Apr 2021
17 Years at Chestnut Court
Today marks Ruth’s 17-year anniversary at Chestnut Court – it’s been quite the journey!
17 years! That’s right, Ruth has been part of the team at Chestnut Court for 17 years!
During that time, Ruth has made a massive impact within the home. She continues to be extremely popular amongst residents, their loved ones, and the rest of the team at Chestnut Court. Ahead of this 17-year anniversary, Ruth spent some time reflecting on her time at the home.
“I made the decision to apply for the housekeeping role at Chestnut Court after I saw an advert outside the home whilst I was dropping my little boy off at the school next door. I popped in to ask about the role and I started working part time as a Housekeeper here.”
To find out how you can join the OSJCT team, visit our careers pages.
“After spending 10 years working as part of the housekeeping team, the Home Manager had a discussion with me as he had observed me during a training session and pointed out how compassionate I was before offering me the role as Activities Coordinator.”
Since then, Ruth has spent 7 years working as part of the activities team to provide a wide range of stimulating activities tailored to our residents.
“I love the reminiscence activities we do with our residents. They have interesting stories to tell and I think society underestimates how much the elderly have to teach the younger generations. They have lived through so much and it really is amazing.”
“One of my favourite memories during my time here was meeting a lady who called me Winnie. She unfortunately suffered with dementia. She loved doing the conga with me around the home – we both had a great time! I learnt that dementia is not always what people think it is. With this lady is was all about having fun and living in the moment!”
So, 17 years on… did Ruth ever think she would still be working at Chestnut Court?
“I had no intentions of staying this long but I truly love my job! It is one of the most rewarding things I have every done in my life. I have fallen in love with our residents – you can’t help but not! I would bring my children with me to interact with the residents and my daughter, Leah, now works with me in the activities team and has been coming in since she was 10 years old.”