By Luke Voogt
After 17 years caring for cancer survivors and the elderly Newtown’s Jan Hinds is not letting the coronavirus pandemic stop her.
The 59-year-old is among many council care workers still supporting more than 5000 disabled, vulnerable and elderly people across Geelong during the pandemic, with additional safety precautions in place.
“I’ve been caring for a lady who’s been battling leukaemia for more than 17 years and is still going,” she said.
“I just love what I do, there can never be enough kindness in this world.”
Jan said making her clients feel “loved” and “not forgotten” was especially important as the pandemic made them more isolated than ever.
After working in nursing and hospitality, Jan became a council care worker in 2003 to give back while being a “mum first” as daughter Kelsey started primary school.
Among “hundreds of lovely clients” was a woman with no children or “anybody else in the world” who Jan visited in hospital during her last moments.
“She was really, really, low but so happy to see me,” she said.
“About 30 minutes later, she passed away. I still have an orchid in my garden that she gave me more than 12 years ago.”
She helped others regain their independence, like a Lithuanian widow with no kids who broke her hip.
“She ended up in a nursing home and begged the doctor to send her home.”
The woman was able to return to her Bell Park home, where she had lived for decades, for six years with help from council carers, Jan said.
“It’s great when people can get back home – so long as they’re safe and can cope.”
Read our full Q and A with Jan here:
Tell us about yourself
I’m 59 and live in Newtown with my husband Jeff.
I also have a 21-year-old daughter, Kelsey, and two older step children, Carl and Marcelle.
I play basketball twice a week, in a ladies’ social group and in a local competition with my daughter. We made finals before everything shut down.
I’ve walked the Spain and Portugal Camino trails. A highlight was walking from Portugal to Spain with my daughter.
I like socialising with friends, gardening, swimming, bodysurfing and now of course – jigsaws!
I have three friends with cancer and one with Motor Neuron Disease (MND).
I’m trying to support them. Staying in touch via telephone and dropping off books and coffee, of course keeping my distance while trying to provide emotional support.
I also keep an eye on my elderly mother (who turns 88 in August), she still lives at home so I regularly call her to see if she’s OK or if she needs groceries.
When I left school, I started nursing. I worked at Grace McKellar for 10 years.
Then we moved to Wodonga to start a special accommodation business – it was a 36-bed low-level hostel.
After that we bought a caravan park in Apollo Bay and I helped my husband and his brother and wife run that.
We then bought another caravan park, so we’ve been involved in a few holiday and accommodation businesses now.
What do you do as a Community Care worker and how long have you been doing it?
I started in 2003, so I’ve been with the City of Greater Geelong for 17 years. I wanted to give something back to the Geelong community in aged and disability care.
I thought about going back to nursing when my daughter started school in Geelong, but I didn’t think the hours would suit. I was a mum first and wanted to be there when Kelsey got home from school.
I saw an ad for a Community Care worker, interviewed for the job and they told me I had it. This happened on my birthday, so it was a lovely present.
Why do you do it?
I wanted to care for others, to make someone’s life easier – who wasn’t as fortunate as me.
Doing just one thing to make someone’s life easier is really rewarding. I’ve had hundreds of lovely clients over the years.
For all the work the City does with aged care, my work colleagues do a great job, as well as our team leaders and management – it’s a wonderful service for the community of Geelong.
Especially at this time where people can feel isolated – keeping that uplifting spirit and staying positive lets everyone know that they’re not forgotten and they’re an important part of our community.
I’ve been fortunate to work with beautiful colleagues, we support one another inside and outside of work, knowing that you have the backup and teamwork is so important.
What are the people you support like?
I’m fortunate to have beautiful clients who are very grateful and respectful for what I do. The little bit of kindness I show them often comes back 10-fold to me.
People I care for come from all walks of life, different cultural and religious backgrounds. Some are widows.
Everybody has their own story to tell, some of the elderly people are like a library with hosts of stories, memories and experiences. It’s a privilege when they want to share them with you.
I remember one lady who I’d been helping for a few years, she had no children, just a niece and nephew but they both lived overseas.
She didn’t have anybody else in the world. She had a massive growth in her stomach, wasn’t well and had to go to hospital.
I visited her in hospital and sat with her. She was really, really, low but so happy to see me.
As I was leaving, I noticed her breathing had changed. About 30 minutes later, she passed away.
I still have an orchid in my garden that she gave me more than 12 years ago – it’s just beautiful and sits outside my loungeroom window and reminds me of the lovely memories of her.
Why is work that you and other Community Care workers do so important?
It’s important because everyone needs to feel loved and cared for, even when we get old. We don’t want people slipping through the cracks.
I like showing kindness, compassion, and empathy. I just love what I do, there can never be enough kindness in this world. If everybody could just give a little bit more, you can make someone’s day a little bit easier.
What stands out as a highlight in your career as a Community Care worker?
All the beautiful clients I’ve met over the years and my colleagues and the network of friends I’ve developed through this work over the years.
I’ve been caring for a lady who’s been battling leukaemia for more than 17 years and is still going.
Seeing people come back from hospital, from illness or injury and get well again and regain their independence with some help from the City.
One Lithuanian lady who lived alone broke her hip. Her husband had died years earlier and she didn’t have any kids.
She ended up in a nursing home and begged the doctor to send her home. She had lived in the same house in Bell Park forever and just wanted to come home.
Finally, she got her wish and with help from the City’s community care team was able to live independently at home for another six years.
It’s great when people can get back home – so long as they’re safe and can cope.
