August 15, 2004 - 5:00pm
Maggy Waring is an inspiration to anyone thinking about a career change.
That’s because this feisty woman gave up a 30-year career as a beef cattle rancher and bookkeeper to launch a new career. She couldn’t be happier.
"This is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life," said Waring, who graduates in September from Malaspina University-College’s Home Support/Resident Care Attendant program.
Waring spent three decades living and working on 110-acre beef cattle farm she co-owned with her ex-husband in Qualicum Beach. She also managed the books for a construction company the couple owned jointly. Waring’s life changed abruptly when her marriage unraveled and her elderly mother began to die.
"My mother had serious heart problems and her body basically began to shut down," recalls Waring. "It was like watching a wind-up clock slowly unwinding. You knew you couldn’t wind it up again."
Caring for her mother at home led Waring to an important discovery - she enjoyed working with the elderly. So when her mother entered a care facility in August 2003, Waring launched a new career. She landed a job with the Assisted Living for Seniors program in Qualicum and found her true passion - caring for clients with Alzheimers and dementia.
Waring’s friend, a nurse at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, told her about the Home Support/Resident Care Attendant program at Malaspina University-College. The six-month program provided Waring with the necessary academic credentials to formalize her new occupation.
"Anyone who takes this course comes out as a better human being," said Waring, who graduates in September. "I can’t say enough about the instructors at Malaspina and the positive impact they’ve had on me," she added. "They are imaginative, caring people who established an incredible connection with our whole class. They truly teach you how to care.
"The program at Malaspina helped define who I am as a person. It’s given me the confidence I’ve lacked for years. I’ve learned a lot about myself, especially how to have more empathy and be less critical and judgmental towards others. The program has given me a myriad of communications tools that have helped enhance all aspects of my life."
An important part of the six-month program was the opportunity to gain hands-on work experience caring for the elderly. Waring worked with clients at Arrowsmith Lodge, Eagle Park and Nanaimo Traveller’s Lodge. Today, she works as a private care nurse, a job that fills her heart with pride and satisfaction.
"All those years working on the farm and as a bookkeeper, I knew deep down that I wanted to do something different," she said. "I knew that I was capable of greater things. I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. This is definitely it."
September is the next intake for the Home Support/Resident Care Attendant program at Malaspina University-College. The program is offered at the Nanaimo, Cowichan and Powell River campuses. For further information, call (250) 740-6243.
Tags: In the Community
