Caring for the elderly and for people who are dying is all part of a day’s work for Tarneit’s Stephanie Bugeja.
The mother of three grew up living with her grandparents, and first worked with older people when she volunteered at an aged care centre in Williamstown when she was 16.
The 37-year-old Tarneit resident has recently been awarded Care Giver of the Year by Home Instead Senior Care for her work across the western suburbs.
Ms Bugeja, who joined Home Instead in March 2013, does a range of home care duties for her clients, including in-house palliative care, grocery shopping, personal grooming, and any other help that they may require.
“I love this job,” she said. “It’s the most rewarding thing a person could do.
“The littlest things mean the world to them.
“I just love helping people, and I hate to see people suffer – especially kids.
“When I first started palliative care, many moons ago, I used to bawl my eyes out, then a nurse pulled me aside and said, once I left a house, don’t think about it, leave it at the door – and I’ve gone by that motto.
“It’s easier said than done. I think about them [my clients] all the time, I wonder if I’m going to see certain clients tomorrow.”
Ms Bugeja was nominated for the award by her boss, Sandra D’Souza, who described Stephanie as “a true representation of Home Instead to the community”.
She said she was shocked to be singled out for the award.
“I didn’t expect it; I don’t like boasting about what I do.
“It’s just something that I’m passionate about,” she said.
