Employee of the month

Sharon Hough has celebrated her tenth anniversary at Queens Lodge in style by being named Employee of the Month for February.

She first entered the caring profession 30 years ago as a cleaner in a nursing home before switching to becoming a carer.

“When the kids were getting older I decided I wanted to get a job and so started as a cleaner in a care home,” said Sharon. “One of the nursing staff had seen how I was with the residents, how I got on with them when I was cleaning and suggested I try out on the care side.”

Sharon admits she was a bit nervous at first but plucked up the courage to give it a go.

“It’s a big responsibility having someone’s care in your hands but from the first day I realised caring came naturally to me. It was just something I really wanted to do,” she said.

Sharon, 52, joined Queens Lodge Nursing Home as a carer in 2015 and so has known a lot of the residents for many years.

Her own father spent his final years in a home. Sharon was impressed with how staff cared for him and has used that as a guide.

“They were wonderful to him and I look to treat residents in the way I would want any of my own family to be treated.” She adds: “I think you can tell a lot by the tone of voice used, do you have a kind, gentle approach? This is not a job you can do simply for a wage, you have to have that caring side.”

Outside of work Sharon likes to spend time with her grown up children Lauren and Nathan and her four grandchildren. And for an escape she heads off with husband Paul in their customised camper van.

“We just head off into the sunset. It’s lovely just to find a nice spot in the countryside and just chill out with a gin and lemonade,” said Sharon. “One day we’d love to take the camper abroad and tour Europe, that’s definitely on the bucket list.”

For now though, Sharon’s career in caring has come full circle. She’s still at Queens Lodge but has gone back to being a cleaner.

“Caring is a demanding role and I’m not getting any younger however I wanted to stay in the sector so this is perfect because I still get to see the residents,” she said.

“There is no better reward than seeing someone smile when you help them or come into the room and say hello, it’s the best way to tell you are doing something right.”

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