DO YOU STILL WANT TO BE IN THE ELDERLY CARE INDUSTRY

I said that elderly care business is a business of LOVE. But over the years I can see some part of my humanity and love being eaten away. To see residents who became my friends passing away one by one is heart wrenching. They were laughing with me one day and gone the next day. Sometimes I had to tell myself this is life and life must go on. I had to tell myself that this is just a job and not get too personal. I must learn to separate work life from personal life. Till one day I had to slap myself and said, “Look I cannot live in a dichotomy, there is no such thing as work and personal life, there is only one life. My work and personal life is one.”

I decided that this work life balance idea is nonsense. I am many people in one, to my various family members I am the husband, father, son and brother. I am still all these when I am at work and at work I am the subordinate, the head of department, the leader of the distributors and manager of the two nursing homes. And at the home, I am the friend of my residents, maybe even a son. At the end I learn to embrace myself as person, a human being with all these functions, titles and relationships. These helped me to handle my encounter with deaths and departures of my residents and friends more comfortably. I even learn to embrace and be comfortable with death.

My 87 year old father and I have many frank talks, we are very closed. I grew up following him everywhere he went and doing practically everything he did. One day we talked about death and my father told me that he wants to be cremated and his remains be thrown to the sea. He said, “In this way I can travel the world all at once.” I told him, “Ok, consider it done.”

So, do you still want to do this business of elderly homes or centres? Of course, you should. One could just do it as a business with hired professional nurses and care givers to run the homes. I am not judging. I am just suggesting that you should this business and do it with a heart. The future of ageing needs the contributions of all sectors to manage the ageing waves. Managing a care centre well needs business acumen too. Love alone does not cover the bills but it start with love.