A Huntly care home worker who is older than many of the residents has been recognised for her hard work and is in the running for a national award.
At 80-years-old, Liz Thomson is older than many of the residents at the care home where she works.
Her role as activities coordinator at Balhousie Huntly has lead to her becoming a finalist at this year’s Great British Care Awards.
“I live in Huntly, just a mile from the home, and I know most of the residents and their families. So I’m a familiar face to them,” she said.
“A lot of them are younger than me.”
‘Each resident is different’
She organises a range of fun activities for the residents, from coffee mornings and visits from local artists and community groups, to knitting clubs and card games.
She continued: “I joined Balhousie Huntly in 2012 when it opened and there were only six residents. Now there are 70.
“They are split into four units and we also have some stand-alone bungalows and we do activities with each unit.
“Each resident is different, depending on their needs. Some are happy doing ball exercises, others like baking and art or going for field trips or walks.”
‘I love it’
Instead of thinking about slowing down following her 80th birthday celebrations this year, Ms Thomson is just getting started.
And she is keen to bust many myths about care homes and older people along the way.
“I have tried retiring before but I like working,” she added.
“It keeps me very busy and I love it. I usually work 15 hours a week but lately I’ve been working 30 hours a week. Like the rest of the care sector, we have a few jobs vacancies so are all supporting each other.”
Ms Thomson was born in Portsoy and ran her own bed in breakfast in Rayne before joining the care sector.
She has worked in several areas of the Huntly care home, including being part of the laundry, kitchen and domestic teams.
However, she says being activities coordinator is the role she has loved the most.
“I really enjoy the time I spend with the residents. I’ve known some of them for nine years now, so organising and leading activities is always enjoyable.”
‘Tremendously hard working’
Arlene Woods, operations support manager at Balhousie Huntly, said: “Every time we see Liz, she is always on the move, doing something great with our residents.
“She’s very caring and empathetic. Being older, she has a wonderful understanding and rapport with our residents.
“She’s tremendously hard working too – and at 80 years young, it is very inspiring. She always has a spring in her step. Balhousie staff are ‘everyday heroes’ – and Liz certainly lives up to that.”
The winners of the Great British Care Awards will be announced this week.