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Celebrating Home Instead’s oldest CAREGiver August 26, 2022

Meet Home Instead’s older CAREGiver – 80-year-old Barry Friswell.

Barry is also one of our longer-serving CAREGivers, having worked with Home Instead Outer East and Glen Waverley since 2014.

Barry’s previous career started in 1958 when he joined The Commercial Bank in Bendigo and he stayed in banking, enjoying many senior management roles, until 1990. A stint as a finance broker followed before he was approached about helping to set up a medical services business.

“During my senior management days, my preference was being in my people involvement areas with both staff and customers,” Barry says.

“After finding that my brief period of retirement wasn’t all I had hoped it would be, a neighbour who was working in aged care suggested that I might be suitable for a role in this industry.”

Barry undertook his Certificate III in Individual Support, receiving this on July 28, 2014. He transferred to Home Instead from another aged care services company on November 26, 2014.

After five years of working in most of Home Instead’s services, including personal care, transportation, medication reminders, respite care, and companionship, a hip replacement in September 2019 led to a month off work. When he returned to work, Barry decided his preference was to take on respite or transport shifts.

He has no intention to stop working any time soon.