For Kim, volunteering as a family support worker at Forget Me Not was the perfect way to prepare for the next big step in her caring career.
“I was quiet and shy before I came here, it really brought me out of my shell.”
Kim was already in a caring role when she first came across Forget Me Not. “I was the live-in carer for a little girl for three days a week. But that left me with four days spare and I wanted something else to do.”
Which was lucky for us! Kim joined Forget Me Not as a volunteer family support worker three years ago. “My role was to support one of the care team - we’d visit the same family once a week and I’d help with putting the child to bed, reading them a story etc. It was really rewarding,” she says, “because it gave their mum and dad the chance to have a few hours off week.”
Kim was matched to the family because of her care experience, but she feels she really benefited too. “I was quiet and shy before I came here, it really brought me out of my shell.”
Three years later, Kim is now a fully-fledged member of our care team. “It’s a very different role. I’m based at the hospice, doing more of the clinical side of things and getting involved with lots of fun family activities too. Volunteering helped build my confidence that I could do it. And it made it easier that I knew a lot of the staff too!”
“When you see what they - we - do for families, it’s amazing. I didn’t think a hospice would be like that, I thought it would be sad. But it’s all about enjoying life and making memories. Being part of that - as a volunteer or as staff - is so rewarding!”