A KICKBOXING care home manager, who has helped transform the lives of numerous young adults, has been shortlisted for a top award.
Lorraine Jackson, Registered Manager of the Ty Hendy Care Home in Hendy, near Llanelli, is among the finalists at the social care Oscars – the Wales Care Awards.
The awards are organised by Care Forum Wales to reward outstanding work in the care sector and Lorraine has been shortlisted in the category for Leadership in Residential Care Services.
On October 21, she will attend the glittering prize-giving ceremony at City Hall, Cardiff.
Lorraine, now 36, has worked in the caring profession since she was 17 and in the learning disability sector for the past 11 years. She has been the manager at Ty Hendy, which is owned by Consensus Support, since August 2015.
She was nominated for the award by Simon Kezic, the company’s head of strategy, who spoke highly of her ‘leading by example’ and making sure that a wide range of individuals with varying levels of need and complex conditions receive the tailored support they deserve.
Ty Hendy has five self-contained flats for young adults with learning disabilities, eight rooms for people with more advanced learning disabilities and needs such as strokes, epilepsy and dementia, and a four-bed respite service.
According to Simon, Lorraine’s emphasis on supporting people to live with dignity has played a major part in changing the lives of so many.
As an example, he quoted the case of a deaf resident who was persistently despondent and had limited communication with others at the home.
Lorraine therefore arranged for colleagues to have British Sign Learning training, and eight members of support team are now proficient.
“This has led to significant improvements for him. He more fluidly and openly communicates with the care team at Ty Hendy,” said Simon. “His behaviours have also been markedly reduced and he has expressed his gratitude for the kind gesture.”
She has encouraged one group to cook for themselves, which has improved their lifestyles through healthy eating and learning about nutritional values, with the result that two of them have lost a substantial amount of weight.
Following their recent visit to the home, inspectors from the Care and Social Services Inspectorate commented on the ‘person-centred care’ being delivered, with residents being treated with ‘respect, dignity and warmth’.
Lorraine, who lives with her partner and stepson, said she derived great satisfaction from helping people to develop their skills and was proud to think that her work was appreciated by those who had supported her nomination.
Outside of work, she loves working off her excess energy through kickboxing and has been a member of The Way Gym in Cardiff for eight years.
“I find it more interesting than just attending a gym, and I have a purple belt, which is below brown and black,” she said.
She also enjoys football and supports Swansea City, though she hasn’t had much chance to watch them over the past year.
Mario Kreft MBE, the Chair of Care Forum Wales, said the Wales Care Awards had gone from strength to strength.
He said: “The event is now firmly established as one of the highlights in the Welsh social care calendar.
“The aim is to recognise the unstinting and often remarkable dedication of our unsung heroes and heroines across Wales.
“The care sector is full of wonderful people because it’s not just a job it’s a vocation – these are the people who really do have the X factor.
“If you don’t recognise the people who do the caring, you will never provide the standards that people need and never recognise the value of the people who need the care in society.
“We need to do all we can to raise the profile of the care sector workforce – they deserve to be lauded and applauded.
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