50 Voices
ANTHONY 50 Voices captures the authentic voice of the people that use our services and our staff as Turning Point celebrates its 50th anniversary
50 Voices
Anthony Wait
50 Voices
Anthony Wait
Anthony Wait is a Support Worker at Alfred Deller Court.
What is your role at Turning Point? I’m a Support Worker at Alfred Deller Court and have been here for about 5 years, so since about 2009. As a support worker my main responsibilities are ensuring that the individual I am working with has an extremely good standard of care and the necessary support with their daily living. I’m also involved in community activities and finances. At our service we work together as a core team; we discuss issues together from something as simple as what to buy. We discuss this together to help provide the best quality of life possible for our service users.
What aspect of your job do you enjoy the most? It’s great that they [THE ARTS AND CRAFTS ACTIVITIES THAT WE DO] bring people together and they are a really good tool for service users to interact and socialise together.
I think the arts and crafts activities that I take part in are probably the best aspect of my job. They have been really successful. We recently held an exhibition of service users’ art at a local library and it just shows how enjoyable arts and crafts can be. It’s great that they [THE ARTS AND CRAFTS ACTIVITIES THAT WE DO] bring people together and they are a really good tool for service users to interact and socialise together. Also the feeling that Turning Point trusts my judgement, because I know and have a rapport with the individual I’m supporting, is really motivating.
50 Voices
Anthony Wait
What skill or quality do you have that helps you do your job to the best of your ability? Definitely being able to communicate well is so important and I think it truly helps me to do my job to the best of my ability. If you’re not happy about something, or something is concerning you, whatever it is, you have to flag it up as soon as you can. It’s not so much what you say but how you say it, expressing your thoughts clearly but without upsetting anybody is the key to successfully tackling issues. My life experience also helps because it makes me mindful that younger people are still learning just as I was which helps me to be more understanding. Finally I’d have to say being happy to talk to everyone and show respect to everyone - to me we are all equal.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about people with learning disabilities? I think the biggest misconception is that they don’t have feelings which are absolutely not true. I live with an autistic family member, who is perhaps more able than others, who goes out in the community regularly. They’re the same as everyone else, they do sense and sometimes their sense levels are even more tuned in.
Why are you so passionate about being a part of Turning Point?
It sounds cheesy but it feels good knowing that I’m doing a bit of good in the world.
I’m so passionate about being part of Turning Point because I honestly enjoy the work that I do. I love being a part of a process of supporting someone. It sounds cheesy but it feels good knowing that I’m doing a bit of good in the world.
50 Voices
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