Sarah’s Care Story – I work in a great team, it’s as simple as that!

We would like to introduce you to Sarah, one of Radfield Home Care Stamford, Peterborough & Rutland’s exceptional care professionals. Sarah joined Radfield in September 2019, and we asked her to share her story so far.

Why did you become a carer?

I worked for 15 years in drug and alcohol support but it got to the point where I was doing more paperwork than clientwork. I left and worked as a pub manager and in sales for two years. But I missed working with people.

I just happened to see Radfield’s advert in the Rutland and Stamford Mercury newspaper and rang up. I’d never worked as a carer before but I wanted to go back into social care work because I missed giving one-to-one support.

What qualities do you need to be a care professional with Radfield?

You’ve got to be caring and reliable. And you’ve got to have that empathy with people. If you haven’t got that, there’s no point in doing it!

Everybody’s different so you’ve also got to change how you are with different people, which needs really good listening skills.

What’s the best thing about it?

The characters you meet! We’ve got some amazing clients with wicked senses of humour.

I enjoy hearing their stories and seeing the smiles on people’s faces when I walk in. It’s not that they can’t do things anymore, it’s just that they sometimes need a bit more support to do what they normally do. I love it, it’s fun!

How has the Coronavirus pandemic changed things?

At Radfield, we’re taking on that little bit extra to make sure clients are safe. For example, a lot of families do the shopping for our clients. Now that can’t happen, we’re doing it. Last week, a couple of us tried our hand at hairstyling now the hairdressers are shut. We’ve also fixed a television and a washing machine!

At the supermarket, people have been clapping us and saying ‘well done’. It’s nice but we don’t do it for that.

What would you say to someone considering a career in care?

Just do it! You don’t need loads of experience – as long as you have that urge to go and help people, Radfield will give you really good training and ongoing support. I’d never done manual handling or personal care before, but anything you’re not sure of, they go over again.

Radfield is a fantastic, family-run team and the lasses I work with are amazing. We try to give that little bit extra to really make a difference to our clients’ lives. One of the girls is having singalongs with them, we bake cakes… It’s a great team, simple as that!

Considering a career in care? Or want to find out how care professionals like Sarah can support you to live independently at home? Get in touch with the Radfield team on 01780 755 722 or email [email protected].