Each month, we meet someone working in the care sector. This month, we caught up with Tracey Wright, care assistant at Croft House, of Somerset Care in Williton.

Q. What are the main duties/responsibilities in your role?

A. Croft House has 67 rooms and is a residential home with a dementia unit for 31 beds. My main role and responsibility is to ensure that the residents in my care are happy, clean and well fed; that their physical needs are met with compassion and efficiently. The older generation needs and deserves our respect and I always try and remember this.

Q. What made you want to work in the care sector?

A. I love older people, they have so many memories and life experiences to share. To care for someone who is approaching the end of their life is a privilege. I think I will always work within the care sector.

Q. What do you enjoy most about it?

A. I enjoy engaging with people. Chatting to a resident with dementia and helping them have a small moment of clarity is such a wonderful moment. To have someone who is lost in their thoughts make eye contact with you and smile makes me feel like a million dollars!

Q. What would you change or improve about it?

A. I think care work still has a stigma to it – it’s not all about incontinence, it’s about showing compassion and giving people time. I think care workers in general deserve more recognition for the job we have to do. This could be reflected in a better rate of pay to make sure the care sector attracts the right people.

Q. Tell us about a memorable experience from your career?

A. Every day gives me a memorable experience but one day when a quieter resident with advanced stage dementia remembered my name and called out ‘hello’ to me brought tears to my eyes. It made me realise that you may not think a person has been listening but never stop chatting and caring because one day you will be rewarded with a smile.