Becoming a carer was a rewarding journey for traveller Maureen

When Maureen Moffatt signed up for a cycling trip to Cambodia and Vietnam, she faced a dilemma: how to raise £3,500 for her chosen charity? Her solution was to spend three months as a live-in carer with Corinium Care. Here is her story.
“I had a dilemma: how was I going to raise enough money to donate to my chosen charity to enable me to join other fundraisers for a cycle ride in Cambodia and Vietnam?

Maureen Moffatt became a carer with Corinium Care

“I’d managed to raise enough for a trek to Machu Picchu in Peru two years earlier with a host of fundraising activities, but there’s only so much one can ask of friends.
“So how about going back to work? It might be a bit of a culture shock at the age of 65 and after 10 years in retirement, but I was up for the challenge.
“My previous work experience included auxiliary nursing, counselling and social work, so maybe becoming a live-in carer was the answer.
“It turned out to be a challenge, an eye-opener and a totally fascinating journey.
“Before getting started, it became evident that whichever care agency I chose to join would require a week’s compulsory training. How lucky I was to discover Corinium Care – the best company I have ever been involved with.
“Having delivered lots of training in my professional life, I feared the care training would be a rehash of previous sessions, a daily grind of stuff I already knew. How wrong I was.
“There were some lovely surprises during that first week at Corinium Care’s head office in Gloucestershire. The training was varied and relevant, delivered by a team of enthusiastic young women who were obviously very proud of their career choice and of the organisation.
“The other attendees were all women of mixed ages and backgrounds. Every day was packed with learning new information and interesting conversation.
“As the training course drew to an end, I received my first post: two of us travelled to a family who were determined that their mother would leave hospital to end her life in her own home.
“We arrived in time to see her brought home by the ambulance. She and her children were so pleased to see her in familiar surroundings: there were tears of joy and relief.
“Neighbours and family were present almost every moment. Flowers were personally delivered to the door, memories exchanged and more tears shed, all in the most emotionally healthy manner.
“It was a privilege to share these most intimate moments and a pleasure to help make the end of a worthwhile life a natural and gentle transition.
“My next two posts were with clients suffering with Alzheimer's. Two weeks in each post were enough to help me start to integrate into the person’s life, understand their issues and work alongside them to make the most of the days we had together.
“I learnt so much during this period. It was a privilege to be allowed to share such an intimate part of these families’ lives.
“In each post I was treated as a family member, so much so that it felt almost disloyal to say goodbye.
“I shall look back on my experience as a live-in carer as a totally worthwhile challenge in every sense.
“And, by the way, I raised enough money to go to Cambodia and Vietnam.”

'Ben there, Nevis again,' say climbers Clare and Rachel

Three cheers for Corinium Care’s intrepid Managing Director and Finance Director who survived a heroic attempt to conquer Ben Nevis by moonlight.
FD Rachel made it to the top. MD Clare almost did. And together they raised more than £1,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society.

Rachel and Clare with their medals

It was dark, wet and cold when the daring duo set off on their 1,344 metre climb at 10.30pm. Conditions on the Scottish mountain were so tough that only 100 of the 170 charity walkers made it to the summit and back.
One of them was our Rachel who finished in 10.5 gruelling hours. Clare managed a heroic 4 hours on the upward slopes before exhaustion got the better of her and race marshals ordered her to turn around.
Neither Clare nor Rachel are lightweights: both do regular fitness training and Rachel has just completed her second triathlon. But the UK’s highest peak, with just a headtorch and a couple of walking poles, was a tough challenge.
“It was very dark, wet and slippery and incredibly cold at the top. The wind was howling. We were walking through snow and couldn’t see where we were going,” said Rachel. “The terrain was very rocky and much of the time we had to walk sideways.

Ben Nevis: the UK's highest peak

“When dawn broke, I must admit that I was feeling pretty miserable. Two people were airlifted off the mountain. So I’m proud to have done it but, boy, it was tough!
“It was only when we both got to Glasgow railway station and found the cocktail bar that we began to feel human again.”
Clare was disappointed she didn’t reach the summit. “I’m not a quitter, but I just couldn’t give any more than I did,” she said. “I will go back one day – me and Ben have unfinished business.
“We’d like to thank everyone for supporting us. We did our very best, and Rachel’s achievement was astonishing.”
Anyone who wants to sponsor Clare and Rachel can still do so at www.justgiving.com/CoriniumCareLtd

 

Corinium scoops award for customer service

Corinium Care is delighted to announce that the company has won an award for excellence in customer care.

The Stroud Life Business Awards took place at a glittering ceremony, attended by more than 100 finalists and their guests, at The Old Lodge in Minchinhampton.

A huge cheer arose from the Corinium Care table when the winners of the Customer Care and Service category were announced.

Cheers: the Corinium Care team at the awards dinner

“It was a great night,” said Finance Director Rachel Dedman. “We pride ourselves on our customer care – it’s such an essential element of our business, so it’s really rewarding to receive this kind of recognition. We were thrilled when they read out our name.”

