10 questions with…

Why did you join the social care sector? I joined the sector due to being a social person wanting to make a difference in others’ lives.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The thing I enjoy most is being privileged to be included in so many people’s life journeys over the years I have worked in social care, being able to support each individual to continue to make memories, seeing people smile and enjoying life regardless of abilities.

Who is your social care hero and why? That would have to be without a doubt Mother Teresa, a lady who herself lived a life of poverty to try and improve the conditions others were living with, a lady who was devoted and compassionate, inspiring thousands of lives. A lady who made a real difference to thousands of lives, not expecting any reward in return, a humble lady.

What is the one thing you would change about social care?

The one thing I feel still needs addressing is the status of all workers within the social care sector to be recognised as a role just as important and equal to one conducted within the NHS.

What, in your opinion, makes a great care worker?

In my opinion qualities which make a great carer are a person who has empathy, is passionate, someone who is friendly and attentive, and a person who can engage and listen to another person, as this is one of the most valuable services a carer can provide. A person who has a sense of humour and can put themselves in another person’s shoes, someone who is open minded, a person who can support without judgement.

What do you do when life all gets a bit too much?

I sit back and reflect on the positives and take time to enjoy the people most important to me. I am one person and sometimes as a home manager I do need to sit back, reflect and take a moment to see the good in what I do and achieve on a daily basis. If I am at work, I would go and sit with my residents and listen to their stories. Their smiles make a difference to how I feel and why I continue to work as a home manager.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Believe in yourself more, you can achieve anything you work for. And I would have opened my own care home.

Which three famous people would have to dinner and why?

David Walliams, as he would bring humour and warmth as well as being the person on the front line of the 2025 Alzheimer’s campaign, on a mission to bring about the first life-changing dementia treatment by 2025. I would have also liked to have been able to sit around the table with two ladies who have since passed away, one being our great Queen Elizabeth II, being the most iconic woman in my lifetime, a lady who dedicated her whole life to others, a lady who held herself with such grace, a lady who had to step into her role at such a young age after the loss of her father – the stories she could tell would be priceless. The second lady who is another one of my social care heroes would be Marie Curie, a lady who despite all the odds won the Nobel Prize for her discovery of radiation, which in turn helped advance medical science. I would love to sit down and understand the struggles she overcame at a time when few women were allowed to enter higher education. What a mix I would have at my dinner table, what great conversation and inspirational people.

What three items would you bring with you on a desert island?

A water purifier as we all need to keep hydrated to survive, a knife to be able to cut fruit from trees and branches to make shelter and a fishing net to catch something to eat.

What is your secret talent?

I am good at drawing and can draw children Disney murals.