Matt Craddock is one of the Healthcare Assistants at our Oakdale care home and has been with us since summer 2021. He says that every day is different, and one of the things that he enjoys the most is having a good laugh with the residents and his colleagues. For Matt, it’s not just a job. He explains that “my passion is to give something back and give the residents the support they need, to help them enjoy life each day. I love what I do as an HCA.”

Matt’s friend encouraged him to try a career in care a few years ago, and suggested he give it a go to see if it could work with his personality and the skills that he already had.

He says:

“I’m so glad I did as I’ve never looked back since then. I’ve worked in care for three years now, and look forward to a long career in this industry.”

He particularly enjoys being able to sit and chat with the residents. He loves listening to stories about what they’ve done in their lives, where they’ve been, and who’s been important to them through the years. “It’s just amazing being able to hear their stories.” says Matt.

It’s also great fun encouraging the residents to get involved in the activities, with many of them particularly enjoying dancing and singing. Matt says: “It’s great to join in too, and a lot of the carers like to get up to dance with them.” Matt says he gets a lot back from working with the home’s dementia residents, as he feels he can make a real difference to their wellbeing and comfort.

When asked about the Oakdale team, Matt’s equally enthusiastic.

He says:

“Everyone’s great here. My colleagues are kind and we all help each other. The management team are fantastic too, and they provide lots of support.”

But ultimately it’s spending time with the residents that makes each day rewarding for Matt. He says: “I played Santa at Christmas, and dressed up to deliver the presents to each resident. It was hard work (and hot in the outfit!) but so much fun and it’s worth it to see how much they enjoyed the day – that makes it special for the staff as well.“

In the longer term, Matt’s ultimate goal is to be a Care Practitioner. He plans to start by doing additional training to progress to the role of Senior HCA, which will enable him to complete basic tasks to support the Nurses to provide day-to-day care to the residents in the care home.

Visit our Careers pages to find out more about the Healthcare Assistant roles available.