Retiring by the age of 54 was not in Denys Andrianjafy’s original life plan. But after a series of strokes triggered ongoing health issues, including temporary blindness, nerve pain, severe headaches and high blood pressure, Andrianjafy was forced to take early retirement in December 2024 from the digital communications career he’d worked so hard to build. Yet within a month of officially leaving full-time work, it was clear that Andrianjafy needed to find something else on which to focus his energy and attention. “There’s only so much you can do to distract yourself  — walking the dog, playing bad golf, ignoring the list of chores at home,” says Andrianjafy, now 55, who’s based in Kent, U.K. Since retiring, Denys Andrianjafy has found meaning in his work as a companion carer. Courtesy of SHS UK He initially looked at volunteering positions that he could manage around his conditions, for which he takes numerous medications. Then, a friend working at home care company Seniors Helping Seniors UK (SHS) suggested he apply for a role. The company specializes in hiring people over 50 to provide in-home care for its clients. After completing the required training, Andrianjafy officially joined SHS’s Canterbury and Thanet branch in January 2025. As a companion carer, his main task is to provide a social outlet for his clients — whether it’s playing a board game, taking a walk or visiting a cafe. (“Carer” is the term used in the U.K.; such workers are more commonly called “caregivers” in the U.S.) He works around 18 hours a week spread across seven clients, with visits lasting between one and three hours. “It’s something that makes them feel they’ve got some choice in their lives — that they’re not just stuck in an armchair,” he says. “But what makes me feel great is that I can work again. I’m doing something positive, and I’m not running myself into the ground doing it. I’m looked after. I can control the hours I work, and I really enjoy it.” Weighed down by negative news? Our smart, bright, weekly newsletter is the uplift you’ve been looking for. [contact-form-7] The average age of SHS’s 190-strong care workforce is 59, with around 40 percent living with a health condition that would prevent them working a typical full-time job, according to business partner Sally Wilse.  Around 60 percent of SHS carers have had to leave full-time jobs due to needing to care for family members, so the company’s flexible model suits them. The average hours of work per week across the organization for carers is 15, says Wilse, adding that carers can also adjust their hours to suit their responsibilities and their capabilities. Sally Wilse says SHS’s care model was designed for those unable to work full-time. Courtesy of SHS UK “Our care model was designed to appeal to people who could not work full-time. It is designed to attract older carers, and older people have their own health conditions, so our carers work irregular hours so they can take care of themselves,” says Wilse. “There are structural challenges in traditional work, and Seniors Helping Seniors has worked hard on these, bringing people who are often distanced from work back into work.” SHS is offering valuable work opportunities at a time when these are hard to come by. People in the 50-plus age group were the most likely to be laid off in the U.K. last year, according to government data, a trend that has been consistent over the past 10 years. As a result, unemployment in the country is up to 5.1 percent, from 4.4 percent in 2024, with the National Institute of Economic and Social Research predicting it will hit an 11-year high of 5.4 percent this year.  Making matters worse is the fact that the number of jobs available isn’t stacking up: Further government data shows that vacancies are still down nine percent compared to a year ago, and are still below pre-pandemic levels. In parallel, the U.K. care sector has its own challenges. Long-term recruitment and staff retention remains an issue as it’s estimated that around 470,000 new carers, or 27 percent more, will be needed by 2040 to keep up with the country’s aging population. It’s a trend which SHS has been able to buck thanks to its “peer-to-peer” philosophy, through which people already classed as “seniors” can find meaningful work providing care and companionship to those who require support at home.  