“I love making our residents smile” - Colette’s 15 years at Don Thomson House

When Colette reflects on her years working at our care home in Harwich, it’s the residents and team that make it such a special place.

“The residents mean everything to me,” she explains. “When I walk through the door I am coming to look after 28 nans and granddads – I love making them smile and I leave work knowing I’ve made a difference.

“And that is very much how the rest of the staff are here. The team always go that extra mile for our residents, to deliver truly person-centred care – for them nothing is too much trouble.”

And it’s not just the people that make the home special for home manager Colette.

“The gardens here are just beautiful and they stretch all the way round the home. In the summer our residents and their families love to sit outside - we have lots of teatime barbecues and an ice cream trolley.”

During her time at the home Colette has worked in a number of different roles, from care assistant and activities co-ordinator to administration and deputy manager. When the role of home manager came up, she jumped at the chance, and is delighted to have found her true calling.

“I just love Don Thomson House - I feel so content. We all work so well together and our home has a really good reputation in our community.”

And for Colette, she feels proud to work for Sanctuary Care. She adds: “Sanctuary Care is such a good employer – they have given me so many opportunities and I’ve been treated so well. I feel complete.”

Colette isn’t the only member of the team who love working at Don Thomson so much they’ve never looked back, with several having worked there for over 20 years.

For more about our Don Thomson House or our other care homes in Essex, our Enquiry Support Team are here to talk on 0800 3317421.