Tatiana, Care Assistant
Please tell us your name & position here at Lingfield Lodge.
My name is Tatiana and I’m working here at Lingfield Lodge as a care assistant. I’ve been here for 3 months now and I love it.
So can you tell us a little bit about what extra care is?
Extra care is really about helping people maintain their independence. We help them with their personal care—things like bathing or getting dressed—and we also help with meal prep and grocery shopping if they want us to. It’s all about making sure our clients feel comfortable, healthy, and safe in their own homes!
What sort of tasks do you help people with in their day to day lives?
I love the range of tasks I get to do on the job. Sometimes I just go shopping with clients who need help picking out what they want; other times it’s a bit more involved than that—we might need to help them find something specific in a store or go on an outing together (like going for coffee!). Sometimes it’s just fun: if it’s nice out, we’ll take a walk around the garden or sit outside and talk!
And it’s not just elderly people you have here, is there a variety of age groups you care for?
Absolutely, we’ve got a lot of elderly people here, but we also have a variety of age groups that we care for. We individuals in their 20’s, 30’s & 40’s, it’s very varied.
It’s really interesting to see the different ways they interact with each other. Some groups like to go shopping together, while others seem happy to sit around and chat in the lounge or garden area. We have so many different personalities here, it’s amazing!
What do you enjoy about working in Extra Care?
I’ve been working in the Extra Care community for about three months now, and I just love it. Every day is a different day—you get to chat with new people, manage their medicine, and go on outings with them. It’s so nice to do something nice for someone, and see their smile when they’re happy. It’s absolutely amazing!
What advice would you give to someone thinking about working in Extra Care?
I think the best advice I can give someone who is thinking about working in Extra Care is that it’s not as scary as it seems. You don’t have to change who you are or compromise your values to be a part of this team. All it takes is being comfortable with yourself and being able to talk to others—and if you can do that, then you’re going to be amazing at this job!
Do you feel supported in your role?
Yes, absolutely. The management team are lovely, and they make sure that if I have any questions or need any help, I will get the help I need very quickly. The team are always helping each other, communicating to help each other solve a problem. Great team, great management—for that reason, I love working here.
What’s a typical day look like here? What sort of tasks would you tend to do in a normal day?
When I start my shift, I check in with the service users to see how they’re doing. If they need help with personal care, I’ll help them. If it’s breakfast time, I’ll help them with their breakfast food.
Lunchtime is usually when most of the service users come down for lunch. If requested, I’ll assist with medications and some people may need help with shopping so I’ll do their food shopping either with them or with a list. Everything needs to be recorded in their care plan so it’s important for me to keep track of everything that happens during each shift.
Have you built friendships with some of the residents here?
Oh yes absolutely, I would have to say that I have built friendships with all the residents here. The residents are truly amazing, and they bring such a variety of personalities to the table.
If anyone was thinking about working in care, and was perhaps a little nervous, what would you say to them?
I would say go for it, absolutely go for it. Like myself, I’m new to working in care and I love each and every day working here.
Working in care is not always easy but when you see the smiles on the faces of your clients that makes it all worth while.
Can you tell us more about your background in care as this is your first job in an extra care setting?
I’m actually new to the extra care sector, but I used to work as a nurse in a residential care home. It was very much a different environment to extra care. Working here you can watch residents live independently in their own apartment, with the freedom to travel out and about if they want to. I’m practicing skills here that I never got to do before, so I feel there is more opportunity working here in an extra care setting.
Are there lots of career opportunities working in Extra Care?
Yes, absolutely. You are learning every single day, from working with other colleagues, to interacting with residents. I aspire to progress towards team leader and further my career inside extra care even more.
