A former retail worker turned carer says the experience of looking after the elderly and vulnerable has made her realise just how capable she is of looking after herself, after she was named one of the latest winners of our GEM award – having previously won the Rising Star prize.
Tamara Proctor, 21, who works out of our Heacham office, had something of a baptism of fire, joining our company right at the start of the pandemic, but has clearly passed the test after being picked out as an award winner based on service user nominations.
The winning nomination described how Tamara had dealt with a service user who suffers from dementia and had become confused in her own home, with her daughter stranded two hours away, unable to help. Tamara stepped into the breach, sorted out the woman’s problems, fed her and tidied up the house, leaving her in a much better frame of mind.
“When you’re in a situation where you have to take care of someone and be their main support, it's shown me that I do have problem solving skills and I can take charge of a situation and help them without worrying about myself - it shows you sides of yourself that you didn't know were there,” she explained.
“I was filling in covering an extra shift for someone else when I had the phone call at about 7.30am to tell me that I had won this award. It was a big shock, but it’s so lovely to feel that you’ve done something that’s made that much difference for someone, and they appreciated it.”
The last two years have been busier and more challenging than anyone could have imagined, but Tamara said the unpredictable nature of the job means it is a constant learning process, and you have to become adaptable.
“Those sort of incidents do happen now and then, you just have to step up to the plate because you have a duty of care to the users, and you want to make sure they’re alright,” she added. “It makes you realise how going the extra mile can make a lot of difference, and it teaches you the right way to do it, too.”
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