Beverley Holloway

by | 23 Dec, 2019 | 12 Carers of Christmas

Dignity
Care is many things to many people. It takes many forms, and shapes people’s lives. Care can heal both a person’s physical and mental health. It can help them retain their dignity and restore their purpose. At its best, care can give someone their life back. Our eleventh carer knows the transformative power a carer can have. 

Beverley Holloway came to caring as a family carer. She spent five years taking care of her grandmother, then a further three caring for a close family friend. Over this time Beverley came to understand how difficult daily life can become with illness and age. After the passing of her family friend, Beverley knew she wanted to continue helping people. 

Beverley started working at Rumney Care four months ago. The initial transition from being a carer with one person to look after to working for a care agency was a challenging one. Technical aspects such as time constraints and manual handling rules were new to Beverley. However, since then she has settled into her role. While it took Beverley time to become comfortable with some parts of her new job, her spirit was immediately evident. 

Donna Romano, Rumney Care’s manager, explains how Beverley has grown into her role:

“She is kind, caring and supportive to all our service users and colleagues alike. I get daily calls about her positivity and how she makes such a difference to each person’s life. Nothing is ever too much for her and [she] will always go that extra mile.

“One example is a service user who is an amputee. He hadn’t left the house for over 6 months. He has a companion call and instead of just sitting in his home for the 3 hrs, Beverley took him out to the shop to support him to buy a bunch of flowers for his wife on her return. This small gesture made that service user feel that he could still be the husband he wanted to be and give a little bit back to his wife who had done so much for him. The wife was overwhelmed by the thought as it had been such an important thing for the service user’s mental wellbeing and his family.”

It is acts like these that are at the heart of great care. Care is about more than physical wellbeing. It is about dignity, respect, and helping a service user realise they can still live life to the fullest. That is one of the greatest gifts a carer can give.

A face is never so lonely as when it is without a smile. Beverley brings smiles to people every day. Thank you Beverley; for your positivity, for the joy you bring and the dignity you restore.