There is a duality that lies at the heart of care. Those who work in this sector are invariably shaped by it. In turn shaping the nature of the care they deliver through their character. Our fifth Carer of Christmas has exemplified this through her giving spirit during her 14 years as both a carer and care manager.
Michaela Cooper is one of the directors of Mi Casa Care. She has been a defining force in the establishment of the company’s southwest office this year. Michaela draws upon her extensive experience as a carer to ensure that both the people receiving care and those providing it are appropriately looked after.
Michaela leads Mi Casa Care with the ethos that care is about the people, and not about the numbers. It’s a position one finds in abundance amongst carers, but which can become lost at times in an office setting.
Michaela’s colleague, Lauren Hutchins, explains: “Michaela goes above and beyond for all her service users. There was one couple she really did go above for. The wife suffered from severe anxiety most days and one day she ended up needing to go into hospital for more help than we could give her. This lead to her husband being left alone without her. The husband suffers from dementia. Without his wife being there [it] meant he would wonder looking for her, which is dangerous for him.”
“Michaela took it upon herself to spend every day with him. Spending time with him and keeping him company throughout the week including her weekends. She also took him to the hospital so that he could visit his wife on a daily basis. This couple doesn’t have much family around so Michaela arranged for there to be extra sits so that she could be there as much as she could. She really did go out of her way to look after them.”
Michaela understands that the key to quality care is respect and appreciation. She strives to make sure that all of Mi Casa Care’s service users and carers feel valued and respected at all times.
As any care manager can attest, this is no small feat. When there are inevitable compromises to be made, Michaela consistently puts other people first and takes the burdens upon herself. Michaela has been working seven days a week, on her feet the majority of the time, as she endeavours to get Mi Casa Care’s new office up and running to their high standards.
Of course, long hours are nothing new to veterans of the care industry. Michaela is like many other dedicated members of the sector. She is consistently working to improve the standard of living for both her employees and service users. Michaela has given up her time to help shape the care her company provides into its best iteration.
Speaking of giving spirits, Michaela went into labour the morning this article was published!
So this Christmas we wanted to take our chance to say thank you for the guidance and support you provide Michaela. We wish good health to you and your new arrival – you’ve certainly earned some time off!