Keeping staff and residents safe is a priority at Roseleigh and when night falls it becomes the responsibility of Senior Carer Lindsey Sigsworth.
First task is to ensure residents have taken their medication and are safely tucked up in bed.
She can then set about helping to maintain the meticulous cleanliness of the building, mopping and cleaning areas that day staff can’t do when residents are up and about.
When that’s done, Lindsey, 35, remains on hand throughout the night to help any residents who might need to get up for any reason.
She’s been working at the home for 16 years and has seen a lot of changes in that time.
“There is a lot more paperwork involved now so there is always a record we can refer back to,” she said. “
On top of the hourly checks, she notes everything that happens – if patients get up, any food or fluids they take, any tablets, how people slept.
Finally, as morning breaks, she helps the arriving morning staff as residents start to get up.
“At college I did hairdressing but needed a job when I left and a friend was working in a carehome. I moved to Roseleigh a couple of years later because it offered more hours and was more flexible” she said.
When Lindsey’s two children were younger she worked days so she could collect them from primary school and spend time with them. Now they are older she prefers working nights as the later start is better for family time.
Over the years she’s noticed that Roseleigh’s residents are becoming younger, some in their fifties, and there is increased awareness of and need for help for people with dementia.
“I find it a very rewarding job personally,“ said Lindsey. “We keep the residents safe and comfortable. It gives peace of mind to relatives to know there is always someone on hand looking after their loved ones.”
