A double amputee out of work for 20 years who wondered if he would ever find a job again has spoken of his delight at his new highly rewarding career.
Mark Allen, from Colwyn Bay, works as a carer for Cera providing at-home care. He lost both his legs to diabetes and had to leave his previous job due to his health issues, but now loves his new job.
He told Express.co.uk: “The look you get, a great big, beaming smile. It’s so rewarding just to see the gratitude that they have because you’ve done something for them.
“I used to work in retail, and it’s so much more rewarding than putting a case of beans on the shelf. Just to see the job on their faces is unbelievable.”
He works part-time two days a week and works with seven or eight people a day. He often visits a person twice in a day, to help them with daily tasks such as their medication and eating, and then to tuck them into bed in the evening.
Mark said many of the older people he works with have amazing stories to tell about their lives, and he would happily spend all day listening to them.
And of course, his prosthetic legs are a natural topic of conversation as well when he meets someone for the first time.
He spoke about how his health difficulties had previously made him struggle to get back into work.
He explained: “I’ve had numerous problems with my legs over the past 20 years.
“Because I’ve had to go to different appointments and clinics, I thought it wouldn’t be fair on an employer spending so much time going to these clinics.
“I can’t Cera enough for this because they were willing to give me a chance. Some people, they see a disability and they won’t take a chance.
“But Cera saw past that. I thank them wholeheartedly for that and I’m loving every minute of it.”
Cera works with charity partners to help people like Mark back into work. Charlotte Donald, chief care officer at Cera, said: “People like Mark need support to get back into work – not because they lack the attributes to be valuable to employers, but because they lack the practical, structural and emotional support which make employment feel attainable.
“Structured programmes which combine care, both social and health-related, with career openings and skill-building are exactly what Mark and thousands like him need to thrive.”
ONS figures showed the employment rate for people aged 16 to 64 was 74.4 percent for March to May 2024, down from the previous quarter.
Figures released on July 26 showed 2.5 million people are economically inactive due to long-term sickness, an increase of 400,000 since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mark said there should be more advertising from employers to let people know that they can work even if they have a disability.
He would like to develop his career by becoming a specialist in dementia care, as he currently cares for his father-in-law, who has Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.
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