Tori Dockett wants to be the “two hands that give you comfort when you’re an elder and leaving this world”. Photo: Erin Hee.
Tori Dockett started out wanting to become a registered or palliative care nurse to care for her pop, but found more fulfilment and a sense of pride working in aged care.
As an aged-care worker in Leeton, it breaks the 20-year-old’s heart to see people who were once so full of life struggling with issues beyond their control, but knowing that they’ve lived a full life gives her a renewed appreciation for every little thing in her life.
Her pop has emphysema, a chronic lung condition that damages the air sacs and makes breathing difficult. There is no way to reverse the damage to your lungs, but there are treatments to manage it or prevent the damage from becoming worse.
“He’s still my pop, he’s still happy and doing everything he loves,” Tori said.
“He’s still being cheeky, and he’s still the man that he was many years ago. It does mean that he’s slowed down in life, but he’s still young at heart.”
Tori’s pop lives in Young with her auntie, who is his full-time carer. They want to let him stay in his family home for as long as possible.
“That’s been his home for many, many years, and sometimes they become confused and don’t understand where they are, and it’s sad. It does break my heart,” she said.
“In regional towns where there’s not a lot of workers and there’s more baby boomers growing old, I want to help them stay in their family homes as long as possible.
“As soon as an aged person loses their independence, they lose the will to live.
“They don’t want to believe that they get older, [they think] they’re still young and can still do things.”
The main difference between palliative and aged care is that palliative care focuses on improving the quality of life for those with life-limiting illnesses through symptom management, while aged-care workers support elderly people with various needs, such as their personal hygiene.
“Especially when they’re starting to deteriorate, there’s not much you can do,” Tori said. You must sit and wait.
“It is upsetting, but knowing that they’ve had a great life and hearing their stories, it’s definitely helped me appreciate life a bit more knowing that I have all this time left, and I’m helping someone.”
In her downtime, Tori keeps busy with her Great Dane-Bullmastiff Zeus and miniature daschund Chorizo and enjoys being with her loved ones.
“[Zeus and Chorizo] are very spoiled,” she said.
“I enjoy watching movies with my partner at night, and I’m always on the phone with my mum and my dad.
“My family lives in Wagga, so coming over and seeing them, and spending time with my nephew and staying family-orientated, has definitely helped.”
TAFE NSW Wagga Wagga head aged-care teacher Kellie Harmer said: “Once you’re in it, you don’t want to leave it.
“If you’re a kind, caring and empathetic person, well, this is the career for you.
“Advice is for them to have patience, kindness and empathy. That’s what you need.”
Tori added: “There’s always a need for people in this industry.
“AI can never take over our job, because a computer can never give the empathy, love and care that a human being can.
“Be open to new things or things done differently. Definitely be kind and caring and happy.
“Don’t go to work grumpy – it’s a new day. You might have had a rough day yesterday, but today is a new day.”
Tori hopes to start her own home care service to support the ageing population in regional towns, but for now she just wants to spend time with her loved ones and finish her TAFE studies.
