Rachael found her place in healthcare: 'Now I can continue on my own'

Rachael Pound had been dealing with many problems for years, with a nine-year gap on her resume. Now she works as a care assistant at Stefanna van Pieter van Foreest nursing home and is training. She has ambitious dreams for the future. "Ultimately, I want to become a nurse, and I'm hoping for this location."

Rachael cared for her two children full-time for almost ten years. Her son has a severe form of autism, and communicating with him is difficult. Her daughter is in special education, and as a single mother, Rachael's primary responsibility was coordinating the right schools and daycare for the two of them. "It was incredibly hard work, and the care was 24/7. Besides that, I was struggling with my abusive ex, and there was a lot of support services in the house. I simply didn't have the time or space to work."

Space to discover who I was
In early 2024, Racheal moved from The Hague back to her hometown of Delft. “I found good daycare for my son and finally had the space to rediscover who I was.” When Rachael moved to Delft, she came into contact with Werkse!She was immediately enthusiastic: "I wanted to do all sorts of things, but my consultant Marissa really put the brakes on. She said I should start slowly. I did that by volunteering at Community Center de Wending."

Working in healthcare via Zorghub
At the same time she investigated together with Werkse! where her interests lie. "It's so strange, but when you've been so intensely involved with other people for years, you completely lose track of who you are." She soon discovered that caring is her passion. "I signed up with Zorghub, an organization for people who want to work in healthcare but don't know how. I really didn't have the courage to apply somewhere myself with a nine-year gap on my resume. Now I'm employed by Zorghub and seconded to Pieter Foreest. I've been able to prove myself there now, and they know what they can expect from me, but I doubt they would have hired me without the support of Zorghub."

More than just care
The best part of her job is the interaction with people. "I'm starting to build a good relationship with the nursing home residents. We learn from each other every day." She also agrees with the home's vision. "They're making a transition where caregivers not only do the essentials, but also have time to have a cup of coffee with residents and chat. This way, you can truly be there for them, and I think that's a great concept. I'm eager to be a part of it."

Mom, how was your day?
Rachael finds it hard to describe the impact her job has on her. “It feels so good to belong again, to be part of the world, and to be able to talk about something other than raising my children. Going to daycare is also incredibly good for my son. He's finally no longer an outsider and feels normal among all the other children with autism. He gets special communication lessons with ZZ+ and pictograms, which I could never have given him myself, and he runs to the van that picks him up every day. My daughter is doing well too. In the evenings at dinner, we talk about her day at school, and she asks me, 'Mom, how was your day at work?' Now I can be a good example for her too.”

More possibilities
To other people in her situation she wants to say: “Don't give up and don't let anything hold you back. You can go very far. A lot is open for discussion at Werkse! And there are possibilities you haven't even thought of yet. For example, I now have very flexible hours, so I can take my children to school and pick them up on time. Sometimes you just can't manage to find a new job on your own. I was completely stuck and had Werkse! Really necessary. Now I can manage on my own, and I want that for everyone in the same situation."