Christmas is a time for family, for tradition and celebration. At CarePlanner we have a tradition of our own: the 12 Carers of Christmas is about celebrating home carers for the amazing work they do year round. While health care is about keeping people alive, social care is about keeping people living their best lives. Our 12 carers are uplifting examples of the power and purpose of home care, and show how critical and valuable a service it is for all of our communities.
Our eighth carer of Christmas is Emma Sheldon. Emma is a consistent source of positivity and problem solving for the team at Social Care in Action. A crucial balancing act for any registered manager to accomplish, and one Emma achieves with her own flair and independent spirit.
Emma’s responsibilities include overseeing the home care team and the complex care team, and outside of those responsibilities she can frequently be found coming in early and staying late to cover the on-call line.
“Emma’s list of talents are endless,” says colleague Susan Tucker. “She knows exactly what our customers want, and when. Whilst she might not be able to physically attend many customer’s calls, she knows careplanner like the back of her hand. Plus I’m sure she would be the highest achieving Tetris champion ever!”
Sometimes, organising care provision can feel like having random blocks thrown at you and trying to make them fit together. Emma handles the challenges of managing multiple teams with cool efficiency and an open heart. “Work doesn’t seem like work when working with Emma,” says a colleague. “The team would not be [a team] without her.” Emma’s ability to connect with her colleagues and her dedication to their service users is an inspiration to everyone she meets.
Emma has a knack for inspiring people. Whether by helping them with their challenges or the example she sets when facing her own. “Emma cares every single minute of the day,” says Susan. “She has her own disability, and a carer, but she does not let this limit her.” Another colleague adds, “Emma is seen as Emma, and not Emma with a disability. She does not allow her own disability to restrain her from doing her job.”
If anything, Emma’s experience has informed the incredible skill and compassion she brings to her role. “Emma promotes independence, like nothing else,” says colleague Matthew Gwynn. “She has her own private PA support her in the office, [but] you never really hear her ask for support, because of the independence she holds. If you feel you can’t do anything, Emma will show you that you absolutely can and will go through every solution possible, to ensure it can be achieved.”
Determination, dedication and delight define Emma’s approach to care. Her generous heart has become synonymous with Social Care in Action’s home and complex care teams while her steady hand has become essential to their continued excellence. Emma understands care is about living your best life, and strives to push the limits of what that life can be, through her work and her example.