I spent last month in a nursing home as a summer job! Initially, I applied for an office position but then was assigned to work as a care assistant. I had never been such a big fan of hanging out with the elderly because I always thought that old people were grumpy and boring. The job turned out to be a blessing in disguise :)
The city of Helsinki offers a diverse range of summer jobs for young people aged 16 to 19. Some that I remember are: working in a library, on a farm, in a youth center, as a football coach for kids. Most jobs only hire 2-3 people, so I think it’s relatively competitive. I landed two jobs in a nursing home and a daycare. Even though the salary is not as high as working full-time in a restaurant, I find it a fascinating and rewarding opportunity.
My job wasn't as daunting as it might sound. My tasks included simply being a "friend" to the old people and sometimes serving food and drinks because the nursing home was short-staffed in the summer. I even had time to watch Gilmore Girls with my grandmas and grandpas, so you can see that it was not stressful at all. There were also other nurses to help with showering, dressing, and giving medication. Those tasks were not my responsibility.
The first few days were the most difficult because I was pretty shy and not used to how things went in a nursing home. The other employees there were preoccupied with their work and didn't really know what I had to do. I felt pretty lost. It was discouraging at times, having to work in the summer when your friends were on vacation and sending pictures. The residents didn’t know who this strange Asian girl was, so they simply didn’t care much. Luckily, some of the nurses there were extremely welcoming and they even told the residents to start talking to me so that I could practice Finnish. During the first week, I tried my best to use all of the Finnish I had learned + body language to talk to the old people, read the newspaper with them, make cat sounds, help them with their walkers, and follow them around.
Day by day, I started to make friends. I saw their faces lit up when I came to work in the morning. They made me promise to come again tomorrow when I left. They thanked me constantly every time I help them with anything. They asked me questions about my country, my school, and even my love life. I got to look at their family albums from when they got married to when their kids grew up. They knew pretty well that I couldn’t understand or talk much, so they waited for me to use Google Translate. Some of them tried to teach me new vocabs and fix my broken grammar :-) One grandma was so kind that she kept complimenting me on being a pretty and sweet girl (am I?). I even had a best friend! Shout out to Kirsti.
Working in a nursing home has changed my perception of the elderly in general. At home, I hardly ever hugged my grandparents. Partly because I don't see them often, but also because of the Vietnamese culture that doesn't encourage physical expressions of affection. Conversely, the grandmas and grandpas that I worked with looooved hugging. Sometimes they hugged me without any special occasion. Sometimes they simply wanted to hold my hands. I was treated like their granddaughter despite working there for a very short period. Just like any other grandparents, they gave me food and drinks. They told residents from other buildings about me very proudly. It made me shy haha. They all were so affectionate towards me that it caught me by surprise. I felt belonged. I felt like a part of a big family. Though there were other funny and heart-warming stories that I'd rather keep to myself, I'm sure that each person will have a unique experience while working in a nursing home.
From when I was a stranger to when I hugged all of the residents goodbye was an experience that I could never have had if I hadn’t chosen to study in Finland. Despite the various ups and downs of studying here, I have never regretted my decision. I cannot recommend enough all other high school students, especially international ones, to apply for this job. Older people are usually marginalized in our society, but this summer has taught me that they are, just like us, people with feelings, stories to tell, and genuine kindness that deserve our respect and care.
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