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Homecare in London, Essex, Hertfordshire and East Anglia

 

Live-in Local Care Service Manager LindaHello I'm Linda Desborough. You will be pleased to know that we provide Live-in Care in London, Essex, Hertfordshire and East Anglia. I work from our offices in Chingford and Welwyn Garden City. I have lived in the area for the past 48 years, I went to school here and later travelled around playing hockey for the Old Chingfordians Hockey Club. I love to visit National Trust Properties, fortunately there are many in the area, I am also a member of the RSPB and have Lea Valley Nature Reserve only a few miles away from my home. I am very fortunate to live and work in such a great locality.  I have always had a deep rooted interest in supporting people, having been a volunteer with MENCAP and the Samaritans for a number of years. I also spent many happy years supporting my husband who had an auto immune illness, and was a wheelchair user. This led to my becoming involved in the care industry and I have worked as a Manager of Live-in Care for the last 14 years.

 

My Qualifications

In my role as Manager I oversaw a wide geographical area covering Eastern England, East Anglia, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hertfordshire and various London Boroughs. During this time I worked with PCTs, Local Authority, and Direct Payment and privately funded cases, working closely with Service Users and their families as well as Social Workers and Health Professionals.

I have also gained the following qualifications:

  • Advanced Management in Care
  • Manual Handling Train the Trainer
  • RoSPA Risk Assessment Course
  • POVA Train the Trainer
  • Adult Abuse Awareness
  • Risk Assessment and Health and Safety
  • Understanding NVQ’s
  • Mental Health Act
  • Supported Planning and Outcome focussed Assessment
  • Staff Supervision & Appraisal

I have been privileged to provide support to people experiencing a wide range of difficulties, all of whom have required very varied personalised individual support?and covering a wide age range from 19 year olds to elderly people of 100 years plus.

These have included people experiencing Learning Disabilities, Sensory Disabilities, Acquired Brain Injuries and?Dementia. Those experiencing Physical Disabilities have included, MS, Motor Neurone, Parkinson's, PSP, Stroke, Spinal Injuries, Brittle Bones as well as genetic illnesses such as Huntingdon's Chorea and Frederich's Ataxia. I have also supported people requiring Palliative Care and short term respite packages.

Job Satisfaction

I have always particularly enjoyed direct contact with service users, starting from the initial assessment stage, then our working together to produce a very personal and individual support and care plan to meet that person’s needs; one that really works and enables them to maximise their choice and independence.

Each and every situation brings its own rewards but I have felt particularly privileged to have successfully supported young people to achieve their aims and enjoy life at university. Equally there is no better feeling when you know you have helped an individual or a couple to stay in their own home, when they were otherwise faced with the unpalatable choice of going into residential or nursing home care and perhaps being separated.

Tell us about your carers

I strongly believe our carers are our strength since it is they who perform the service which our company provides. Care Workers come from all walks of life and vary considerably in age and life experience but they all share a desire to help their customers live their lives to the full and many have told me how much more satisfying it is for them to provide live-in care where the service fits the customer, rather than the customer has to fit the service.

About me

I love to entertain and cook for my family and friends, enjoy going to the theatre, walking and unusual wildlife holidays. I’ve been fortunate enough to experience going on safari in Namibia, whale watching in the Sea of Cortez and penguin and iceberg watching in Antarctica! I also enjoy reading and table tennis, love animals in general and dogs in particular, having previously had an Alsatian, 2 Springer Spaniels and a Heinz 57 variety.