A Call To Care

For these three retirees, caregiving is a second career.

EMILY IRETON Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

So many older people here in Regina, Saskatchewan, don’t have family nearby. It’s a reality I became even more aware of after I retired. After many years as a pastoral care volunteer with my church, I’d seen the need—loneliness, requiring help for small daily activities— firsthand. Was there something I could do to help?

I talked to my husband, Tom. We’d worked together in real estate before retiring. “Why don’t you start your own business?” he said. “I’ll help you get the word out.” I took a course in how to be a caregiver, as well as first aid and CPR through the Red Cross. Tom helped me put together a brochure and business cards for My Angel Personal Care Services.

My first client was someone I already knew: Indu, an older East Indian woman whose daughter lived in Toronto.

“Could you visit with her once a week?” her daughter asked.

“I’d love to,” I said. Our time together soon grew to three times a week, for about an hour each visit. We talked about her life growing up abroad. She’d overcome numerous obstacles to achieve her dream of becoming a nurse. She and her husband had moved to Canada in search of a better life. My job was to keep her company, but it soon became apparent that she was the one inspiring me.

“God has always been there for me,” she told me one afternoon. “Faith is what gave me the courage to take on new challenges.”

Word spread, and I got more calls, people wanting connection, conversation. A dozen in all. Visiting with my clients, I felt closer to God. I sometimes read devotions to them, and we prayed together. I’d never been comfortable talking about my beliefs, praying aloud. But now it seemed natural.