Rest home carer has the X-Factor
For 30 years Susan Watson has turned up to work at a place which has effectively become her second home.
Brooklands Rest Home began operating in September 1987 on New Plymouth’s List St and six weeks after the doors first opened, Watson joined the staff.
She found the part-time work a good fit for her young family so applied for a position and began on the night shift.
For Watson, people were the most important part of any place, not any expensive trappings or lush furnishings.
‘‘It doesn’t have to be flashy to make it home,’’ she said.
Providing a cosy environment for its residents was key, facility manager Heather Marshall said.
Through the years, Brooklands Rest Home has seen its fair share of celebrations, including a handful of 100th birthday parties. It’s also been the final place of rest for some.
It’s now a place 24 people call home, along with the facility’s two cats and the chooks who peck about in the backyard.
Marshall said about half of the current residents were in rest home care, while the others lived in the dementia unit, which began operating in October 2016.
The focus of care was one of normalisation, rather than institutionalisation.
‘‘It’s about people doing everyday things and keeping life as normal as possible,’’ she said.
This includes giving residents the chance to fold the washing or set the table.
Carers like Watson essentially become a part of the daily lives of the residents, including sharing meal-times with them, Marshall said.
But being a rest home carer was not a job just anybody could do. Providing personal cares for residents can be particularly confronting for people, Marshall said.
‘‘There is an X-Factor required to be a carer,’’ she said.
And Watson is one who has that star quality.
She said being a carer could be physically and emotionally demanding work at times, but her experience as a mother-of-three had given her all the skills she needed to do the job well.
Patience had also been a virtue, she said. Being a constant presence at the home seems to have left a lasting impression on some of the residents too.
‘‘When I walk in they say ‘oh you’re back again’,’’ Watson said.
A celebration to mark the rest home’s milestone was held at the facility last month.