The franchise owners of Caremark (West Oxfordshire and Cherwell) have opened their office after receiving their CQC registration. Franchise owners Dinah Madelin and John Cascone have been planning and preparing for their opening in the year leading up to gaining their CQC registration, including recruiting a team of care and support workers to operate from their office in Woodstock, Oxfordshire.
Madelin said: "Nursing is my background; I have worked for a number of hospitals and can honestly say I have absolutely loved it. My previous work focused very much on rehabilitation and helping people return to their own homes with community support input to enable them to do so as safely and securely as possible. So many people would say 'I just want to go home' and I used to find it heartbreaking when, for whatever reason, anyone was faced with the realisation that home might no longer be an option.
"Relationships can become strained when relatives or friends undertaking the role of carer become exhausted or feel there's no time or energy left for anything else. I hope that the support we can offer will take away that pressure and enable people to get on with simply loving each other and enjoying their time together. In other situations we can simply offer the support someone thinks they need to be able to live active, sociable lives doing what they've always done or wanted to do. If they tell us what they'd like to achieve, we'll work with them to try to achieve it.
"My father had dementia and only ever wanted to stay home with my mother and thanks to the help of a lovely support worker he was able to do so. I loved my father so much and keep a photo of him in the office to remind me of the importance of always focussing on high standards. I can give anyone a list of the skills and qualities I'm looking for in our Care and Support Workers but actually it can all be summed up in the little phrase, 'Are they good enough for Dad?' While previous experience certainly helps, our focus has to be on people who are genuinely kind and caring, who will take time to listen and respond and who will always, always treat vulnerable clients with dignity and respect. I like to think Dad would be smiling and nodding his approval."
Published: 29 June 2010
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