Care is a calling. It’s a phrase that we hear a lot in our sector. In speaks to the spirit at the heart of people who give their lives to helping others. It speaks to the resolve and commitment carers bring to their job everyday. Our ninth carer of Christmas is someone who exemplifies this idiom.
Suzanne Lambert has been working with Spire Homecare since 2016. After caring for her husband for several years Sue joined Spire Homecare to provide care for vulnerable adults in Salisbury, Wiltshire.
Since joining Spire, Sue has had a profound impact on the standard of living of service users in her community. She has achieved this by drawing upon her wealth of personal caring experience. Sue understands the importance of a personal connection. She goes out of her way to provide each service user with an experience that is uniquely theirs. This can be going out for lunch during a sit-in with a service user to help foster a sense of independence and activity. It can equally be talking about a shared interest and exploring ways to follow it up. Sue focusses on the person inside the body receiving the care, which in turn enhances the care the body receives.
Luke Donohue, managing director of Spire Homecare, explains the driving motivation at the heart of Sue’s commitment to personalised care:
“Sue doesn’t work because she has to. She works because she cannot but help any person her path crosses. [Since] Sue has been working for Spire Homecare she has worked closely with vulnerable adults to bring their standard of life from unacceptable to very good. She does this by stopping off for coffee when she isn’t rostered to do so. She will take service users out for lunch when she can. Above all else, she supports our young carers in developing their skills to become confident too.”
Luke touches on the other way in which Sue contributes to Spire delivering top-quality care. She preforms the role of instructor for some of Spire’s less experienced carers. Sue guides her charges with a gentle hand and informed direction. As a result, they know how to deliver the highest standard of care, at both a technical and personal level.
Spire has seen the level of care it delivers improve across the board over the last three years. A key part of this is thanks to Sue, and her inescapable desire to make the world around her better for everyone she meets. Care certainly is a calling, and we are so grateful it is yours.