Care worker bravely conquers fear of drowning to go swimming with the lady she cares for

A care worker in Bury overcame her fear of drowning and underwent ten weeks of swimming lessons, so she could accompany the lady she cares for in the swimming pool.

Maria Hughes, who works for Persona, a company owned by Bury Council, which runs three short stay care homes as well as providing daycare services and home care, found that the woman she supported, who has a disability, often made the sign for swimming.

“When I asked if that was what she wanted to go and do she would reply ‘yes’,” revealed the 22-year-old.

Unable to swim, Ms Hughes did a ten-week swimming course in her own time and paid for the lessons herself.

She admitted: “It took me a while to get over the fear of drowning - despite having lessons in the shallow end, but once I'd broken through that I got the hang of it more quickly than I had expected.”

When the pair were finally able to swim together, Ms Hughes said: “We would swim a length and she would then say ‘more’ repeatedly each time until we had to go. It was mostly her facial expressions that indicated how much she enjoyed the one to one time getting out and doing an activity that she loved.”

In recognition of her dedication to her work, Maria Hughes was recently crowned Young Carer of the Year at Persona’s first annual awards.

She found she was attracted to care work after volunteering in schemes working with children and adults with learning disabilities during high school and college, saying: “I found these experiences to be extremely enjoyable and rewarding and could not imagine a more satisfying career.”

For her the best thing is that “at the heart of the job I do is the people that I support. Trying my hardest to accommodate their best interests is sometimes challenging and can take me out of my comfort zone which is really positive and enriching.”

Persona’s employees and volunteers, who support young people with additional needs, people with learning disabilities, people with physical disabilities, older people as well as those with dementia and those with autism, were recognised with awards across nine different categories.

The 38-strong team at Spurr House, a short stay centre, received the Dignity Award, which recognised their dedication to maintaining the personal dignity and independence of their visitors, with a relative of a resident saying: “They are all stars in my opinion and I don’t know what we would do without them. Staff at Spurr House have always treated my mother with respect and patience”.

Kat Sowden, managing director at Persona said: “The sheer volume of nominations we received was genuinely overwhelming. Each one was heart felt and each one told a story of the amazing difference care and support workers can make to someone’s life. Careers in care and support can be challenging at times but they are also incredibly rewarding. The first PersonAwards is our way of recognising excellence and celebrating it.”

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