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Those who have worked in care industry for a while now, know that this is not a job that you should do just for money. It’s an extremely rewarding profession, but it requires patience, dedication, a lot of compassion and a lot of sacrifice. Sometimes it means that when majority of people get to have dinners with their families or enjoy a lazy Sunday in front of television, we march to work to make sure that those who are most vulnerable are well looked after and can feel loved and safe. It’s a very important task, especially at Christmas time, as it’s often during this period that people we care for need us the most.

Every year thousands of dedicated care and social care workers give up their personal plans to come to work. If this Christmas you’re one of those remarkable people, I’d like to offer you few tips and reminders on how to make sure that those in need, your co-workers, but also you have a very special time, while doing the best job possible!

Continue reading “Top Tips For Working Over The Festive Period!”

For many people, Christmas is the most exciting and the happiest time of the year. It’s a great opportunity to get together with the family, shower each other with gifts, celebrate, spread love and joy! The majority of us get to take time off work, have some rest, maybe even go away for a while. We get so caught up in putting up our Christmas trees and decorations, shopping and sending out cards, that quite often we forget, that unfortunately there are also plenty of people that find this festive period very difficult.

Mental health issues, illnesses, losses of loved ones, poverty and many other personal tragedies can be exceptionally hard to deal with during times like this. I believe that it’s our duty as humans to not forget people in need and do whatever we can to make sure that their Christmas is as magical as it can be. There’s a number of charities out there that year after year dedicate themselves to help others, whether it’s through financial, material, physical or emotional support. You can join them in so many ways!

I prepared a list of just a few charities and information on how you can contribute to their Christmas appeals.

Continue reading “Christmas, a time for giving”

Empathy, integrity and reliability is the foundation stones of delivering great agency care. We have the opportunity to set a new precedent for agency carers everyday to be part of a successful and caring community and to ensure that their hard work is valued and appreciated.

If you believe, like we do, that agency stigma still exists in many care homes then you will likely have also experienced what it is like to be an agency care worker and to have people be rude and snarky because “you’re paid more” or “you don’t know the residents”.

Continue reading “Care Staff: Undervalued, Underpaid and Underappreciated”

When I first started in care in 2009, there was certainly an agency stigma.

There was a divide between full time and agency care staff. Often the view was that agency care workers were incompetent and lazy. This stigma was there well before I came into the industry and is still there now.

This stigma has affected the quality of care of thousands of people over decades, not only in Suffolk but across the UK.

Continue reading “The Agency Stigma”

First of all, Happy New Year from all of us at Ocala Healthcare!

A time of year that we make promises to ourselves that we can never keep. Chocolate is for life, not just for Christmas. But it is also a time of year where people do make genuine life changing decisions such as changing jobs and even bigger than that, changing career entirely!

Continue reading “Happy New Year! Change of Career?”

I worked as an agency carer for 3 years before starting Ocala Healthcare, and it was the best job I have ever done! There’s loads of reasons why I enjoyed being a carer, including…

Continue reading “5 of the best things about being an agency carer”

It’s those who dedicate their lives to the care of others that often forget (or don’t find the time) to properly look out for themselves. The role of a carer is varied and diverse but can also mean some odd shift patterns that lend themselves to disturbed sleep and unhealthy eating habits. It can also be taxing mentally and emotionally. This is why we’re so in awe of our carers, and all those in the industry!

It’s easy to neglect your own needs when you’re juggling this role and your own home life, but doing this eventually leads to stress and burnout, so carving out moments in your day to look after yourself is vital for both your physical and mental health.

So, we’ve put together a few self-care tips that you can weave into your daily and weekly routine.


Continue reading “13 self-care tips for carers”

We had a fantastic night at the Stars of Babergh and Mid Suffolk Awards – not only was it a incredible evening full of great people, we also left with the Business Growth Award!

This is such an honour, and an amazing achievement for us – especially as we’re only now coming up for our first birthday. A year ago, if you’d told us we’d even be shortlisted for an award we probably wouldn’t have believed you! 

Continue reading “Ocala Healthcare wins Business Growth Award!”

Knowing you need to arrange care at home for a family member can be a difficult time for all involved. This may be the first time you have had to organise care and there is a great deal of information to take in. But please be reassured there is also a great deal of support in Suffolk available for you and your family.

Continue reading “Support and Funding available for Home Care in Suffolk”