A LETTER TO MY DRIVING FORCE

Carer Julie Common, 56, has been inspired by her mother Una throughout her life

- FIONA KINLOCH

Dear Mum,

As I presented a bunch of freshly picked tulips to my client, I watched as her face lit up and it reminded me of why I loved this job so much.

It was June 2019 and I was working as a temporary live-in carer for an elderly lady, just as I had done for hundreds of others.

And despite you passing away seven years earlier, you were still my inspiration every single day, Mum.

I vividly remember as a little girl, waiting for you to come home after your shifts at a nursing home. You’d regale me and my brothers Micheal and Anthony and sister Maria with your stories from your 12-hour shifts.

It wasn’t always easy – your shifts often started at dawn and finished late into the night - but you always had a smile on your face when you walked through the front door.