A rewarding job

Lorenzo is a Support Worker at Mayo House, one of our homes for adults with learning disabilities.

I know that some people wake up in the morning and feel a sense of dread about having to go to work. Fortunately, working for Milestones I never get that.

I started working at Mayo House as agency staff two and a half years ago. It was difficult to get reliable work, so when the manager at Mayo encouraged me to apply for a permanent role, I jumped at the chance. It was an opportunity to have full time work in a place I was already very familiar with and enjoyed working in, so I thought it would be great.

News stories about social care are typically negative, but there’s another side to it. I do activities like swimming and bowling with people we support, and I’ve played football with them. It’s a lot of fun, and I’m getting paid to do it. Best of all, I’m helping to put a massive smile on someone’s face.

It’s a very worthwhile job because I’m helping people to do things that they can’t do on their own. When I have a day off, I really feel like I deserve it.

I feel well supported by colleagues and management, and it’s a working environment I’m very comfortable in. The training I’ve received must be good as I’ve always been able to remember it all. I also work in a good team, and some of my colleagues have become friends.

My job can also be challenging. Sometimes I have to tell people we support things that they don’t want to hear, for example encouraging them to eat healthier food. That’s never easy!

On one occasion a person we support had a seizure while I was out walking with him in the countryside. I had to deliver CPR and direct an ambulance to a location that wasn’t easy to describe. Thankfully the ambulance managed to get to us in time and they were able to give him the life-saving treatment he needed.

There can be difficult moments in this job, and you have to be prepared for them. You have to be willing to put other people’s needs before your own. But I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who is thinking of applying. It’s very rewarding and can be a lot of fun too. If you’re a kind and caring person who’s strong-willed, then go for it.

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