Fifty years ago, I began hospital-based nursing training with aspirations far removed from caring for older adults. My early career ambitions were centred on high-intensity clinical environments such as intensive care, emergency departments and adolescent mental health, where I believed my clinical skills would be most challenged and utilised. However, following a brief period in adolescent mental health, I was required to undertake a placement in cardiology prior to transitioning into intensive care. This experience proved pivotal to my career. Most patients in cardiology were older adults, and concurrently, I was assisting with the care of my grandfather in our home. His stories and presence profoundly influenced my perspective, leading me to discover a deep professional and personal connection to the care of older people. Although the average age of cardiology patients at that time was closer to 60, the complexity of their care revealed a compelling and meaningful path, one that would shape the trajectory of my career.