Caitlin Murphy came for a job interview to work in the kitchen at Longlands but after overhearing her talk to one of our residents we decided she would be suited to something completely different.
That something was an Activity Coordinator and now she is excelling in this new role.
It is a key role because, due to Covid, much of the activity programme at Longlands had to be suspended as we tried to protect our residents from the virus.
The programme restarted in earnest at the end of 2021 but with Caitlin joining in December 2021, it has effectively started again from scratch.
She says: “It is funny now thinking I came to work in the kitchen but have ended up being an activity coordinator at Longlands.
“The staff overheard me speaking to one of the residents whilst I was waiting for my interview, and they must have thought I would be suited to a role which had more contact with the residents.
“I had done a work placement at another home, so I knew what to expect, so to now be responsible for devising and delivering activities for the residents is fantastic. I love it.!
Caitlin has been busy overhauling the current activity programme and the plan is to move to a weekly, rather than monthly, timetable.
Caitlin explains: “We want to do things which the residents have input into, and which are different than some of the other things that always happen in care homes, like bingo.
“So, for example, we recently put different things in a box and asked the residents to put their hands in without looking to see if they could guess what they were.
“This was a great and fun sensory experience and in one resident’s case, as she is blind and deaf, it was particularly good for her to take part in.
“We also had a meeting with the residents to discuss the platinum jubilee and on the back of that we had a lovely garden party and made lots of things ahead of the day to put in the garden.
When she is not at work, 20-year-old Caitlin enjoys spending time with her four-year-old daughter.
