If someone else was starting, I’d advise them to take every day as it comes. Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s about finding your feet; give yourself time and it’ll click. It’ll feel like you’ve done it all your life. The biggest challenges have been dealing with residents struggling with dementia as they can have serious mood swings. We calm them down, let them know what we are doing, remind them why we are there and reassure them. It gives you more experience each time you deal with people. You learn as you go along and grow. It’s always important to listen to residents, listen to what their needs are and understand them. It takes five minutes of someone’s time to listen to them.

I felt like I belonged at Wixams after about six or seven months. It’s so supportive. There’s always someone to talk to about how your morning has gone, or if there’s anything that happened that you want to talk about. I think that makes a difference.

People talk to you, make sure you’re never alone and help you feel part of a team. There are people checking in on you. Everyone talks to you if you need a sit down after you’ve finished, or a debrief. It gave me confidence and made a real difference.

I was nominated for Care Hero of the Year at ExtraCare’s Staff Awards this year, and that was amazing. I’m just myself, but I love being able to make a difference and talk to people. I feel like I’ve achieved so much. I can’t imagine doing any other job. I’m happy every day coming into work, thinking about who I’m going to see. I wouldn’t change it. I love being a CSW. I’m happy where I am.

I’ve always felt like I was on the outside growing up, I learned differently. But if I could swap to being someone else, I wouldn’t want to. You’re unique for a reason.

If you see someone struggling, not just in work but in life, go up and offer to help them, and watch how kindness spreads.