Cathy Sahadevan gives insight into her role as senior worker

Caring is caring, and fundamentally the same whether you are looking after a three-year-old or a 90-year old. So says Cathy Sahadevan, and she should know alright.

Cathy began her working life in childcare, but four years ago she moved to the other end of the spectrum.

She is now a senior carer at the Anisha Grange care home in Billericay.

“The crossover was easy,” she said. “A caring person will feel at home with any age group.”

Cathy made the switch once her own children were old enough to be independent. She was attracted partly by the wish for a change, and also by the wide range of opportunities available in the care industry.

“You can get too comfortable, just stuck in the same job,” she says. Now qualified – she is in the final stages of NVQ level 3 – and promoted one step up the rung.

Cathy works a mixture of daytime shifts. Her weekly rota intercuts 12 hour working sessions from 7am to 7pm, with half-day ones from 7am to 1pm.

As a way of working, she says: “It gives me the chance to be there for the children. At the same time, it is good for the children to see how hard you are working. It helps to instil a work ethic.”

Cathy’s spare-time studies cover the law related to the care industry, along with good practice “and also not good practice”.

She is convinced, however, that paper qualifications are less important than personality.

“More than any qualification, you need to have something about you. That’s something that can’t be taught,” she says.

“People think anyone can work in care, but that’s not so. You’ve got to have lots of patience, and you need to be in it for the long haul. You have to have a basic respect for the people you care for.”

Cathy’s working day begins with a handover procedure and debriefing from the night care staff. In the course of the day Cathy may find herself talking over issues with residents, fielding phone-calls from relatives, reporting to the nurses or the duty manager, or organising activities for residents.

The routine is punctuated at regular intervals by the medication round, with pills and other medications being wheeled from room to room on a trolley to the home’s 70 residents.

Above all, Cathy emphasises the importance of compassion and – the word that comes inbuilt into the job description – care.

“You retain a professional appearance, but you do connect with the lives of people here,” she says. “You are there for them, and you let them know that you are. Sometimes the most important part of the job is simply to listen.

“It can be a big upheaval for people when they come here. They may be leaving the home where they have lived for 50 or 60 years.

“On some occasions, it’s actually harder on the family. Whatever is going on, you know you are doing a job that really matters.”