MD of Corinium Care, Clare Janik, congratulated her team. “This award is for all our staff and carers who work so hard to make Corinium such a great company – they really do go the extra mile. They prove that ‘caring’ and ‘business’ can go together. It's been the cornerstone of our success since the company was formed in 1995.”

Judges said they were looking for evidence of a commitment to continuously improving standards of customer service, a clear, well-implemented customer care policy and examples of services exceeding customer expectations. They also wished to hear how customer care initiatives contribute to the overall success of the business.

Corinium Care also won the Customer Care and Service Award in the Stroud Life Business Awards in 2012.

Corinium is a finalist for customer care award

Corinium Care is delighted to be a finalist in awards that highlight excellence in customer care.

The company is shortlisted in the Customer Care and Service category in the Stroud Life Business Awards 2014, set up to celebrate business excellence.

MD of Corinium Care, Clare Janik, said: “It’s fantastic to receive this kind of recognition. First-class customer care and service is at the heart of everything Corinium Care does. We believe passionately in doing the very best for our clients, and all our staff and registered carers live and breathe that philosophy.

“We like to think we provide proof that ‘caring’ and ‘business’ can and do go together. That concept has been the cornerstone of Corinium Care’s success since the company was formed in 1995.”

The winners of the 12 categories in the Stroud Life Awards will be announced at a dinner at the Old Lodge in Minchinhampton on July 16.

Clare and Rachel head for Ben Nevis

Two leading ladies at Corinium Care are lacing up their boots and preparing to climb Ben Nevis by moonlight.

Preparing for Ben Nevis: Rachel, left, and Clare

Managing Director Clare Janik and Finance Director Rachel Dedman will swap lipstick for lace-ups and a head-torch when they trek to the top of the UK’s highest peak to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society.

Neither have climbed a mountain before and hope to raise £500 on August 30.
“With an increasing number of our clients suffering from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia we were keen to help raise awareness of this devastating condition. And we are aware that the Alzheimer’s Society does a very good job,” said Clare.
Both women enjoy keeping fit when they’re not working at the live-in care agency in Nailsworth.
Rachel lost more than three stone when she hit her 50th birthday and has kept fit ever since – as well as preparing for Ben Nevis, she is also training for her second triathlon.
Clare goes running twice a week with a local running club.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the sunrise at the summit and walking down to a good breakfast,” she said.
Anyone who wants to sponsor Clare and Rachel can do so at http://www.justgiving.com/CoriniumCareLtd
 

Birthday lunch is a treat for Miss Acheson

Corinium Care hosted a special lunch for client Miss Mary Acheson to mark her 89th birthday and her fifth year with the live-in care agency.

Over the years, Miss Acheson, who lives in the Cotswolds, has spoken to most of the company’s 17 staff on the phone.

Miss Acheson with MD Clare Janik 

When she expressed a wish to meet them in person, Managing Director Clare Janik was happy to oblige, and arranged a celebratory lunch at Corinium Care’s head office in Nailsworth.

Miss Acheson, who spent most of her career in nursing, thanked the company for their consistently high standards. 

“I could say so many nice things about Corinium Care. You have all looked after me very well. When I ring, everyone is excellent. It’s something I really appreciate,” she said.

“It’s so nice to meet you all. It makes a big difference to put a friendly face to a telephone voice.”

Clare presented Miss Acheson with a card and a gift. “Miss Acheson has a lovely sense of humour and it has been a pleasure to have her as our guest,” she said.

BJ is guest speaker at training day for carers

When Corinium Care offered a new training course about complex care needs for live-in carers, the company asked client BJ Mozley to be guest speaker. 

Billie-Jane (BJ for short) has cerebral palsy and has been a Corinium client for 17 years since she opted to live independently in Cheltenham. 

“I wanted to help carers understand what it’s like to need care from the client’s perspective,” said BJ, 39, who uses a wheelchair and has restricted movement in almost every part of her body. 

BJ with Senior Care Manager Suzanne Hathaway and carers

“The best advice I can give is ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. Just because someone is disabled doesn’t mean they are stupid.” 

She praised the care provided by Corinium. “I wouldn’t go to anyone else. They understand my needs and my regular carer is fantastic. Corinium is definitely a care agency to be proud of,” she told the team of live-in carers. 

“The most important thing is to safeguard our dignity. When you’re disabled, that can be the first thing to disappear.”

The Complex Care Needs Training Day was free for Corinium’s live-in carers and included sessions on nutrition, stroke awareness, and use of equipment. It took place at the agency’s head office in Nailsworth.

“An increasing number of our clients have more complex care needs such as peg feeding and stoma care. It’s important we give them all the help we can so they know what to expect and feel confident,” said Senior Care Manager Suzanne Hathaway. 

Carer Sheldene Holtzhausen said: “Having BJ along was a brilliant idea - it’s nice to hear what being cared for is like from someone so articulate. I am always nervous when I go to a new client. It’s comforting to hear that the client is usually equally apprehensive.”