Q&A with… Xanthe Hicks

In our latest ‘Spill the tea session’, we caught up with Xanthe, who is our newest member of staff. We asked her a few questions about working for The Ness Care Group and how she got into dementia care…

How did you get involved in dementia care?

I looked after a gentleman with early stages of the disease a few years ago, just popping in and having a cup of tea and a chat with him for an hour. It sounds silly now, but I didn’t realise how much something so small could mean to someone.

What do you love most about working for The Ness Care Group?

I genuinely love coming into work each day, meeting new people, there’s such a sense of family within The Ness Care Group team. I feel so lucky to find a job that I feel so passionate about. Everyday you learn something new, and there’s so much room to grow as an individual as well as within the team.

Tell me a memory that makes you smile when you’ve been working at The Ness Care Group

One time one of the ladies was in the front seat of the minibus, and so I put my face against the glass, making my nose squashed. I didn’t really expect much of a reaction, but the lady collapsed into fits of giggles, which made me laugh hysterically. Now, every time I see her in one of the vehicles I do the same thing. The beauty is that her laugh is so infectious that normally it gets the whole bus going, and no one knows what we’re laughing about.

What does a typical day look like for you at The Ness Care Group?

I think part of the magic of the centre is that every day varies so much. We follow a similar structure in our day to day, coming in for our morning meeting, greeting the members with a smile and a hot drink, enjoying an outing, having a lovely home cooked lunch and then facilitating a more focused therapy group in the afternoon. But, the members always keep us laughing and on our toes, so needless to say no day is the same!

What is your motto or personal mantra?

Life’s short, smile whilst you still have teeth.

How would your family and friends describe you in 3 words?

Kind, adventurous, loyal.

 

You can read more of our Q&A’s over on our blog here or head over to Facebook for the latest updates and news from our centres.