Mary Coyne: Galway Carer of the Year 2015

Award-winning healthcare in Galway.

Mary Coyne is the Galway Carer of the Year for 2015. One carer was chosen from each of our offices. Time will tell if she ends up being a regional finalist or indeed, the overall Carer of the Year for 2015.

Mary has been working as a carer for two years after previously working in health insurance. Although many carers complete their training when they start working with Comfort Keepers, Mary completed hers with her local VEC. She attended classes on a full-time basis for over eight months. They had two months off over the summer but within that time, she completed two weeks of work experience and assignments.

Day to day

Mary sees nine clients at the moment and usually works 36 hours per week. She takes one day off in the week, works full days on Saturdays and Sundays. Mary tends to work mornings and late afternoons/evenings the other days. She has a long break in the middle of the day. The appointments tend to vary in length from one hour to 2.5 hours, usually seeing some clients twice a day. The morning appointment sees her help them get washed and dressed, getting them breakfast, doing some light housework, reminding them to take their medication and of course, having a cheery chat while all that is going on. The evening appointment is much of the same, replacing the breakfast with an evening meal or supper. Some of her clients are aged over 90. They love living in their own homes and simply require a little assistance to live independently.

Hear from her

Mary clearly loves her job. “I like meeting different people during the course of my day. I feel like I’m visiting one of my relations, catching up on news and taking pleasure in spending time together. There is no sense in anyone doing a job like this if you don’t like it. When spending time with other people, it is important then that you both enjoy it.”

What makes a good carer in Mary’s opinion:

  1. Need to be able to relate to other people
  2. Need to be a good conversationalist and have good personal skills
  3. You have to care for other people’s feelings, emotions, and also about their future
  4. Punctual and also reliable
  5. Observant
  6. Being professional is key.

It’s thus clear that Mary is a worthy winner of the Galway Carer of the Year award. We’d also like to wish her well in the next stage.

Connect with us

To begin starting care for your loved one, you can click here.

To join our incredible award-winning team, you can apply now by clicking here or emailing your CV to recruitment@comfortkeepers.ie