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I have over 10 years experience & knowledge working with clients with different types & stages of dementia. Although my specialist skills are in supporting clients at home to live well with dementia my professional ethos as a personal assistant applies to all of the clients that I am support...More I have over 10 years experience & knowledge working with clients with different types & stages of dementia. Although my specialist skills are in supporting clients at home to live well with dementia my professional ethos as a personal assistant applies to all of the clients that I am supporting who all have different health or social needs & reasons for my support. I pride myself on my organisational skills, efficiency, attention to detail and my own common sense. I take a detailed background history when meeting prospective clients which enables me to provide flexible quality person centred care at achievable levels whether in the home or when out & about, promoting a sense of wellbeing, retaining current levels of independence & always treating clients with the utmost compassion, dignity & respect. I also support clients' living in residential care to access the community with social trips out and about. Additional dementia support includes but is not limited to managing & coping with difficult/challenging behaviours, offering ongoing practical advice & finding solutions, helping families/carers to navigate & access other health & care services & help with related form filling. My professional background history I initially trained as a Nursery Nurse (NNEB) but didn't utilise this qualification until later on in my life as I was already working at a small country house hotel as 'The Housekeeper'. I progressed from there to working in a 4 star Hotel in Eastbourne as Assistant Housekeeper. By the age of 22 I had been promoted to Head Housekeeper with my main responsibilities being to maintain the high standards of cleanliness & presentation in the 113 guest bedrooms & public areas of the hotel. I also set up a creche for the children of the housekeeping team as finding suitable childcare while they were working had previously been a problem. When I had my own family, I worked at a local preschool in Willingdon village as the Supervisor. In addition to this I was host to foreign language students for 18 years & also acted as legal guardian to 3 children from overseas who were studying in the UK at local boarding schools. Personal experience of supporting a family member who had Alzheimer's led me into my next career path at a local independent dementia day centre. I worked there for 8 years & some of my responsibilities included: working alongside the attending clients as a Companion, leading & training the Companion team of staff, supporting & advising clients' families & carers, assisting with form filling, taking detailed accounts of clients' background history to support all needs, representing the Day Centre at dementia cafes & some of the Seaford Care for the Carers meetings, home visits (including client assessments for home respite) & covering respite in clients' homes. Following this I became an accredited Personal Assistant with East Sussex Support with Confidence until my move to West Sussex. I really enjoy being in the company of people from all ages/walks of life, preparing & cooking good quality traditional food, gardening, listening to music, walking our 2 dogs, yoga, the countryside & being by the seaside. I am an avid reader, have a sunny disposition & a good sense of humour. I have a natural empathy towards people living with dementia & am driven through personal & working experience to really make a difference. I relocated to West Sussex earlier this year & am now looking for clients' closer to home. One of the client's I am currently supporting is living with Bipolar. My main role is helping her to try to manage high levels of anxiety, associated confusion and age-related health issues. In the 2 years that I have been supporting her we have built a good, solid professional relationship based on trust & understanding. Other clients' needs have included support to safely access the community, trips out include walking, visiting places of their interest including tea & cake! I also have experience of assisting with personal care, medication, accompanying to appointments etc. Please do get in touch if you think that I could help you & I will get back to you promptly. For your reassurance I am fully insured with business car insurance & public liability insurance.