Meet Ayesha, Care Expert at Bluebird Care Camden & Hampstead.
James loved classical music and when he played the piano he smiled with a smile that lit up the room. I had to encourage him to play, and when he did, I could see how happy it made him, and it felt absolutely amazing to make that difference to his life.
James was living with dementia, but he could remember in detail what happened years ago. He talked to me about growing up in Ireland. I’d prompt and remind him and hear the same stories from him again and again. I loved listening to his stories.
On the wall of his flat there was a painting of a little girl, James called her ‘little miss blue eyes.’ He told me he used to walk along the beach with her when he was a child. It took a while for me to build that relationship with James, and for him to talk to me and trust me. When he passed away I was really upset.
I think you need to be a good listener to be a carer. I have this natural way with older people, I get along with them, and I have empathy and compassion.
In 2021 I joined Bluebird Care. I hadn’t worked for a long time before that. I was a wife and mother and had stopped working when I had my first child at the age of 21. I felt this was a perfect time for me to start again because my youngest daughter had just started secondary school. My daughters are now aged 13 and 17.
My friends who were care assistants always used to tell me: ‘you should do it, you would really good.’ I’ve always had a caring nature.
My son was ten months old when he was diagnosed with a genetic disorder, and he was physically and mentally disabled. He was in and out of hospital and I’d stay in hospital with him for weeks at a time. He passed away in 2008 when he was nine years old.
The experience of looking after him has helped me in this role. We have a lot of customers who are restricted in their abilities. It’s nice to be able to provide that support, to assist them in doing the things they’re not fully able to do.
The flexibility of this job is important to me. I work around 16 hours over four days, and I’m also planning to be a carer for my 15 years-old niece who is coming to live with us and has global learning difficulties.
Whenever I walk into my customers, I make sure I have a beaming smile. That’s so key to keeping them happy. I’m sometimes the only person they see that day.
When I first started going to see Lesley, who is in her nineties, it was almost as if she’d given up. She said I gave her a new lease of life. When I’m with her I give her my absolute attention. I sit and talk to her, and I listen to her. Listening is the biggest part of my visit. I do her shopping exactly how she wants it to be done, if I need to go to three different shops for three different items, I’ll do it.
It’s hugely important for people to be able to stay in their own homes. Charlotte always thanks me at the end of the visit, and says she is so grateful to me and all the carers for enabling her to stay at home.
I think Bluebird Care is fantastic and being a care assistant is so rewarding. It’s satisfying to provide a service that’s really needed and excellent to know that I’ve done something really worthwhile. When I go to see my customers, it feels like I’m hopping around visiting my friends.
Ayesha
Ayesha
/
Greater London
