Luan Mitchell is Head of Care at Seymour House, near Chippenham. Luan’s first role at OSJCT was as Housekeeper but she became a Carer to spend more time with residents, and quickly progressed to Care Leader.

Luan was inspired to work in care by her nan Mary, who had been a Care Leader at Burnham House, a care home run by OSJCT in Malmesbury before Athelstan House was opened. Later in her life, Mary was cared for herself at Athelstan House for four years.  Luan started working here, before moving to Seymour House.

Spending time with residents and overseeing their care are key elements of the Head of Care role. Luan explained: “Essentially, I oversee and audit the care provided by our care teams, I review and assist with care planning, and ensure that our teams are confident in what they are doing.

“I aim to spend at least 30 minutes each day speaking to residents, getting to know new arrivals and checking-in on those who have been with us for some time. It’s something I really enjoy. It also helps me to keep on top of care plans, spot any changes and support our care teams in their care planning.”

Luan has experience in homes and households which offer all types of care: residential care, nursing care and support for residents living with dementia. She said: “This experience is invaluable for understanding the different needs, and symptoms of changes, which residents can show.”

As Head of Care, Luan assesses residents before they move into Seymour House. This can include understanding whether they have the capacity to make decisions for themselves. If needed she will work with families when they need to make a Deprivation of Liberty (DoLs) application. This is an important step if a resident needs to have decisions about their care made by a family member or other trusted adult. This can be a difficult and sensitive time for residents and their relatives, with many changes taking place during the move into a care home, but Luan’s calm expertise is available to everyone involved to help these transitions to go smoothly.

With personal experience of her nan moving into an OSJCT care home, Luan empathises with relatives. She was chosen to be the preferred carer by a resident who was living with advanced dementia. Luan said: “This lady was reluctant to allow non-family members to support her with personal care, but she would allow me to help her. This gave her daughter and granddaughter such relief. And I became very close to that family.”