He was not immediately convinced that this was his calling, but he wanted to give it a chance. Chris: “With healthcare you soon think of elderly care and wash people.” But the care is wider, he discovered. “I was going to do sniffing internships at youth care and care for the disabled. And I noticed that I enjoyed being on the group and guiding people.”
“Think of making appointments, arranging a taxi and outings, brushing teeth. I am calm and have a lot of patience. Friends and family also indicated that this work suited me.”
He cannot escape to wash people occasionally. “But that only applies to clients who are wheelchair dependent. Most have a mild intellectual disability and are fairly independent. Some people can eventually even move on to their own home.”
Get used to going to school again
For three years, Chris has been in school again: a day of school and the rest work at care organization Calidus. It took some getting used to, he confesses: “It was more than 20 years ago for me that I had been at school for the last time. Was not already doing homework at that time, and still not. But I thought it was very interesting and in healthcare it is necessary to have certain knowledge.” He now works at Zorgstesteling Broerdijk in Oostwoud.
If all goes well, he has his MBO-4 diploma in Social Care in the fall. “I think this is great work. You can help people. And I think the irregular services are a plus. I like to work for an evening. Otherwise I will be on the couch in Netflix.”
He continues: “This work gives me so much satisfaction. It was a gamble, but afterwards it was lucky in an accident that stopped Deen. Here you really mean something for a person.”