My name is Lorraine Cooper and I’m coming up to 5 years being with Flexible living and Ability care. I have come from the insurance industry where I spent over 20 years as an underwriter. Not getting up and going to work seem foreign to me because I worked all my life. A friend recommended that I should try flexible living and ability care because she said they’re good to work for. So I started in the office at Hillcrest to help out whenever and wherever I could. At first I felt strange and out of place. After few short months I learnt something that surprised me. My job here was not about me. It was about offering my services to anybody who needed a helping hand. Through the years I have worked out that it has been an absolute pleasure to be with. The interaction between the staff and clients has helped me to grow personally. The lovely people who work here treat me with respect and dignity. I have been fortunate to make some friends here who I miss during the covid-19 separation. My interaction with the clients are a joy to me. I miss the children’s chatter and their excitement for the next outing that they have planned. I have enjoyed many conversations with the elderly clients who are happy to have a chat when they see me. My journey during the years with volunteering has become a part of my life that I look forward to and I can see myself working here for many years to come. Oh I forgot to mention the volunteers who I work alongside with are fabulous. So the next time you’re in the centre at Hillcrest come and say hello and we’ll have a chat.
