Glen Cameron used to work at a gym and also as a bartender 12 years ago. That’s when he decided it was time for a 180 degree career shift – so he become a care aide.
“I was working in a gym and bartending. I always kind of wanted to do something like this so I applied. That was 12 years ago,” says Cameron. “Jeff and I hit it off immediately. He has a great sense of humour and he is a great boss. So we seem to enjoy working with each other. To be honest with you, when I started I thought I would just get a bit of experience and then probably move on. But pretty quickly I realized we really connected. It just turns out I really enjoyed working with him.”
The interesting twist to this story is that Glen met his wife Lioness “Ness” Del Rosario through his experience as a care aide. “A couple of years in we got a new worker named Ness,” recalls Cameron. “She eventually became my wife. That is going on about nine years ago now that I first met her.”
Cameron’s boss Jeff is 45 years old and has cerebral palsy. He requires the assistance of a care aide for approximately 12 hours per day. Ness was initially hired by Jeff as a care aide, then worked part time while she studied to be an LPN. She now works full time as an LPN, and takes the odd shift with Jeff as his care aide.[quote name=”Lioness Del Rosario” pull=”Left”]The best thing about the job is I was able to reach my dream as a nurse and of course, meeting my husband[/quote]
Coincidentally, it was the one year anniversary of their wedding on the day of the interview- something Jeff jokingly reminded Glen about on camera.
“The things I like most about the work is the fact Jeff is an amazing employer and the flexibility of the hours. I work part-time and I thought this is a good opportunity for me to go to school and take the nursing course – licensed practical nurse,” says Del Rosario. “The best thing about the job is I was able to reach my dream as a nurse and of course, meeting my husband.”
– Produced by NFB filmmaker Joe Moulins for the Seniors Care HR Planning Committee. Funding for this project was provided by the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Development Agreement.
