Living with dementia does not necessarily mean people no longer enjoy hobbies and activities. When Professional live-in Carer Cheryl discovered how much her client ‘J’, who is living with dementia, used to enjoy cooking and baking for her family and friends from her local parish, she sprang into action to help J take up the once-loved activity. J had a clear recollection of how much she loved baking, she just wasn’t able to do it on her own, all she needed was a little support and encouragement.
Cheryl explains: “J wanted to make a cake independently, so I tried not to interfere and be there just to assist when needed. It was important to J to make this herself for her family who were visiting on the weekend. The whole process of preparing the cake took 4.5 hours – which was 4.5 hours of fun for J, ending with the satisfaction of another 2 hours for the cake to bake in the oven. J happily beat the eggs on the bench, not in a bowl, she was in her element and it brought her so much joy. So much so that we still talk about it weeks later! J was so proud of the end result and her family were overwhelmed to see how much joy and sensory input she got out of the process.”
The Good Care Group enables older people to live independently in their own home with the right support completely tailored to their needs. “Caring for a client isn’t just about their immediate day-to-day medication or personal care needs”, says Cheryl, “it’s about looking at the whole person and supporting them in their choices of how they want to live their life at home. And that includes supporting them with their hobbies and interests. It’s a chance to really get to know a person, for me it’s also about being creative on how I can help and it’s incredibly rewarding to see people thrive.“
CheryI, originally from New Zealand, used to be a secretary and yearned to do something that would give her more job satisfaction. Caring for other people seemed an obvious choice.
“New Zealand does not have live-in carers, so I applied to The Good Care Group and came to the UK 18 months ago. I love this beautiful country and thought I’d work while I toured. With Covid, I ended up mainly working! Live-in care is so satisfying and you are able to concentrate on one person. Making their days happy from the moment they wake to the time you say goodnight.”
If you want to find out more about the difference you can make as a Professional live-in carer, contact our recruitment team on 0203 728 7570
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