"Wonderful care and dedication at Kirrak House"

There is much written and talked about person-centred care, but how do you create a culture for this to happen in practice? From my observations over the last few months, this is done very well at Kirrak House. From the care and concern for each resident, the respect and gentle persuasion used to calm a confused resident, the flexibility to respond to the changing needs and desires of residents on a day to day basis, all while getting through a demanding work schedule and responding to unexpected challenges that often arise.

There is such warmth and care displayed throughout the day by all staff towards the residents and you can feel this when you walk in. Nothing seems to be a bother and staff seem willing to help and support each other and readjust their tasks to fit in with the residents. There is also great care and support towards family members too, seeking feedback and listening to their concerns as well as making sure they are OK.

The leadership demonstrated by Rebecca is outstanding. She always has time to talk with families, is very engaged and aware of changes in resident’s health and daily activities, and makes sure that resident’s needs are prioritized, supporting staff when needed by helping out with meals, providing resident care or supervising residents to prevent falls or injury, all while juggling the demands of running the facility.

When a family member needs to go into care it can be distressing for other family members and raise lots of questions. What will it be like? Will the staff be able to care for mum, dad, our partner or child as we would like? What will the experience be in a strange environment? When all you want is for your loved ones to be treated with humanity, respect, and dignity and to feel cared for, safe and comforted it is reassuring to know that Kirrak House provides all of that and more.

Kirrak House is a great place for older people to call home and the entire staff team should be commended for their dedication, commitment and caring to all of the residents and their families.