Elsbeth 10 years at KinderThuisZorg
''After all these years, I have gained so much experience. So you often let your feelings come into play.''
What makes working at KinderThuisZorg so special to you?
Working at KinderThuisZorg is very diverse. No two days are the same! You have to be flexible and able to multitask. Today's care needs are very different from those of ten years ago, and hospitals are getting better at finding us. And every time I ring the doorbell of a new family, I feel a healthy sense of excitement... What kind of child/family lives behind this door?
What's the funniest thing you've experienced?
A funny moment was when once, in my recognizable work clothes, I walked onto the playground and one of the toddlers called out, "hey Koen, there's that old lady for you!". Hilarious! So honest and sincere. That's what makes working with children so much fun.
What is the saddest thing you have experienced?
The saddest thing is all the children who have lost us over all these years, that intense sadness of the family. Every child is one too many. It is very beautiful that these children are allowed to go home and die in their own environment, but it is still tremendously moving every time.
What important knowledge and experience do you take away from these 10 years?
I'm from the days when we used to do an operation three times and then it was signed off. You can't imagine that now. Nursing reasoning, writing care plans, reporting with the SOEP method, multidisciplinary consultation and certainly digitization; it has all changed. And of course after all these years I have gained so much experience. You often let your feelings come into play.
When is a day of work successful for you?
A day of work is successful when, after a moment of care, a child waves you off with a big smile or high five, no matter how annoying the act was. And also when you can offer parents a listening ear. That's what I like about home care. You come into families' homes and can sometimes really take a moment to listen to them and think with them.
Look back to when you started here. Who were you as a person then and who are you now?
Ten years ago, we had routes that you knew by heart. There was more long-term care and kids didn't go home as quickly as they can now.
What are the biggest changes you have experienced in care recently?
In the home setting, I learned care such as catheterization, trachea cannulas, ostomy care, as well as supervising and teaching actions to parents, teachers, etc. at KinderThuisZorg. Ten years ago, we couldn't imagine administering cytostatics at home, CVC care, PACs, puncturing infusions, etc., for example. This is something doctors did themselves ten/fifteen years ago. So a lot has changed: a huge transition from hospital to the home setting. Children with Lyme disease used to spend six weeks in the hospital for a course of antibiotics, you can't imagine that now.
What has kept you loyal to KinderThuisZorg year after year?
Working at KinderThuisZorg is so diverse. It's not just the technical operations, but also the supervision of, say, putting a band-aid on a tube. Parents can be so grateful for that. Or teaching the teacher how to use a diabetic pump so she can then care for it herself with mother and child. After all, that's what you do it for!
How do you see yourself in 10 years?
In the next ten years, I hope to learn a lot and be able to do something for many more families. I would like to thank my team for the past ten years. They were always there when I needed them. Always willing to help each other and to be there for each other. I hope for at least another ten beautiful and pleasant years at KinderThuisZorg!
