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For Clare Walker, residents of RMBI Care Co. are the heart of the Home. She started working at Cadogan Court, in Exeter, in 2011 as a Business Administrator. The role evolved to Business Relationship Manager and she also spent a short time as the Deputy Home Manager. Since 2020, she is Cadogan Court’s Home Manager and makes sure the care provided is centred on residents and that members of staff can connect with them and spend quality time together.

Making sure a teenage girl is not late for school and walking a high energetic Labrador before 7am is just the start of Clare’s routine during the week. After sorting out everything at home, Clare goes to Cadogan Court to start her working day as a Home Manager. This is a challenging role but, for her, seeing someone smile and knowing she is making a difference in someone’s life makes everything worth it! We asked Clare to tell us about her routine and what working at one of RMBI Care Co.’s Homes means to her.

• My alarm goes off at…

6am (unless I have been brave enough to book a morning class at the gym, then it will be 5.30am.) Once I have showered, I give my teenage daughter a nudge on school days. This is normally followed by a few more nudges before she is ready to face the day ahead.

• I start my day by…

Making a cup of tea ‘to go’ and taking the dog for a walk. This gives me the opportunity to try to organise the day ahead, as well as trying to dispense some of the high energy a 2-year-old Labrador has!

• Once I arrive at the care home…

I am normally met at the door by different members of the team and then spend the first 30 minutes or so walking around the building, checking everyone is ok and supporting where needed. I also get the opportunity to chat with some of our residents in the main dining room having breakfast.

• At lunch time…

I enjoy chatting to the residents as they walk past the office on their way to the main dining room. On Mondays, I bring my Labrador in so I always receive more visits on this day (or, perhaps, I should say Kobi does), which is lovely.

• My most memorable moment was…

There are quite a few. Perhaps the most memorable was when we experienced extreme cold weather in 2018 and a number of us stayed at Cadogan Court for three days and nights, wearing a number of different hats. We were snowed in and others couldn’t get to the Home! There was quite a buzz inside and the residents enjoyed having us join them for breakfast.

I also remember that, not long after I started, Cadogan Court had some generator works that took a little longer than expected. We lost daylight, so staff and residents were sitting in torch light, singing Christmas carols and listening to memories of blackouts during the war.

• The hardest part of my roles is…

Saying goodbye to those that have become part of the Cadogan Court family: residents, their loved ones and staff. Our residents are the heart of the Home and we often form friendships and bonds with their loved ones too.

• The best part of my role is…

Being part of an amazing team and seeing the difference that we all make to our residents and their loved ones’ lives. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing someone’s face light up with a smile or the twinkle in their eyes when they are happy.

• When I am not working….

I am watching my daughter play rugby or planning the next room to be redecorated at home, expanding my husband’s colour knowledge in the process.