at people through the window.
Quite literally when I first brought her home I thought we lost her.
She vanished and we believed she must have somehow slipped out the door. Then one day I went to use the washing machine and she launched out of nowhere, then vanished. Then two days later she launched at me from the air-conditioner when I turned it on, then vanished. Like a ninja.
She is better now and will sit 3 feet away from us most of the time. But I have had both guests and house sitters ask me if I am sure I own a 3rd cat.
. Speaking of creativity, how do you go about about bringing more creative activities into your sessions with clients? You seem to have with it all, so i guess you’d have some good activities you’d do.
