Our director of care Jo Tier is celebrating 15 years with us and
she says it is the importance placed on little acts that make a big
difference that has kept her in the job for so long.
Jo joined Extra Hands in 2005 after relocating from Essex, and said
she will happily continue working with us until she retires because of
the way we put the needs of individual care users at the heart of
everything it does.
She has previously been the manager of a residential care home, but
said she would never go back to that now, having worked with us, and has
no plans for moving from Extra Hands.
“Everything we do here is about the individuals we deal with. Making
them happy makes us happy. It’s about recognising the little things that
make a big difference – that’s what makes us a success, and when I talk
to potential new customers, I know that I’m not just going to tell them
about what services we can show them in a brochure, but the little
extras touches that we make too, that will enrich users’ lives,” she
said.
Jo said that her time with Extra Hands and, seeing the huge
difference home care can make to the life of quality of service users,
had been an eye-opening experience.
“It doesn’t matter how nice you make it, or what personal touches you
try,” she said, “if you’re in a residential care home, there has to be a
certain amount of structure, but when someone stays in their own home,
it’s so much more personalised, and as a result, I think the care user
thrives more.
“If it was a family member of mine, I would certainly want them to stay in their own home as long as possible.”
The on-going pandemic has transformed everyone’s lives in ways that
were unimaginable just months ago, and few people have witnessed greater
change than those involved in the care sector. But Jo said the Extra
Hands team had risen to the challenge in spectacular fashion.
“It’s all felt slightly unreal, like we’ve been living in a bubble,”
she said. “At first there was a lot of anxiety but none of our care
users have caught the virus, and the way our carers have handled it and
done their jobs is amazing.
"We’re incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved, and I hope they
are too. In some cases they’ve been a surrogate family for users,
providing all the usual care and more. It’s not just been good
professional practice, but real added care too.”
Another staff member, Anthony Tooke, who was one of Jo’s first hires
in the job, also recently celebrated 15 years with Extra Hands, as did
three fellow carers.
Appropriately enough given our company name, Jo said one of the
reasons for people’s longevity and job satisfaction at Extra Hands is
the level of support received internally.
“It’s such a team effort – we’re always being thanked for what we do,
and we’re made to feel hugely valued,” she explained. “The management
at Extra Hands absolutely want the best for everyone, and will do
whatever they can to get it. That’s why people stay. The years have
flown by!”
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