#peopleofarcare – Mila Krejci

#PeopleofArcare: Meet Mila Krejci, Personal Care Worker at Arcare Cheltenham with over 19 years of Arcare experience.

Q. What do you enjoy about your role?

Above all, I appreciate the opportunity to lift the spirits of our residents. Moving to aged care can be a difficult transition and I cherish being able to lift the residents up with empathy, with a touch or smile. I also like to provide clients with an art activity that gives them joy and a sense of achievement. Their paintings bring pride to them and their families. The displays of their artworks bring joy to other residents and team members. The outcomes of the art class are beautifully expressed in residents who say:

“I had never painted before. I would never have thought that it might be so enjoyable.”

“Coming to Art class was the best thing I have ever done in my life.”

“You think you can’t do it and suddenly you get involved and you become addicted.”

“When painting, I am completely in another world.”

“Where are we going? Ah, painting! That’s lovely!”

Q. How would you describe working in aged care?

I appreciate Arcare’s dedicated team member policy because I have been dealing with the same small group of residents on daily basis and I ended up knowing each person so deeply and creating strong friendships with them that coming to work often feels like ‘coming home’.

I love the atmosphere in our art classroom. In the short moments between helping clients to mix their paints and facilitating the painting, I notice how they make an effort to overcome challenges. They are so absorbed in the process and sometimes, sing subconsciously along with the music I play during class. A resident who visits our art lessons to look at artworks and listen to the music said:” Coming here is like entering into a sanctuary.

Q. Fondest memory so far in your Arcare journey?

My favourite stories are the resident’s memories of their childhood, youth and middle age. It is interesting how different the world was only several decades ago. When reminiscing on past memories, the residents radiate.

Q. What do you do outside of work?

Drawing, visiting galleries, reading, listening to BBC programmes and to the music, walking, spending the time in nature, travelling.

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