At the last AGM, our trustees were very impressed with Frank’s positive comments about working at Essex Dementia Care, in particular his statement that “It was the best job in the world.” We were keen to gain even more insight into Frank’s life as an EDC practitioner and our Marketing Officer Jane had a discussion with Frank to find out more, this is how the interview went.
I started by asking about Frank’s visits and Frank replied “My One2One visits always begin with a friendly chat to the family and discussion on where the client would like to go. Mostly we visit Garden Centres and Tea Rooms and sometimes even just take a leisurely country drive. Whatever the activity or location, I take care to ensure that the venues are not too busy so that the client has a relaxing, calm experience.”
When asked what he enjoyed most about his job Frank said “I have great job satisfaction, especially when I get positive feedback and I am proud that I am welcomed into the family and able to build up a sound relationship. There are some people that get up in the morning and don’t want to go to work, for me it is the opposite, I look forward to my stress free day. It is not like a job to me but more like visiting family that are always glad to see me. I love being involved with the elderly and those who are on a dementia journey. I enjoy people and learn so much from them every day.”
Frank said, “I really like working for Essex Dementia Care, everyone is good to me, I feel supported and my colleagues, trustees and management team are all nice people.” Frank told me he was a lorry driver for the Royal Mail before he went into care work and gained his NCFE Level 2 certificate in the principles of dementia care. Although he enjoyed working in a care home, he feels he has found his real niche working as an activity based dementia care practitioner.
I asked Frank what he found the most challenging part of his job and he replied “As you accompany a client on their dementia journey, you witness the decline and the impact on the family. It is my job to make sure that the part of the journey I share with the client and family is as happy and productive as possible.” Finally, I asked Frank if he had a special memory he could share about working with a client. Frank said, “I used to visit this particular client two or three times a week and we would go fishing. Even though he was well into his dementia journey he taught me how to fly fish and in return I taught him how to catch a pike. I have many happy memories of fishing with him at Chigborough Lake and both of us catching some big fish to take home.”
Thanks for sharing Frank!