Caring and support: Dot helps makes life a little easier

Dorothy ‘Dot’ Mickan, a dedicated Resthaven Home Support Worker, was honoured with the inaugural President Award at the 2025 Resthaven Excellence Awards. With a lifelong passion for care shaped by her own family’s experience, Dot brings warmth, resilience and deep compassion to her work supporting older people in the Murray Mallee Hills region. Her story reflects decades of personal commitment to community care and the evolution of aged care services in South Australia.

Upon meeting Dorothy ‘Dot’ Mickan, it is immediately clear that she has a deep and genuine love, compassion, and respect for the work that she does. Dot is a Home Support Worker with Resthaven Murray Mallee Hills Community Services and the recent recipient of Resthaven’s inaugural President Award at the 2025 Resthaven Excellence Awards.

‘I feel very honoured that I was chosen for the award,’ Dot says. ‘But I really do believe it is a team effort. Everyone works together as a team. Management and my colleagues are all very supportive – the door is always open as they say.’

Dot has worked at Resthaven for 10 years, but her role as a carer began many years before that.

‘I grew up on a farm 65km east of Ceduna on Eyre Peninsula, with my parents and older brother,’ Dot says. ‘When I was 10, my dad, who was 50, suffered a severe stroke causing him complete loss of speech, and the loss of all movement on his right side.’

Although Dot’s father had months of rehabilitation in Adelaide, his life was never the same and he was unable to resume working on the farm. The couple had a worker, Andre, who had been working with them on the farm since he was young. Dot says he was a tremendous helper for the family.

‘Back then, due to the isolation, there was a lack of resources and organisations available for Mum to access any assistance with care and support,’ Dot says. ‘So, my brother and I had to grow up overnight and help Mum care for Dad at home and look after the farm, with Andre.’

In the years following, Dot moved to Adelaide to finish her schooling at Immanuel College Boarding School and then went on to do a traineeship to become an enrolled nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH).

‘I really wanted to begin a career in health care to continue looking after and caring for people,’ Dot says. ‘After I had completed my training, I continued working at the RAH and it was during this time that Mum’s health started to deteriorate, and Dad developed vascular disease.’

Dot’s parents left the farm and moved to Adelaide for medical treatment, care and support. They bought a unit and Dot moved in with them to help. Health challenges continued and Dot’s father had to have both legs amputated above the knee. Following his operation, an electric wheelchair was purchased to support his mobility and give him the independence that he needed. Dot’s mum’s health also declined, and she was no longer able to care of her husband at home.

‘Caring for Dad and the stress of running the farm had taken its toll on Mum,’ Dot says. ‘Due to his young age, Mum didn't want Dad to go into a Residential Care Facility, so with the assistance of a doctor we knew, he moved into the Stirling Hospital and was accepted as a permanent patient.’

‘It was Mum’s last wish towards the end of her life, to remain at home and be cared for there,’ Dot says. ‘She passed away peacefully, surrounded by all of her family, in May 1979 at the age of 50 (she was 10 years younger than Dad). It was a very emotional time for all of us.’

After several weeks, Dot returned to work and continued to visit her dad at Stirling every day before or after her shifts.

‘It was very difficult for him – losing Mum and adapting to his new life in care,’ Dot says.

The following year, Dot’s dad was transferred from Stirling back to the Ceduna Hospital, where he spent the remainder of his life. This transition was much easier for him as he had family and friends in the town and his son (Dot’s older brother) and his wife were still on the farm.

‘He seemed very happy being back on Eyre Peninsula,’ Dot says.

In 1980 Dot married her husband Leon, a farmer from Cummins. The pair had known each other since 1976 when Dot was 17 and Leon was 21.

‘There was a connection straight away and he has been by my side ever since, throughout this entire journey,’ Dot says. ‘Leon has always been there to help and support where he could.’

Once married, Dot resigned from the RAH and she and Leon worked together on the Cummins farm.

‘Our two beautiful girls were born while we were there, but sadly, Dad passed away five weeks after we had our eldest daughter, in June 1984 at the age of 65,’ Dot says.

With the commitments of working the land and being a mother at the top of her list, Dot’s nursing registration expired. It was 10 years later, when Dot and Leon made the decision to leave the family farm partnership and branch out on their own, that the family moved to Adelaide for 12 months and Dot worked as a medical receptionist. They then bought a business, a caravan park in Queensland, and worked there together for seven years until 1999 when they decided to move back to be closer to Leon’s ageing parents.

‘I returned to the work that I loved and was employed as a carer, looking after elderly and disabled clients in the community,’ Dot says. ‘Over a number of years I worked for two different organisations and also volunteered for half a day a week. I thoroughly enjoyed working in the sector again. However, I took another break when our daughters both got married – one month apart in the same year!’

In 2013, Leon was diagnosed with prostate cancer and following his treatment, he and Dot moved to White Sands near Murray Bridge. The following year in May 2014, Dot was diagnosed with breast cancer.

‘After I had recovered from my operation and follow up treatment, I decided to complete a six-month course in aged care and disability,’ Dot says. ‘I found this extremely beneficial.’ 

In July 2015, Dot began working in the Home Support Worker role she has now.

‘I thoroughly enjoy working for Resthaven and I absolutely love working with our clients in the community,’ Dot says. ‘We work together to provide love, care and support to older people and their carers. We respect them, allow them to make their own choices and encourage them to be as independent as possible. This enables them to remain in their own homes for as long as they can manage and feel comfortable doing so.

Dot says the aged care and disability sectors have come a long way since her parents were making decisions about their own care.

‘I'm so happy and grateful that we now have more resources, organisations, facilities and staff available to provide the love, care and support that individuals need,’ Dot says. ‘I knew from a young age that I really wanted to work in an area where I was able to help people and care for them. It’s always been my passion. I enjoy all of it. I don’t look at it as a job, but more of a calling, and I try to give it my best every day. It’s all the interactions. It’s very fulfilling and rewarding knowing you are able to help someone. They say “You can’t change the world”, but we can change someone’s world by making life a little easier and better for those we care for.’

Dot says that she and Leon feel very blessed.

‘We have two beautiful daughters, two wonderful sons-in-law and four lovely grandchildren,’ Dot says. ‘We are both in good health, enjoy our work and are loving life.’

Dot is very grateful for the recognition she received at the Resthaven Excellence Awards

‘When you are in this role, you don’t do it expecting to win an award,’ Dot says. ‘But it is so lovely to be recognised for what you do. It was an amazing night – one that I’ll remember for the rest of my life!’