Northants Carer awarded Carer of the Year 2008
Zuzana Reitman, who comes from Slovakia, was nominated by Manager Linda Jones because she has overcome language and cultural hurdles, and occasional discrimination, to become a first class carer, who is highly regarded by her service users and colleagues alike.
“Zuzana arrived in 2006 with only a little English and was initially very nervous of visiting service users alone in case sthey didn't understand her English and thought she wasn't competent” says Linda. “Today she chats happily to everyone and is happy to look after even brand new service users without any fear or problem. She is quick to identify any difficulties or causes for concern and communicates well with her service users who respect and trust her. She has integrated herself well into the local culture which is helping her understand the needs of her service users and to interact with her colleagues. Zusana is a real asset to the branch, she is hard working and always undertakes her care duties to the highest standard. She willingly travels large distances during her working day – often getting up early to get to a 7am call on time and she never complains. I’m proud to have nominated her, even prouder that she has won and delighted she is part of our team.”
Zuzana was genuinely amazed at being nominated and shortlisted and overwhelmed when she won – the first thing she did was telephone her daughter in Slovakia to tell her. “I was really quite frightened when I first started care work in England,” she said, “but now I am really happy and enjoy my work. I am very proud to have won and very pleased that my Manager is pleased with me!”
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