Lauren Reed

This job role allows me to work closely with individuals who have dementia, their level of needs requires me to adapt and communicate in many different ways.

I have learnt how to communicate with non verbal individuals. Recognising their change in body language allows me to respond accordingly.

Wisteria house has up to 30 residence who require 24hr care. as a night care assistant I recognise the importance of allowing individuals the freedom of choice but stepping in when required, for instance an individual has the capacity to choose when they go to bed but I have a responsibility to make them aware of the time and advise them to go to bed.

Throughout the night i make sure to encourage fluids.

I have developed my skills and been up to date with new ways of facilitating individuals needs through training and communication.

There are many challenges faced within the home this includes adapting and working as a team especially when we are short staffed.

Working with my collogues i find it easy to delegate and establish how to do tasks in the best interest of the individual.

I make sure to stay clam and professional in emergency situations, within this role we have many policies and procedures to follow to maintain safety.

There are many tasks to do throughout the night, it is a big home so many cleaning tasks for both floors, laundry tasks, kitchen tasks as well as replenishing snacks and drinks for the next day.

Within this job role I assured to promoted dignity by assisting residents with limited mobility to complete personal care, including washing and dressing in the morning.

Monitored client health conditions and reported immediate issues to manager/ Team leader.

Ensured optimal hydration throughout the night and assisting with toileting when required.

Administering and recording Medication accurately and on time.

Met the needs of all residence throughout the night in line with individual care plans.

Throughout the night i maintained housekeeping tasks such as hoovering, mopping, dusting, cleaning surfaces with appropriate disinfectants, using washers and dryers, ironing and putting away laundry.

Kitchen tasks were carried out such as peeling vegetables, cleaning dishes, using a dishwasher and setting out breakfast trays by preparing each individuals meal preferences.

Overall at this job i enjoyed the routine that nights deliver and was able to adjust quickly to the sleep schedule which allowed me to carry out my job role successfully.

Within this role I was able to develop my professional character by incorporating informal communication to break down barriers and allow individuals to become comfortable with myself.

This type of relationship allowed me to deliver personalised care to service users, by learning their preferences and health needs for established housekeeping, shopping, meal preparation and other basic needs.

With each visit i would make sure to be on time and stick to scheduled visits, however understanding that flexibility and communication is important to deliver care.

I always made sure to communicate with team leaders if i needed extra time with individuals which would then be communicated with the next client.

This job role developed my problem solving skills, adapting to emergencies with quick thinking and appropriate action.

I was educated on how to follow policies, procedures and training, such as Health and Safety act 2010, Manual handling training, Mental health act 1983, Emergency first aid training, Maintaining accurate daily records and Medication administration training.

Within this Job role, I work for a supporting and understanding company, which allowed me to developed professional relationships within the work place.

Other developed skills include:

• Operated cash registers with accuracy and processed cash and card transactions.
• Working in a range of departments, showcasing versatility, which allowed me to work within areas that were short staffed.
• Developed professional communication, which allowed me to interact with 100's of customers a day. Including positive and insightful advice to colleagues and customers when asked.
• Understanding when situations needed a manager and utilising proactive problem-solving skills, when difficult situations arise, this includes customer complaints.
• Tagged products quickly and accurately with price tags and stickers.
• Conducted stock checks, stocking items and recorded out-of-stock items to fulfil customer demand.
• Processed returns, exchanged items and provided refunds to customers.
• Carried out back-of-house maintenance, for clear, easy-to-navigate stockroom management.

Within this role, I worked in the Hospital as a volunteer with the 'Friends group' organisation. Working as a facilitator of positivity was highly rewarding, since in hospital people can become lonely and lack stimulation due to repetitive routines.

Through my experience i have seen how valuable time can be to an individual, many people go hours without speaking to someone, so being a volunteer really allows individuals to be nourished as they can interact in conversation and activities such as reading materials, games and toys.

Personally i rather enjoyed collaborating with other volunteers to organise quizzes and other group activities, as this allowed individuals to create bonds with others on their wards, which in turn carries on our purpose after we are done.

Being a volunteer gave me a sense of purpose as you could see the difference in individuals mood after we had engaged with them.

The Friendship Cafe created an inclusive environment for individuals with complex learning needs to interact and create relationships through creative activities.

I would participate in varied group activities, promoting creativity and confidence within individuals through conversation.

At the end of every session, myself and peers would discuss feed back left by the individuals to establish what is working or not working. This feed back allowed us to create activities based on the opinions and preferences of the consumer.

This experience coincided with my Level 3 Diploma at college, the skills and knowledge I developed here was used to facilitate my education.