Diane Beck – Receptionist to care worker
Each month we profile a care professional who has come into the sector after a career change and who demonstrates that it really is never too late to care! This month we meet Diane Beck from Drovers Call Care Home, part of Knights Care who previously worked as a receptionist for 20 years.
My name is Diane and I’m a 57-year-old, married mother of one. For around 20 years I worked as a receptionist, alongside raising my son, and assumed it would be my profession forever.
However, I started working in care 4 years ago as a Care Worker and after 2 years of doing that, I decided to have a change of environment and work in a care home, where I’ve been working for the last 2 years.
My inspiration for my career change came from some very unfortunate illnesses within my family, I was spending endless hours caring for my loved ones and it made me realise that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life; I wanted to help people. My son’s all grown up now and doesn’t need me to look after him anymore but working in the care industry gives me that sense of purpose again.
I take great pride in my work and will go above and beyond for anyone. I’ve come in on my days off to assist one of our service users to attend her granddaughter’s prom. I have great rapports with families and ensure I’m a friendly face for everyone in some of the hardest times of their lives.
When I look back on my life, I wish that I had done this work sooner and would recommend it to anybody. It’s not just making cups of tea and playing bingo, it’s about being a shoulder to cry on, helping someone regain their independence or making the last stages of sometimes life that little bit easier. This career is rewarding every single day and I’m immensely proud that I was a finalist at the Great British Care Awards.
