From Hair to Care: Bronwyn Seizes New Career Opportunity

“It’s a career with purpose, that offers such reward and enjoyment in helping make the lives of others easier.” Working for Carinity Home Care is a recent switch in careers for Bronwyn Dagnall after enjoying a fulfilling career as a hairdresser for over 35 years.

“It was daunting thinking about putting down the scissors, let alone working out what I would do next. I started by looking at what skills I had, and other jobs that I could use them in,” Bronwyn said.

“As a hairdresser you need to be a great communicator. Everyone who walks in the salon has their own personal style, and understanding what that is and creating it requires a lot of communication and understanding of a client.

“When I put these skills together, along with a large client base of seniors and having my own aging parents, I was naturally drawn to helping older people.”

Encouraged by remembering her father’s career change at the age of 50, Bronwyn enrolled in a Certificate III in Individual Support, the qualification required for working in the home care, residential aged care, and disability sectors.

She embarked on her new career supporting Brisbane seniors in 2021 and now oversees a team of staff “who get so much enjoyment from helping others every day”.

“There are such parallels between hairdressing and supporting seniors. Communication is so key in building trust and a genuine relationship with your clients,” Bronwyn said.

“It’s important to understand their personal needs and preferences, to ensure you deliver the right support and care that is catered to their individual needs.”

Bronwyn believes work-life balance is a huge benefit of working in the aged care sector.

Carinity offers carers the flexibility of working part-time and working around commitments and families.

She has also gained an invaluable insight into being on the other end of the home care journey while supporting her aging parents through their assessment and search for care.

Bronwyn’s advice, from an informal carer and service provider perspective, is to “look to the future – don’t leave it too late!”

“You can’t control when you will need care. What you can do is learn about care options, and start the conversation about care and support needs with your loved ones."

Click here to find out more about Carinity