SHS UK’s flexible approach under the banner of “zero-hour contracts” also benefits employees like Andrianjafy. That’s despite such contracts becoming controversial: For some workers, zero hour contracts result in unpredictable and unreliable hours week to week, as employers aren’t required to offer people a minimum amount of shifts. But Adrianjafy feels that SHS uses zero-hour contracts responsibly. He and his fellow carers with health conditions can earn an income, while also taking care of themselves. For him, it means a schedule that’s manageable around his health. SHS’s shift coordinator regularly checks on whether Andrianjafy is okay with the planned workload for the week. “I’ve had friends ask me how I feel about a zero-hours contract, and it works for me. It’s being used in the way it’s meant to be, and I’m absolutely fine with that,” says Andrianjafy. Dr. Ben Maruthappu, CEO and cofounder of Cera. Courtesy of Cera Operating on a larger scale is Cera, the U.K.’s second-largest home care provider, employing 10,000 carers and nurses. Like SHS, it has thought creatively about who to hire. In October 2024, it launched an initiative to get people who were long-term unemployed back into paid work, providing health care assessments, mental health support, training and discounted driving lessons. Through the initiative, Cera recruited 2,447 new carers, 34 percent of whom were previously unemployed. Eight percent have a health condition or disability stopping them from securing full-time work. The company plans to hire another 5,000 carers and nurses over the next year. “We’ve supported people back into work, training them to become qualified carers, building their confidence that they have the right skills for the job, and providing comprehensive practical and emotional support,” says Dr. Ben Maruthappu, Cera’s founder and CEO. “We offer a lot of flexibility and support for people with health conditions and disabilities, ensuring they can continue working. This includes tailored job design to accommodate physical disabilities or health conditions, with the understanding that requirements may change over time. For example, if someone is no longer physically able to stand for long periods to continue providing care, we may find them a role coordinating care instead, supporting them with our training program to help them transition into their new role.” One of Cera’s carers, Luffy Latiff, 54, was unemployed for a year before finding work with Cera. She and her family moved to the U.K. from Malaysia in December 2022 so she could embark on a one-year film production postgraduate degree. Yet roles in that field were hard to secure, despite Latiff having worked in the production industry in Malaysia since 1997. Luffy Latiff was unemployed for a year before finding work with Cera. Courtesy of Cera Latiff heard about Cera through Age Concern, a charity she was volunteering with, and began working as a personal carer around 10 months ago. She keeps a busy schedule, working up to 36 hours a week over around 25 clients. Not only is Latiff relieved to have work after applying for 700 jobs, but she feels a sense of purpose knowing the difference she makes in people’s lives. “It makes me feel better psychologically, and I’ve been able to build my confidence back. Back in Malaysia, people would think I was taking a backwards step by becoming a carer, but it’s opened my eyes. Helping someone feel safe and respected is really important,” says Latiff. But in spite of the valuable role that caregivers play, rates of pay in the care industry remain low. SHS carers are paid between $18.92 (£14.12) and $28.53 (£21.29) if they’re a companion carer, and $21.03 (£15.69) to $33.05 (£24.66) per hour for carers who provide personal care. Companion carers like Andrianjafy are mainly responsible for social activities, while personal carers like Latiff assist with things like bathing, toileting and administering medication. Carers earn more depending on whether they work early mornings, evenings, weekends or public holidays, and based on their skills and experience. Andrianjafy, for example, has been trained to administer some medicines, despite being a companion carer, and to support clients with dementia. SHS’s Wilse says the organization pays the voluntary “real living wage.” This is now $19.84 (£14.80) an hour in London, and $18.03 (£13.45) across the rest of the U.K. — higher than the mandatory minimum wage, which is $17.03 (£12.71) per hour. Cera pays between $31,898.07 (£23,800) and $38,867.39 (£29,000) a year for full-time carers. The lower end is the equivalent of the minimum wage. The higher end represents the real living wage. Neither company commented further. Wait, you're not a member yet? Join the Reasons to be Cheerful community by supporting our nonprofit publication and giving what you can. Join Cancel anytime Campaigns are already underway to lobby the U.K. government to only award care contracts to providers offering the real living wage, and to increase funding to the care sector so wages can be lifted. But Denys Andrianjafy isn’t in it for the money. He’s simply passionate about his new career, and now wants to take up a degree in aged care. “I now see this as my main chapter,” he says. “Everything else brought me to this, and it’s fabulous. It’s really made me look at life in a completely different way.” The post Over-50s Are Finding a Meaningful Second Act in Care Work appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.