Marta’s Blog – March 2022

Hello everyone, and thank you for clicking onto my latest blog.

A little change in the flavour of things this time. I’ll give you a brief update on a few developments here at Hill House and Three Corners, but I’d like to concentrate a little more on my own role here, why I care so passionately about my job, and how care work is not always appreciated as a career path option.

I was asked recently about how I had dealt with all the challenges of the last two years, and it made me reflect on how we have all managed to get through this as a team. In a way our ‘team’ also includes our residents and their families, but it is our management and staff who drive it all forwards.  The best teams are professional in their approach – giving each team member a feeling of belonging and responsibility.  At our homes we most definitely operate as a ‘profession’, and this sometimes gets overlooked in the care industry as a whole. A little more of that later…

Recent lockdowns have mean that we haven’t yet been able to get our program of activities back to where it was pre-Covid. The pandemic will undoubtedly have a knock-on effect, and we may have to do things slightly differently for a while, but we will still do everything we can to provide a comprehensive and fulfilling activities program for all our residents.

Looking ahead, we are in the process of buying a new minibus which will give us more appropriate transport for the sort of trips we will now be doing.  And on the subject of activities, we are now actively recruiting for a new activity co-ordinator at Three Corners, so if you know of anyone who might be suitable and would enjoy that role, do ask them to get in touch.  At Hill House we are hoping to welcome some very special new guests soon – guinea pigs! They are such lovely little creatures and the residents love to interact with them. It always amazes me how therapeutic animals can be, they really are, and everyone in our homes gets something positive from them.

So, in reflecting on what we all do here at our lovely homes, I’d like to thank everyone for their professional approach over recent times. Without that approach, our work wouldnlt be so rewarding. It is for me, and for our team here, and I tend to think that it’s one of those situations where you reap what you s0w.

In other words, if you enter this line of work with the right intent, with a dedication to care for others, to face and overcome challenges, then that in turn creates not only a friendly and caring environment, but a professional one too. And ‘professional’ is a key word in our work. It saddens me that sometimes we get overlooked when people think of professions. They may think; doctor, nurse, lawyer etc, but our very own caring profession is one which society heavily relies on.  I remind everyone thinking of joining us, that working in care isn’t a ‘stop-gap’ post, but the start of potential career. Looking back on how I got started  – it was working in a children’s home for kids with autism. I also worked with young offenders at an institution in Hampshire.  It just goes to show you that ‘care’ is generic. Many of us will need it through our lives, and it’s not only focused on the elder sections of our society.

So you can move from one line of care to another – and it can all be part of a professional career path. I say to all young people out there, who may have looked at care as a ‘job’, but not necessarily a career, that you should think again. It doesn’t have to be your lifelong career choice of course, but you ought to be aware of the possibilities. Some time ago I started at the age of 21. I remember my first ever wage of £6 an hour! I’m not sure I realised back then what opportunities would present themselves further down the line, but here I am now, a director of a Nursing Home company, and with the same drive, passion, desire and energy I had when I started.

So, if you are of the age where you might be starting out on a career path, or your sons, daughters, grandsons or granddaughters are, please do think of our line of work as a profession, with career opportunities. If you share that drive, and that passion for caring for others, then you can achieve anything you want working in care.

Next month I’ll tell you a little more about my background in care, what I think you might need to have a successful career, and also, how amazingly rewarding working in care can be. Sometimes we only hear about the more challenging side of care-work, but believe me it can provide much joy, and many happy times. So, until then, fingers crossed that as the clocks go forward at the end of the month, Spring will brighten all our days.

Marta