Care home staff – Mitch is one in a million!
We love sharing great stories about our fantastic care home staff. Meet Mitch Cuthbert, described as ‘one in a million’ by his colleagues at Crecy care home in Weymouth.
I come in early each morning (picking up a couple of colleagues en route), make a round of tea and coffee and see if there’s anything that needs doing before my colleague Jane and I start the cleaning rounds.
Once I’ve finished my cleaning I’m on the look-out for extra jobs and projects. I like fixing things and finding solutions. I’m a big fan of recycling and upcycling furniture – don’t laugh, but my toolbox has Winnie the Pooh on it because it was a baby toiletries box!
The residents and staff here make every day interesting. Everyone has their own character and likes and dislikes. I love finding things to help residents personalise their rooms and the communal spaces. Listening to them, we can pick up on what would help them feel at home. For example, one resident loves owls, another colourful butterflies – so we have both in the lounge.
Ann’s room is now bursting with colour and life. I bought some flowery decals for her walls and set up her fishtank so the fish are fed automatically and the lights come on without Ann needing to do anything. Ann wanted a heated reclining massage chair, so I sourced her a perfect one. Finally, Ann had struggled to see the TV in her room, so I installed a 65-inch wall-mounted one. It’s all about home comforts – this is Ann’s home.
I’ve installed satellite TV for a resident and decorative fireplaces in the lounge and the snug, wallpapering the surround so it feels more cosy. My next project is to find old newspaper front pages that we can put up on the wall to stimulate memories. It’s like I’m helping out members of my own family.
The hours suit my family’s routine – I work longer mornings so I can take over the childcare when my wife starts her beautician work in the afternoon.
There’s a great team here at Crecy. Cherrie and Jane are always creating amazing seasonal decorations, like personalised baubles, knitted stockings and wreaths at Christmas. I’d like to think that if I’m ever living in a care home staff would go the extra mile to help me feel at home.
