Always wanted to work in care

Kerry-Anne Silk-Reeves had always wanted to work in care and decided to take the step when she felt badly let down by a previous employer.

She studied child care at college and then for a degree in sports and recreation. When children Ellie-Mai and Ethan arrived she took time to look after them and as they grew older, found work as a delivery driver.

“I’d worked for them for six years as a driver, including giving up holidays to help them out,” said Kerry-Anne.

“But when my son needed hospital treatment they showed no support or compassion, that made me decide enough was enough.”

Kerry-Anne successfully applied to join Caremark Redcar and Cleveland’s home support team and she’s never looked back.

“I often work over 40 hours a week, including at weekends but the key difference is I feel at Caremark they support staff, so the rotas work around your particular circumstances – plus I get to take my holidays,” she said.

Kerry-Anne, 33, says there is often a misconception that care work is only about looking after people in their homes. In fact, much of the job is about keeping people active, enriching the lives of clients through different experiences and encouraging them to set themselves new goals to reach.

This includes accompanying clients so they can go out on visits or shopping trips and during a recent one Kerry-Anne had to put her first aid skills to the test when she saw a young woman collapse in the street and delivered CPR until the paramedics arrived.

“It showed me the value of skills and training and I’m keen to gain further care qualifications with Caremark,” said Kerry-Anne. “I find it very rewarding to help people and also to develop my own skills. I’ve learned how to communicate with non-verbal people and those suffering from a range of conditions, including end of life care.”

Kerry-Anne was named a Carer of the Year at the 2024 Caremark Annual Awards and has some advice for anyone thinking of joining the profession.

“An important part of being a carer is in helping clients to realise that, whatever their circumstances, there is still so much they can do and achieve.”

She added: “You always have to be professional, however your clients do become friends and it’s very rewarding to see them make progress. It’s tough when a client is at the end of life stage but you can still look to make those final months as comfortable as possible.”