Q: What does your job involve?
A: I’ve worked in Crammond now for roughly 14 months. My current position is team leader, so I lead the care team on my floor. It’s a challenge, but it’s fun and I’ve got a good team – I don’t have to micromanage them, they know what they’re doing!
The average day is always stimulating, but fun. We come in and the first thing we do is to support residents to kickstart their day and have a nutritious breakfast. Our support provision is tailored to individualised needs and requirements therefore residents can choose if they wish to have a lie in or get up and have an early breakfast with a newspaper.
They also get a choice of breakfast – whatever they want – which is good. From then on, there’s lots to do. For example, you’ve got medication that has to be out at certain times and various activities to do with the residents. At one o’clock it’s lunch. And then you start all over again.
Q: Tell us more about the activities you help run.
A: I have never seen so many activities on offer in one place in my life. For example, residents can play music, they can go out and do archery in the garden, they can have fun bowling. These activities all help to enhance the residents’ quality of life. At Cramond Residence, residents are as active as we are, if not more.
Q: What motivates you?
A: Coming in and putting a smile on people’s faces, if you can do that, it makes it all worthwhile. We often take the time to sit down with residents and enjoy a cup of tea together and check in to ensure they are ok. I love the fact that we have the time to get to know our residents – so you can really care about them.
Q: Would you recommend Cramond?
A: I would recommend Cramond because all of the team here care. The management and all of the staff really work to tailor the service Cramond provides to each individual resident.
Q: What experience do you bring to the job?
A: I’ve been in the care industry for 23 years, predominantly working to provide home care. So moving to a nursing home was a change for me, but it’s been a change I’ve actually enjoyed – I wish I had done it years ago. Where I worked before I used to have a short time to care for people. Here, I can sit with a resident and spend an hour with them and really help them.
Q: Is it a good place to work?
A: Yes, because here they recruit caring staff – people who aren’t just doing it for the money. That makes a real difference. The home has also got a really good tailored training programme that is designed to help all staff improve themselves professionally and learn about things that interest them. I’ve just done a pressure ulcer and tissue viability course, and a colleague and I are doing a course in palliative care. The management also listen to the staff, which makes a big difference and makes coming into work much more enjoyable.
Q: What do you like to do outside of work?
A: I like reading books. To unwind, I like watching Korean dramas – I’m a big Korean drama fan – it takes you to a different world.