Thinking abut starting a career in retirement? It’s not uncommon. A 2013 study found that 60 percent of workers age 60 and older plan to look for a new job after retiring.
Sometimes people plan a second career in retirement and other times it crosses their path, such is the case for Dwayne Stamplecoskie owner and operator of Nurse Next Door Clarington, ON. Dwayne spent 10 years with the Toronto Police Services. As a result of an experience on the job, he was inspired to start a second career in the home health care.
Dwayne’s Story
A few years ago while Dwayne was on shift, he received a call to help relocate a woman by the name of Elsie to a hotel room due to one of Toronto’s ice storms. He had no idea at the time that him and Elsie would become friends. During the ice storm, Dwayne made it a priority to check in on Elsie. Even after the storm, Dwayne would make an effort to stop by and say hi to Elsie every now and then. Their friendship continued to grow and he started to help Elsie in other ways, such as setting up home care for her with Nurse Next Door. He was amazed at the service and responsiveness of the team, and was in awe of the concept of happier aging. Nurse Next Door was actually able to bring Elsie to Woodbine horse racetrack as she loved horses. This experience brought Elsie so much joy and happiness — she couldn’t stop glowing.
This moment touched Dwayne, motivating and inspiring him to explore a Nurse Next Door home care franchise opportunity. The end result: Dwayne took an early retirement from the Toronto Police Service, ending his career as a Detective Constable. He couldn’t think of a better way to spend his time than helping aging seniors.
Elsie’s 103 Birthday
We caught up with Dwayne to learn more about his entrepreneurial journey and his first six months in the home health care business.
What is your favorite thing about being a Nurse Next Door franchisee?
My favorite thing about this venture is knowing that I am making lives better in our community. There’s nothing more rewarding and fulfilling when you directly see the impact that you can have on a client and their family. It’s not everyday people are put in a position to really affect change in someone’s life. I’m proud of my team’s ability to really demonstrate to our clients and their families that we care and are passionate about making a difference in their lives.
Describe your entrepreneurial journey
It has been one of continuous learning. It’s been an opportunity for me to really control my own destiny, answering the why and fulfilling a purpose that so many of us never get a chance to do.
Going from policing to home care is quite the leap. Are there any skill sets that overlap from being a detective to running your own business?
By far this is the most common question that I am asked. When I step back and actually think about, I find a striking and incredible amount of similarities in relation to attributes and skill sets used.
The obvious skill set of having a passion and drive to really want to create change, and that continuous need to want to help others in their time of need. Every constable that dawns a uniform has stated these words in one fashion or another when they were interviewed for the job. With Nurse Next Door it’s no different; it’s my way of making lives better.
In policing, being able to be a great listener to effectively communicate with others is a true skill. With Nurse Next Door, these skills certainly help me when I’m listening to a son or daughter on the phone talking about a loved one and understanding their care needs.
The ability to read and use intuition as it relates to body language is another skill in policing that comes over time and experience that was needed to effectively do my job. I know that communication is only 30% verbal and 70% non-verbal, so being able to gauge through body language and para-linguistics allows me to know where a client/family is in relation to discussions.
In policing no two days are alike, and thus, you have to be able to adapt to change as things can go from 0 to 60. So far, I am finding that in this business each day is new; you never know when your phone or email is going to go off, what services are needed or how soon — you have to be ready to respond accordingly at anytime.
Attention to detail in policing can save your life and sometimes the little things are the things that make the biggest difference! The same can be said in home care. Having the attitude and outlook of always searching for self-improvement and looking for opportunities to WOW our Customers and their families is truly the essence.
What advice do you have for others looking to start a second career?
The advice I would give anybody that is looking to start a second career is to do your homework and make sure that you LOVE what you do! I would tell everyone to prepare to make sacrifices and always remember that you get out of life what you put into it.
Nurse Next Door lets parents keep living their lives. The lives they chose. We’re ready to help you build your business. To learn more about how we set up new Franchise Partners for success, download our free home care franchise report.
